This Week: Get Loud About the MLK Boulevard Widening Project

Denver Public Works has $15 million to redesign a section of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Stapleton, and it’s using some of that money to turn a two-lane street into a four-lane road. You would think, given Mayor Michael Hancock’s recent commitment to end traffic deaths, that his streets department would stop building projects that encourage deadly speeds. So far that’s not the case.

You can weigh in on the road widening project this week. All of the action on the calendar is Thursday.

• Thursday: The Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee will host its monthly meeting. MBAC’s members advise Mayor Hancock on all things biking — infrastructure, policy, education. This is where people who ride get together and decide how to make the city more bikeable. No need to be a member — the meetings are open to everyone. 201 W. Colfax Ave., Room 4.F.6 at 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: The public can comment on the MLK Boulevard project, which would encourage speeding by making the section between Havana and Preoria streets four lanes wide instead of two. The project calls for extra-wide travel lanes ranging between 11 and 13 feet wide — 10-foot or 9-foot lanes are safer because they send cues to drive at slower speeds. The blueprint also calls for trails on both sides of the street for walking and biking. 6 – 7 p.m. at the Central Park Recreation Center, 9651 E. MLK Blvd.
• Thursday: Curtis Park Neighbors will host a meeting with a rep from Public Works about plans for a protected bike lane on Stout Street from 19th to Downing. BikeDenver wants a crowd of supporters there, so make your mark by showing up at Mile High United Way, 711 Park Ave. West from 7 – 8:30 p.m.