lane widening

To honor this second Global Climate Strike today, Gov. Jared Polis and Mayor Michael Hancock must commit to stop building new roads and expanding the ones we have.

Officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation showed off ideas to fix a dangerous, congested stretch of Interstate 25 that passes through Central Denver. Despite the agency’s recent announcement of a statewide “listening tour,” the highway agency has already ruled out the most progressive concept it considered: Tearing down the highway and replacing it with an urban boulevard.

A lot of people don’t like Colorado DOT’s plan to widen I-70 in north Denver — and for good reason. Expanding I-70 will generate more traffic, noise pollution, and greenhouse gases while costing a bundle of money that could be spent on other things, like, say, better transit. Opponents of the road widening told CDOT why they … Continued

Denver Public Works is moving ahead with plans to turn streets near the I-25 and Broadway RTD station into wide open speedways, despite the city’s intent to transform the area into a walkable neighborhood. At some locations, DPW will create streets more than 100 feet wide. Construction on the street widenings is slated to start next year, officials said Wednesday, … Continued

Crashes on Federal Boulevard between Seventh Avenue and Howard Place are higher than the statewide average. So how have the Colorado Department of Transportation and Denver Public Works responded? By adding a sixth travel lane for drivers and widening the current ones — two actions known to increase speeds and congestion. When it’s completed in 2018, … Continued

The Denver Post published a story today by Megan Mitchell that depicts an uprising of sorts against smart street design near the Iliff Avenue Rail Station, which will open next year. Some residents, including Albert Melcher, president of the local neighborhood association, want to nix a planned bike lane and widen a nearby street to handle traffic from the … Continued

The Department of Public Works wants to widen several blocks of Quebec Street between 13th and 26th. DPW says adding more lanes is the answer because it will move more cars. But if we want to have safe streets for people to walk and bike, DPW’s four-lane design for Quebec is not the way to go. According to … Continued

The Department of Public Works is pushing for yet another street widening that will lead to more traffic injuries. This one is on Quebec Street between 13th and 26th avenues in Stapleton. The reason? To save drivers a few minutes during rush hour. With the exception of a few blocks, this section of Quebec Street is currently … 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