Proposed Project
Located within the Stapleton Redevelopment Area, the proposed Central Park Boulevard interchange would provide additional I-70 access and a connection to Central Park Boulevard, a north/south arterial through the Stapleton Redevelopment area.
Project Background
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the City and County of Denver (CCD) are conducting the I-70 East Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is considering improvements to I-70 between I-25 and Tower Road. When the EIS began in 2003, the Central Park Boulevard Interchange, which is called for in the Stapleton Redevelopment Area development plan, was expected to be approved as part of the EIS. As part of the on-going EIS process, the new interchange at Central Park Boulevard has been studied and is planned as a future connection to the Stapleton Redevelopment Area.
Redevelopment of the 4,700-acre Stapleton site as one of the nation’s largest urban mixed-use in-fill developments began in May 2001. When completed, Stapleton will house a projected 30,000 residents and provide employment for a projected 35,000 workers.
South of I-70, the Stapleton development is rapidly building with completion of many new neighborhoods, parks, schools and commercial and retail centers, such as the Quebec Square regional retail center and the E. 29th Avenue Town Center.
North of I-70, The Shops at Northfield Stapleton, a 1.2 million square foot “lifestyle retail center” opened in October 2006, bringing to Northeast Denver a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, a Super Target, JC Penney and Main Street retail anchored by a Macy’s Department Store and Harkins Theatres. North of 56th Avenue lies the recently constructed Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, more than 20 soccer fields, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center and the new Commerce City civic center building. Planned future phases of the development north of I-70 include a Denver Public School, additional commercial/retail development, new parks, and open space.
Need for the Project
As redevelopment of the Stapleton area continues, the demands placed on I-70, particularly between Quebec Street and Havana Street will continue to grow. I-70 currently serves as a regional access point to the Stapleton Redevelopment Area, with the Quebec Street and Havana Street interchanges serving as the only connectors between the north and south development areas. These two interchanges are experiencing increased traffic due to the redevelopment of Stapleton, additional development in Commerce City, and the opening of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
The need for this project is based on:
- Change in land use and increased transportation demand
- Limited transportation capacity
- Poor local mobility and multi-modal access
Alternatives
Central Park Boulevard Interchange alternatives are currently being developed by the project team. Alternatives are based on work already conducted as part of the I-70 East DEIS.
In addition, these alternatives were developed to allow for constructability within the existing corridor and meet multi-modal transportation needs. The following alternatives have been developed for the EA:
Alternative 1: No Action – The No Action alternative assumes that Central Park Boulevard would be built over the existing I-70 corridor. The associated I-70 and I-270 ramps connecting Central Park Boulevard would not be built.
Alternative 2: Transportation System Management (TSM) – Alternative includes measures to improve intersection operations and safety and reduce travel demand. This alternative would include the building of a new bridge without connections to I-70.
Alternative 3a: New Bridge (Single on/off ramps) – Alternative 3a would include six main-lanes across the bridge with adjacent bike-lanes and sidewalks in both the north and south-bound directions.
Alternative 3b: New Bridge (Two Consecutive on/off ramps) – Alternative 3b would include six main-lanes across the bridge with adjacent bike-lanes and sidewalks in both the north and south-bound directions.
Alternative 4a: Cargo Bridge (no widening) (Single on/off ramps) – This alternative assumes the use of the Cargo bridge in its existing condition.
Alternative 4b: Cargo Bridge (no widening) (Two Consecutive on/off ramps) – This alternative assumes the use of the Cargo bridge in its existing condition.
Alternative X: Other
The a and b variation of Alternatives 3 and 4 were developed to identify the best operational solution for the CPBI. These concepts are variations of the ultimate braided option that will be compared to each other to evaluate the operational effectiveness of the proposed interchange.
Screening Process and Identification of a Preferred Alternative
The next steps will be to screen the alternatives in order to identify a preferred alternative. Two levels of screening will be applied to the proposed alternatives. The initial level of screening would be based on “fatal flaw” screening criteria. Remaining alternatives would then be retained for the second level of “detailed screening” that evaluated each alternative against a series of engineering, traffic engineering, environmental, and policy related criteria. The No Action alternative would be carried forward through the entire screening process for detailed comparison to the Preferred Alternative.
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