Conflicting Responses To I-25 Bridgework

Some Fear Parking, Commuters And Bicycle Traffic Will Crowd Neighborhoods

 

 by Glen Richardson

 

It will span I-25 at a cost of $8 million and has exposed the underlying tensions between Valley cyclists, RTD commuters and residents to the refrain of Simon & Garfunkel’s song Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Cyclists and residents — depending on whom you talk to —”are feeling small and friends just can’t be found.”

 

The proposed bicycle-pedestrian bridge over I-25 at Colorado Boulevard would link pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the neighborhood northeast of I-25 with the transit-oriented RTD Light Rail Station at the Colorado Center (Colorado Blvd. Station). An environmental study says the project will not disturb migratory birds or prairie dogs but many human species living in quiet, residential neighborhoods are in a flap that the bridge will interrupt their nesting and rearing activities.

 

According to records from the City & County of Denver the bridge will formally be called the Colorado Center Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge, a 309-foot single-span bridge over 1-25, linking Colorado Center Drive on the south to South Bellaire Street at Jewell Avenue on the north. If all goes as planned, construction could begin this year and be completed in late 2013. The $8 million budget includes costs for both the design and construction. The project is funded equally with City Capital Improvement dollars and Federal Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funds.

 

Bicycle Link

The Denver Bicycle Master Plan identifies connectivity across I-25 to the Colorado Center and RTD Light Rail Station as a major missing link in the bicycle system. The city concurs that it will close a major gap in the Valley’s bicycle trail system.

 

The Colorado Center RTD station currently does not have convenient bike-pedestrian access from the north. While there are sidewalks on both the Colorado Blvd. and Evans Ave. bridges, both of these bridges are at I-25 interchanges with high speeds and volumes of traffic that many people find daunting, including those with disabilities. The need for a bridge was discussed as far back as 1999 and resulted in the Southeast Corridor EIS Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan including the following text: “As a result of the poor conditions along Colorado it has been suggested that a separate pedestrian overpass be constructed from the Colorado Center to Jewell, north of I-25.”

 

Many residents argue that the connecting bike paths are too far from the bridge landing and in the middle of a quiet, residential area with five nursing homes and 25 townhomes. Cyclists contend that the Highline Canal is within a mile and there are bike routes within five blocks of the bridge landing.

 

Parking Overflow

At public hearings residents also expressed concern that light rail patrons will use neighborhood streets as overflow parking for the Colorado Station park-and-ride lot and make parking problematic for residents and local businesses. “It would eliminate much of the on-street parking used by residents in my 25-unit condominium complex,” worries Roberta Holbrook.

 

A study by Felsburg Holt & Ullevic (FHU) found, however, that “the pedestrian bridge is not anticipated to create significant spillover demand into the Cherry Street neighborhood and any demand that may occur is likely to be confined to a relatively compact area around the stairs for the bridge.” According to the study, “Measures such as time-duration parking restrictions and implementing a residential parking permit program would mitigate those problems.”

 

Foes also point out that while clearing the way for cyclists and RTD commuters, the bridge does not link residents to retail or additional businesses other than the Dave & Buster’s complex where all the hearings took place. “The closest retail to our neighborhood begins at Colorado Blvd. and Mexico Ave. and you can get there without crossing I-25,” argued one resident.

 

Cross Over The Bridge

In addition to the project’s major component — the 309-ft. single span bridge — there will be security elements plus aesthetic lighting on the structure. The bridge will have a horizontal deck clearance of 10 ft. or 14 ft. and 10 ft. horizontal deck clearance on the ramps approaching each end of the structure. Each ramp would also incorporate appropriate streetscaping, landscaping and lighting.

 

In April of 2010 the City hired the development firm HNTB to design the project. They were also tasked with reviewing the FHU Bridge Size & Location Study to determine if the selected site satisfies the City’s priorities. According to planners, those project priorities are: project completion under budget, constructability and structure aesthetics that equates to a “Signature Bridge.”

 

Many remain worried because reports say the City would conduct a follow-up study “approximately one year after the bridge opens to measure the actual impact created by it and take appropriate measures.” That being said, Stacie Loucks, spokesperson for Denver Public Works, said “the project is on hold until next year pending analysis of feedback from neighbors and stakeholders.”