This Week: Join the Fight Against the I-70 Boondoggle

Mayor Michael Hancock calls the stretch along I-70 from downtown to DIA his “corridor of opportunity” — but opportunity for whom?

If you’re talking about the I-70 highway widening, it’s road builders who stand to get rich, while local families and businesses will put up with more pollution and traffic — or even get the boot. Neighbors organizing against the highway expansion are meeting this week to discuss their strategy, and you can join them.

The changes coming to north Denver aren’t all bad, though. The redevelopment of Brighton Boulevard promises to benefit people and businesses by transforming an auto-dominated hellscape into one of the city’s most walkable and bikeable streets.

The Hancock administration created the North Denver Cornerstone Collaborative to oversee these projects and others in the area. NDCC will host two meetings this week: A town hall on mobility, and a public meeting to discuss the expensive drainage project entangled with Colorado DOT’s plan to dig the I-70 ditch. More on those and other events below.

Wednesday: Following news that a group of concerned residents and the Sierra Club will take the I-70 widening to court, the I-70 Re-route Planning Committee, comprised of many of those neighbors, will meet to discuss next steps. If you want to join the fight for a more walkable, less traffic-choked future for Denver, head to the library at Garden Place Academy, 4425 Lincoln St., at 6 p.m.

Wednesday: In exchange for the Hancock administration’s cooperation with widening I-70, Colorado DOT will help foot the bill for a drainage project in north Denver. The irony is that the new highway trench will probably exacerbate the risk of flooding. You can speak up at an open house on the drainage project hosted by NDCC. St. Charles Recreation Center, 3777 Lafayette St., 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday: Transportation Solutions, a non-profit dedicated to improving options for getting around without a private car, hosts an event to explore how transit-oriented development can make neighborhoods better. In addition to transportation options, the presentations will cover job creation and housing. Infinity Park Event Center, 4400 E. Kentucky Ave. 8 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Thursday: You can speak to city staff about the I-70 widening, the Brighton Boulevard redesign, and the National Western Center redevelopment at NDCC’s “Mobility in Your Community” forum. The town hall begins at 5 p.m., with a roundtable discussion between project staff and residents starting at 6:30. National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St.

Thursday: Help design artistic crosswalks for two intersections along West Colfax, at Perry and Raleigh streets. Business owners will host a charette to come up with visually appealing crosswalks that they hope will increase pedestrian traffic. West Colfax Business Improvement District, 3275 W. 14th Ave. 5 p.m.

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