Denver is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on road remodeling to create a transportation system that leaders say will give residents more options for moving around in the future as the population grows.
Here are some of the major projects:
West 38th Avenue
Widen sidewalks, adjust signals, and reconstruct lanes along a three-mile stretch from the South Platte River to Sheridan Boulevard to give buses priority. A city planning recommends reducing vehicle traffic lanes from five to three to make room for faster buses, pedestrians and parking. A $55 million bond-funded portion of this project would first improve bus stops, add landscaping with trees, and rebuild intersections so that pedestrians, including school children, can cross safely.
Evans Avenue
Rework a two-mile stretch between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street, replacing signals and installing pedestrian crossings. Other “mobility improvements” may be included in this $15 million project, city officials said, adding that they’re considering wider work on the road, where vehicle traffic lanes have been reduced to one lane in each direction between South Bryant Street and South Tejon Street.
Speer Boulevard
The project would install Bus Rapid Transit — high-frequency buses similar to trains — along a 13-mile route from Federal Boulevard to the Regional Transportation District’s Nine Mile Station near Interstate 225, transforming Speer, Leetsdale Avenue, and Parker Road. A city estimated the cost of reconstructing Speer Boulevard and Cherry Creek along a 1.5-mile stretch between Interstate 25 and Colfax Avenue at $589 million to $816 million. A $1.5 million study approved by the Denver Regional Council of Governments is scheduled for completion in 2027. Stan Kroenke, owner of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, has building a pedestrian bridge over Speer Ball Arena with downtown.
Eighth Avenue viaduct
Reconstruct the 90-year-old elevated road south of downtown near the likely site of the future Broncos football stadium. City describe an $89 million bond-funded project to replace the viaduct with a surface-level road, narrowing vehicle lanes to reduce speed and installing wider sidewalks, friendlier for bicyclists.
Santa Fe Drive
Following a vehicle lane reduction from three to two in 2021, a $29 million bond-funded project will install wider sidewalks and safer crossings along a seven-block stretch between Sixth Avenue and 13th Avenue through the busy Santa Fe Arts District. Protected bike lanes would be created along the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th avenues that intersect with Santa Fe.
West Mississippi Avenue
Reduce five vehicle lanes to three along a one-mile stretch through the neighborhood between the South Platte River and Federal Boulevard. Plans for the $2.9 million project show improved pedestrian crossings and new signals to speed buses. Construction is scheduled to start this spring.
17th and 18th Avenues
RTD buses would get priority and become more reliable for riders between Broadway downtown and Colorado Boulevard. City officials are conducting a study that includes analyses of vehicle traffic, bus travel times, and parking use.
A construction schedule for bond-funded projects will be made public in April, city spokeswoman Nancy Kuhn said. In addition, the is teaming with Denver on overhauls to install bus-only lanes and Bus Rapid Transit along state highways running through Denver: East Colfax Avenue (a $280 million project to be done in 2027), Federal Boulevard (a $318 million project starting in 2027), and Colorado Boulevard (still under study and design).
Denver planning documents also show more than 500 other street projects spanning the city, mostly smaller-scale neighborhood makeovers designed to force drivers to slow down and create an easier environment for people on foot and buses. These include 106 projects to install and improve bicycle lanes, 114 to improve sidewalks, 147 to adjust signals, 88 to speed transit, and 89 others promoting shared use of roads, according to city documents. Details, timetables, and costs aren’t clear.
