I-70

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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