Safety and Transit Improvements Coming to West Colfax Avenue
Published on June 05, 2024
DENVER – Tomorrow, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston will join Denver City Council President Jamie Torres and representatives of Denver’s Department of Transportation (DOTI), Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), West Colfax Business Improvement District (BID) and Denver Streets Partnership to break ground on a project to make West Colfax Avenue safer for all, and particularly safer for pedestrians.
The West Colfax Pedestrian Safety and Transit Improvement Project is a $15.5M dollar investment in the West Colfax Avenue corridor, with funding provided by the voter-approved Elevate Denver Bond, CDOT’s Safer Main Streets program and other city sources.
The project will make safety and transit improvements along West Colfax Avenue from Sheridan Boulevard to Irving Street that include installing:
- eight new, landscaped center medians that provide pedestrians with safe places to stand when crossing West Colfax and reduce left turns that create conflict points among people traveling.
- bulb-outs at 19 intersections to reduce pedestrian crossing distances, slow vehicle turning movements, calm traffic and improve the visibility of pedestrians and people on bikes.
- new ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps
- three new transit bulb-outs that provide larger waiting areas and safer boarding for people who use transit.
The project meets city and state goals to address Denver’s High Injury Network – the roads where most fatal and serious injury crashes are occurring in the city - and better protect vulnerable roadway users. Previous work done by DOTI on West Colfax Avenue, including adding signage and treatments to make intersections safer and adjusting signal timing to reduce vehicle speeds to the posted speed limit, have resulted in a 71-percent drop in fatal crashes and 39-percent drop in serious injury crashes.
Already the safest way to get around in our city, the project aims to make transit a more attractive travel option for people, while enhancing the aesthetics of the corridor and neighborhood environment with landscaped medians.
What: Groundbreaking for West Colfax Pedestrian Safety and Transit Improvement Project
When: Thursday, June 6, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: West Colfax Avenue and Winona Court (NW corner)
Who: Mayor Mike Johnston, Denver City Council President Jamie Torres, DOTI Executive Director Amy Ford, CDOT Region 1 Director Jessica Myklebust, West Colfax BID Executive Director Dan Shah and Denver Streets Partnership Executive Director Jill Locantore.