56th AVENUE, QUEBEC TO PEÑA BOULEVARD
CORRIDOR STUDY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
PROJECT UPDATE — AUGUST 2007
The City and County of Denver’s project team is continuing the study efforts to define a plan to improve mobility and safety in the 56th Avenue corridor.
One of the early tasks of the planning process is “scoping” to identify project issues, concerns and opportunities. A public scoping meeting and project open house was held in the Montbello area on June 7, 2007 to introduce the project to interested residents and collect comments on the 56th Avenue corridor and the study process. Residents of the corridor were generally supportive of the project, and offered numerous suggestions about the roadway alignment, noise mitigation, trails, traffic signal locations, and project cost.
Project phasing was a key study issue that was discussed at the public meeting. Since construction funds are available for only a portion of the corridor, initial efforts of the study focused on identifying the best use of available funds. The west end of the 56th Avenue corridor was found to have the highest existing and forecast traffic demand and highest accident history. Therefore, initial improvements on 56th Avenue will be constructed on the portion to the west of Havana Street. An Environmental Assessment process will be followed for the Quebec Street to Havana Street section of the corridor to define the specific features of the proposed improvements and mitigation of any environmental impacts.
An overall study of the remainder of the 56th Avenue corridor from Havana to Peña Boulevard will also be completed to provide a future plan for improvements to this part of the corridor once funding becomes available.
Using the information gained in the public meeting, the project team is currently identifying and developing alternatives that meet the needs of the corridor. These design alternatives range from “No-action” to a major widening of the roadway. The final alternatives will be presented for public review in the fall.
For project information, please contact:
Roger Mutz
City and County of Denver
Capital Projects Management
720-913-4512
roger.mutz@denvergov.org
Jess Ortiz
City and County of Denver
Capital Projects Management
720-913-1781
jess.ortiz@denvergov.org