This project will redesign 1st Avenue from Downing St. to University Blvd., widening the Cherry Creek Trail, adding a tree lawn to the south side of 1st Ave., making safety improvements at the Downing St. and University Blvd. intersections, and preparing the corridor for future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
This project was identified as a high priority by Denver Moves: Cherry Creek (DMCC). The Cherry Creek trail between Downing and University is too narrow to meet Denver's standards for a regional trail. Through community outreach for DMCC, the project team heard that many residents are concerned about safety and comfort on the trail, as well as the intersections that bookend the project.
The goals of this project are to:
This corridor is a critical connection between Downtown Denver, the heart of Cherry Creek, and points west and east of these destinations. The project area includes the intersections at Downing/Speer/1st Ave. and University/1st Ave.
In 2024, DOTI completed work on Denver Moves: Cherry Creek (DMCC) - a cohesive strategy for the development of future transportation infrastructure in and around Cherry Creek.
This project combines three of the highest priority projects developed through the DMCC process:
Through the DMCC process, community members expressed a high amount of support for these projects and verified the critical need.
Through the DMCC process, the project team evaluated several alternatives to understand the feasibility of each option. Alternatives were presented to the public at meetings and outreach events. The team worked with partners at Denver's departments of Forestry, Parks and Recreation, and Community Planning and Development to ensure buy-in from these key stakeholders.
A preferred alternative was selected and the team developed a concept, which was memorialized in DMCC(PDF, 20MB) (page 48).
This project will advance the design to what we call "30% Design" - a preliminary design phase. At this stage, the design is roughly 30% complete and is used to establish the project's overall scope and technical direction. When this (current) project is complete, we will have a better understanding of potential conflicts, cost, and steps for finalizing design.
Advancing a project of this scale to the 30% design phase is a critical step in moving the project toward construction. This work will help determine an estimated project cost, which positions DOTI to identify, apply for, and secure funding sources for construction. A timeline for construction is not yet known, though it could take several years from plan recommendation to implementation for a project of this scale.
DOTI considers this type of project a Large Capital Project, meaning it will cost more than $1 Million to construct and will include major roadway reconstruction. We are refining the cost estimate as design advances.
This section of the trail (which does not include the sidewalk on the bridge) varies from 8-9 feet. The Denver Parks & Recreation standard for a regional trail is 12 feet - which this project is aiming to achieve.
After thoroughly vetting several options, the project team and partners agreed that the alternative with a narrowed median achieves all project goals with fewer tradeoffs than other options. This solution achieves the following:
Safety
Comfort
Historic Preservation
Mobility
The project team investigated:
Option
Why Not Preferred Alternative
1st Avenue is one of the busiest streets in Denver. At peak hour, 1st Avenue experiences congestion, which impacts general purpose traffic and existing transit. This is a future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, which requires either a shared or dedicated transit lane. Removing a travel lane in either direction would make future BRT difficult or impossible to implement.
BRT represents a critical solution to manage congestion along the corridor as the area continues to grow, as forecasted through the DMCC process (see DMCC(PDF, 20MB), page 28).
Widen trail by moving curb slightly north
Shifting the curbline represents a major construction project, even if the width of the change is small. Moving the curb at all would require removal and replacement of the existing curb and would likely require reconstruction of the sidewalk and drainage infrastructure, which makes this a costly alternative. The existing travel lanes are already narrow, providing only 1.5 feet to widen the trail. The project team determined the benefits gained by this modest widening would not be worth the high project costs, especially as a new 9.5-10 ft trail would not meet Denver's 12-foot standard for regional trails. Any funds spent on a short-term solution would detract from funds for a future project.
Install "jersey barriers" or other temporary vertical separation
In the current condition on 1st Ave, there are two feet between the striped southernmost travel lane and the gutter pan. DOTI standard requires two feet between a travel lane and a vertical barrier, which means the barrier would need to be placed on the trail at sidewalk level. A typical jersey barrier is two feet wide at its base. Using this treatment would narrow the traversable width of the trail to 6 feet, which is already sub-standard and does not provide adequate width to accommodate the current volume of people walking and bicycling, nor facilitate safe passing.
Other options for vertical separation exist, but again, would be relatively expensive and result in a narrowed usable trail width, exacerbating existing safety issues. Continued investment in a sub-standard solution detracts from resources that can be invested in a better outcome.
Shift trail to north side of 1st Ave
Shifting the trail to the north side of 1st Ave would entail major street reconstruction impacts and costs. This configuration would create 8-10 additional conflict points for people walking and rolling at Downing St, University Avenue, and all of the intersections between those streets on the north side of 1st Ave.
If the trail shift were to begin at Lafayette Pl (where the trail currently comes up to the bridge) either a new traffic signal or major changes to the Downing St bridge over Cherry Creek would be required to facilitate two-way trail travel. This could trigger a bridge removal/replacement - a highly expensive capital project for a bridge that is currently in good condition.)
Additionally, people using all modes of travel generally take the most direct path. Diverting the project away from the existing trail would likely lead to a decrease in users of the new/improved trail. In summary, this expensive option would introduce new safety issues and be inconvenient to use.
Implement center running bike lanes
Similar to the option above, implementing center running bike lanes would create new conflict points (and safety risks) as cyclists would have to cross eastbound travel lanes to enter and exit the new trail. Where turn lanes exist at Gilpin St and University Blvd, the trail is too narrow to accommodate a bi-directional trail. This option would also require removal of most (if not all) existing trees in the median.
Shift into Denver Country Club (DCC) property (either directly south or following the Cherry Creek Trail)
These options would be unnecessarily costly from a land acquisition perspective compared to the preferred solution, which meets all project goals and enhances the historic condition of the parkway.
Both options present significant technical challenges that would come at additional cost, including: building infrastructure to eliminate conflicts between golf play and trail use, replacing infrastructure on the golf course that would be impacted/altered due to introduction of a new trail, analyzing and mitigating impacts to the creek from an ecological perspective, and mitigating impacts to existing structures and facilities close to the DCC existing property line.
DOTI worked with Community Planning & Development's Landmark Preservation Team through the DMCC process and confirmed their approval before choosing a preferred alternative. The project team continues to work with Landmark Preservation and community partners to ensure the project is in alignment with the street's historic designation. Documents that guide changes to this parkway include:
While the north side of the parkway has an established tree lawn, most of the southern section between Downing and University Blvd lacks this important historic characteristic. Denver's Parkway Guidelines call for canopy trees on the outside of vehicle lanes to create a park-like atmosphere and feeling of enclosure. The Speer Blvd/Cherry Creek Parkway Design Guidelines also call for definition: landscape features used to clearly delineate the active and passive; pedestrian and auto; and formal and informal areas within and adjacent to the boulevard. From this view, the proposed project would enhance the historic vision for the parkway.
To make room for a wider trail and new tree lawn on the south side of 1st Ave, the median will need to be narrowed. The precise extent of median reduction will be determined through this project. The project will add a new tree lawn on the south side of the street and look for opportunities to plant new trees in the median. The project team consists of tree experts who have assessed the entire median and the team is working together to minimize impacts to existing trees through design.
Public Meeting #2
An in-person public meeting was held November 15, 2025. Meeting materials are available below.
Public Meeting Boards(PDF, 7MB)
Concept Design(PDF, 3MB)
Feedback is being collected via this survey until December 21.
Public Meeting #1
A virtual public meeting was held June 18, 2025 and a meeting recording is now available.
Meeting Recording (YouTube)
Project Status: Design Council Districts: 5, 6, and 7 Neighborhoods: Cherry Creek, Country Club, Alamo Placita Park Contact: Marie ThomingMarie.Thoming@denvergov.org