A dangerous section of the South Platte River Trail has reopened after a $7 million construction project that widened and shored up the busy bike path, paving the way for even more improvements in 2028 or 2029, according to Denver Parks & Recreation.
Addressing the long-closed stretch between Johnson Habitat Park, at 610 S. Jason St., and Mississippi Avenue was “everybody’s least favorite construction project of the last decade,” said Adam Lind, Trails Planning Manager, in a video posted to .
That’s because the stretch contains an old, failing retaining wall that was leaning over into the trail and making it unsafe for users, Lind said. The roughly 50-year-old wall, constructed of timber, began to fail due to natural wear, he added, and cyclists were re-routed to Jason Street during construction, where bike lanes were added.
The stretch was first closed in 2020 due to safety concerns, but Phase 1 of the improvements only kicked off in September 2025, owing to permitting, design and approval delays.
“As you can see now, we have a beautiful new concrete retaining wall,” Lind said in the video, “and a new concrete trail that will be opening up by the end of summer.”
Denver Parks & Recreation is investing about $35 million in special revenue funds, or voter-approved money, in overall. Future improvements could include an upgraded trail cross section, a new bridge, solar lighting, and wayfinding, the city agency said.
The trail will be fully updated starting in late 2028 or early 2029, with improvements that will widen the trail “to meet as close to the regional trail standard as possible within this section of the river, with most stretches measuring between 12 and 16 feet wide,” according to the department.
The project generally will add up to 12 feet of concrete and 4 feet of “crusher fines,” or crushed gravel and rocks to buffer bikes and pedestrians on the trail and the river banks. Phase 2 will then add solar lighting and other amenities.
The stretch from Bayaud Avenue to Phil Milstein Park (south of 6th Avenue Freeway) is getting a trail expansion and a new pedestrian bridge that will relocate the trail to the west side of the river. Parks officials are also studying the feasibility of redesigning South Platte River Drive to include a new trail or shared-use path between Grant-Frontier Park and Florida Avenue, on the west side of the river, they said.
There are planned for the 11.5-mile-long South Platte River Trail through 2030, in four sections, Parks & Recreation officials said. See more updates at .
