Quebec Street Bridge over Airlawn Road

The Quebec Street Bridge over Airlawn Road, just south of I-70, was built in 1961 and rehabilitated in 2012. This bridge has been deemed one of the poorest quality bridges in the City, and the site poses vehicular and pedestrian safety concerns with inadequate sight distance for drivers at nearby intersections and a lack of pedestrian and bicycle connections.

In 2017, Denver voters approved Elevate Bond funding to ensure the safety of this infrastructure was brought up to standard. In early 2022, work began on an improved design for this section of Quebec Street to address safety concerns and the lack of multimodal facilities.


Planned Improvements

  • Improve safety conditions at the existing Quebec Street Bridge over Airlawn Road
  • Fill in existing gaps in sidewalks for better multimodal connectivity
  • Connect the sidewalk along Airlawn Road to the Sand Creek Trail
  • Improved drainage system

Project Benefits

  • Safer conditions for drivers and pedestrians
  • Connection to regional trail network

Stakeholder Working Group #1 Meeting Notes
July 14, 2022

Meeting Presentation(PDF, 6MB)

  • The project area for the Quebec Over Airlawn Project extends along Quebec Street from the ramps to Interstate 70 on the north to the ramps to Sandown Road on the south (approximately 41st Avenue). Airlawn Road extends from 41st Avenue but terminates on the east side of Quebec Street near the Courtyard by Marriott before picking back up on the west side of the Quebec Street bridge.
  • This project is designed to replace an aging bridge structure, improve sight distances for drivers by lowering the roadway to remove the existing crest in the road that hampers visibility, and provide better bicycle and pedestrian connections.
  • A stretch of Quebec Street between I-70 and Sandown Road that’s about two football fields in length will be rebuilt and lowered to improve sight distances and driver safety.
  • Quebec Street will be lowered about one foot when the bridge over Airlawn Road is replaced. The pedestrian underpass that goes underneath Quebec Street will be a 3-sided box culvert similar to an underpass recently built in Louisville.
  • Improved sidewalk and trail connections will include sidewalks along both sides of Quebec Street between Sandown and I-70 and a trail that branches off from the east side of Quebec Street to connect with the Sand Creek Regional Greenway. The sidewalks put in place along Quebec Street will be offset from the road a little way so people won’t have to walk next to fast-moving traffic for a safer, more enjoyable experience.
  • Design should be complete in spring 2023 and there will be some right-of-way acquisitions that need to take place so assuming full funding is secured, construction won’t likely begin until late 2024. Construction will take about a year to complete.

Questions and Answers

Two of the City’s largest homeless shelters are in this area and there are missing sidewalk connections (or gaps) that make it difficult for people to get around. Will this project address those gaps?

The Quebec Over Airlawn Project will fill in sidewalk gaps along Quebec Street and provide better trail connections and the 42nd/Sandown Bikeway Project will improve mobility, but there are more gaps to fill. The project team will set up a separate meeting with HOST (Denver’s Department of Housing Stability) to look at these sidewalk connections and potential gaps to see what can be done.

What will the impact be to the landscaping adjacent to the Doubletree Hotel?

The project team will set up a separate meeting with the hotel to look at this area.

Will Airlawn Road be removed and replaced with a pedestrian path?

The roadway access to the Courtyard by Marriott from 41st Avenue will remain, but west of the hotel, it will become a pedestrian only path where it goes under Quebec Street.

There are often broken-down RVs, vehicles, trucks, etc. along 42nd Avenue so when this becomes a bikeway will there be additional enforcement to make it safer for users?

With this project the City is balancing the needs of the users while redefining this space. By restricting parking on the south side of 42nd/Sandown it will be easier to enforce. Enforcement can also be requested through the City’s 311 system and by reporting it directly to Councilman Herndon’s office by emailing leya.hartman@denvergov.org.

Who is responsible for cleaning this area?

If it’s something within the right-of-way itself, it’s the City’s responsibility. If it’s an area adjacent to the curb it’s the private property owner’s responsibility.