I-70
Here Are Your Winners of the First Annual Denver Streetsie Awards
It’s been a notable year for walking, biking, and transit in the Mile High City. But what was the most notable? The best project? The worst? We put those questions and others to our readers, and the votes are in. Here are your winners of the first-ever Denver Streetsies. Best Livable Streets Victory Money talks — and gets votes. Governor John Hickenlooper’s $100 … Continued
December 30, 2015
CDOT Chief Shailen Bhatt on Widening I-70, Traffic Deaths, Bikes, and Transit
Yesterday Streetsblog Denver published the first half of our interview with Shailen Bhatt, the head of Colorado’s Department of Transportation, in which he talked about CDOT’s changing role in a changing Denver. Bhatt isn’t your average DOT leader — or at least he doesn’t sound like one. He talks about complete streets a lot, and … Continued
December 2, 2015
Tonight: Tell CDOT That I-70 Doesn’t Need More Lanes
City Councilor Deborah Ortega grilled the Colorado Department of Transportation last month over its agreement with Denver Public Works that trades flood protection for $83 million in funding for a massive I-70 expansion. “Yes, the drainage has been part of the conversations, but not the details of how all of this was going to be financed and what kind of long-term … Continued
August 20, 2015
Can Tim O’Brien Fill Dennis Gallagher’s Very Large Shoes?
It appears that the office tasked with watchdogging Denver’s strong-mayor form of government is done holding the city’s feet to the fire over its agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation that commits $83 million to widening I-70 in exchange for badly needed flood protection. Former Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher understood that making essential infrastructure upgrades contingent on a highway … Continued
August 4, 2015
In His Second Term, Will Mayor Hancock Honor His Promises on City Streets?
Last week, City Auditor Dennis Gallagher called out the Hancock administration for failing to properly fund and implement Denver’s bike network. Today, Mayor Hancock delivered his second inaugural address, promising what his press secretary called “an intensive year-long effort to increase sustainable mobility choices in Denver.” Hancock made the remarks in a speech today at the Denver Performing Arts Center. … Continued
July 21, 2015
Protesters Call for I-70 Re-Route Outside Hancock’s Inaugural Address
Protesters took aim at the I-70 widening project and demanded transparency today outside the Ellie Caulkins Opera House where Mayor Michael Hancock was being sworn in for his second term. Chanters belted protest songs and held signs reading “We can re-route I-70!” and “!Sí se Puede Desviar El I-70!” Fran Frainaguirre lifted a sign up at the corner of 14th and … Continued
July 20, 2015
How Highway Expansionists Forced Through Funding for I-70
Thanks to last week’s City Council decision, Denver will pay the Colorado Department of Transportation $83 million to expand I-70 from six lanes to 10, using obsolete data to justify it. But there’s a lot more to unpack. CDOT will also contribute to a much-needed drainage project as part of the deal. By knotting flood mitigation with … Continued
July 13, 2015
CDOT Will Knowingly Use Obsolete Projections to Rationalize I-70 Widening
Last month, Streetsblog wrote about the absurd traffic projections that the Colorado Department of Transportation is using to justify expanding I-70 from six lanes to 10 through northeast Denver. Last night, I-70 project director Tony DeVito admitted that CDOT will knowingly use old traffic modeling to make a case for the $1.2 billion project, even though there’s newer data available. DeVito spoke … Continued
July 7, 2015
What Denver’s Transportation Engineers Can Learn From Seattle
Seattle is, in many ways, Denver’s most comparable peer city. Like the Mile High City, Seattle was built to move cars, but as it grows, the city is looking to retrofit its streets to move people via transit, biking, and walking. There’s a stark difference between the two cities’ approach, though. Seattle is backing up its talk with swift action made … Continued
July 6, 2015
Dennis Gallagher: City and CDOT Rushing to Ram a Wider I-70 Through Denver
Outgoing City Auditor Dennis Gallagher has been a thorn in the side of reckless I-70 expansionists for a long time. When the city council first considered proclaiming support last year, he blasted the 10-lane, $1.8 billion proposal. Before the Denver Regional Council of Governments awarded the project $50 million, he gave a scathing warning. Now Gallagher … Continued
June 12, 2015