Denver Moves: Downtown

Denver Moves Downtown logo

Denver Moves: Downtown was built off years of study and analysis to create a roadmap for implementing near-term improvements to Downtown streets. This plan is intended to recommend improvements that add travel options and improve safety for the hundreds of thousands of people who live, work, study, visit and play in downtown Denver while also identifying a long-term vision for the future of mobility in the city’s center. The final plan can be found below:

Denver Moves: Downtown Final Report(PDF, 37MB)

It's more than just a transportation plan — it's a critical step in building a successful and flexible multimodal future for Denver.

The effort is being led by the City and County of Denver, in collaboration with the Regional Transportation District and the Downtown Denver Partnership, and will be completed in early 2020.

The boundaries for Denver Moves: Downtown generally follow I-25 to the west, Park Ave. to the north, Lincoln Ave. to the east, and Speer Blvd. to the south, but the project will also take into account how surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region access downtown.

Blake & Market Safety and Mobility Improvements

Project Summary: The Blake & Market Safety and Mobility Improvements Project will install 23 blocks (2 miles) of protected bike lanes, 7 blocks of bus lanes, and 3 blocks of pedestrian walkways on sections of Blake and Market Streets between Broadway and the Cherry Creek Trail.  Protected bike lanes are dedicated bikeways on streets, with both a horizontal and vertical buffer between motor vehicles and people riding bikes or scooters.  Bus lanes are dedicated travel lanes for buses that help keep buses on time and operating smoothly on roadways with frequent transit service, while also permitting right-turning vehicles at intersections and driveways for business access.  Pedestrian walkways are dedicated spaces for people to walk where gaps in the sidewalk network exist. 

For questions or more information, contact the project team at denvermoves@denvergov.org. 

Project Limits: Blake and Market Streets from Broadway to the Cherry Creek Trail

Project Construction: Phased construction for the Blake and Market Safety and Mobility Improvements project began in early May 2023, with activities including modification of pavement markings, installation of new signage, and installation of vertical lane markers for the protected bike lane. Construction is completed along Blake Street, with work along portions of Market Street still in progress. During construction there may be travel lane and parking lane impacts to ensure that all work can be completed safely. Construction will be coordinated with all scheduled special events, including home baseball games and other downtown events.

Estimated dates for construction are detailed below.  These estimates are subject to change due to weather delays or other unforeseen circumstances:

  • Market St (14th St to 17th St): Fall 2024 (coordinating with 16th Street Mall Project)
  • Market St/Walnut St (17th St to Broadway): April 2024 (coordinating with private redevelopment)
  • Blake St (Broadway to 14th St): Construction completed

Notifications for the upcoming construction were hand-delivered and also sent to stakeholders in early March.  Construction flyers are available to view at this link.

To contact the project team with any questions, email denvermoves@denvergov.org.

To learn more about the project improvements, previous planning, and project impacts, please review the information below:

Read more about this project(PDF, 1MB)

Downtown Denver Bicycle Network Map as of March 2023.

Denver Moves: Downtown - Signature Projects

Denver Moves: Downtown contains recommendations improve mobility in downtown for all travel modes. Some of the major improvements from the plan have been organized into “signature projects. More information is provided below about each signature project identified in the plan.

15th Street Bicycle Connection

15th Street Bicycle Connection - Between Larimer Street and Central Street

Project Description

This project completes the 15th Street vision as the key bike corridor through, into, and out of downtown. It creates a greener public realm along an important pedestrian corridor, while remaining a key automobile and transit corridor.

Read more about this project(PDF, 964KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Bannock Street Bikeway

Bannock Street Bikeway - Between Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue

Project Description

Bannock Street is envisioned as both a place to hold festivals and as a bicycle gateway to downtown and the Civic Center from the Cherry Creek Trail. The street is closed to vehicular traffic north of 14th Avenue, and high-comfort bikeways are added the length of the corridor.

Read more about this project(PDF, 2MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Broadway Central Grand Boulevard

Broadway Central Grand Boulevard - Between 9th Avenue and 19th Street

Project Description

The project completes the vision of Broadway as the heart of north-south travel in downtown. The long-term vision is for exclusive bus lanes and a two-way high-comfort bicycle facility that will transform the corridor into a true multimodal corridor. Complementary improvements to Lincoln Street enhance transit efficiency and intersection safety.

Read more about this project(PDF, 3MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Broadway North Grand Boulevard

Broadway North Grand Boulevard - Between 19th Street and Market Street

Project Description

Streetscaping, dedicated transit lanes, a high-comfort bikeway, intersection safety improvements and operational modifications would create a Grand Boulevard on Broadway between 19th Avenue and Market Street. This would link people in Five Points, Curtis Park, and Uptown into the downtown core.

Read more about this project(PDF, 2MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Central 15th & 17th Streets Multimodal Improvements

Central 15th & 17th Streets Multimodal Improvements - 15th Street from Cleveland to Larimer and 17th Street from Broadway to Wynkoop

Project Description

Multimodal improvements including dedicated space for transit and high-comfort bikeways are being designed and constructed on 15th Street between Cleveland Place and Larimer Street between Broadway and Wynkoop Street.

Read more about this project(PDF, 760KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Central Platte Valley Gondola

Central Platte Valley Gondola - Between Union Station and Highland Neighborhood

Project Description

An aerial tram or gondola between Union Station and Highland neighborhood is proposed to overcome physical barriers between two rapidly expanding areas.

Read more about this project(PDF, 696KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube) 

Curb Space Organization

Curb Space Organization - Throughout Downtown

Project Description

This concept would apply a predictable and consistent curbside management strategy which would increase space for uses such as deliveries, ride-share drops offs, and general loading throughout Downtown Denver.

Read more about this project(PDF, 945KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Larimer Street Transitway & Two-Way Conversion

Larimer Street Transitway & Two-Way Conversion - Between Speer Boulevard and 25th Street

Project Description

This project envisions Larimer Street as an extension of RTD’s FreeRide Network that would provide a transit connection from the Auraria Campus to the RiNo neighborhood. Transit service would be provided in exclusive lanes, while allowing for two-way vehicle travel on the street. Proposed for Larimer Square is the option to close the street between 14th and 16th Street to automobiles, while providing limited commercial loading times. This would enhance the public space and expand transit opportunities.

Read more about this project(PDF, 670KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Lower Downtown Bikeways

Lower Downtown Bikeways - Between Speer Boulevard and Broadway

Project Description

Blake Street and Market Street are the heart of Lower Downtown and would be transformed into multimodal corridors with high-comfort bikeways. Bicycle operations are improved through infrastructure improvements and signal timing optimization.

Read more about this project(PDF, 2MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

MetroRide Extension

MetroRide Extension - Between Civic Center Station and Golden Triangle

Project Description

Extending the existing MetroRide service from Civic Center Station to the Golden Triangle would provide frequent transit service in the rapidly densifying neighborhood.

Read more about this project(PDF, 2MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Pedestrian Signal Phasing

Pedestrian Signal Phasing - Throughout Downtown

Project Description

Signal operations would be modified downtown to make the pedestrian “walk” signals more intuitive and predictable for both pedestrians and drivers.

Read more about this project(PDF, 212KB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

Wewatta Street & 16th Street Multimodal Improvements

Wewatta Street & 16th Street Multimodal Improvements - Wewatta Street from Speer to Park Avenue 16th Street from Wynkoop to Chestnut

Project Description

Wewatta Street between Speer Boulevard and Park Avenue West would be transformed into a multimodal corridor with a high-comfort bikeway and future transit service. The section of 16th Street between Wynkoop and Chestnut would be enhanced to compliment the investments on 16th Street Mall.

Read more about this project(PDF, 1MB)

Watch a short video about this project (YouTube)

 

 Frequently Asked Questions

How is the project being funded and how much is the total budget?

Funding is a combination of city capital improvement program dollars and partner contributions from RTD and DDP.

The total budget for Denver Moves: Downtown is $1.5 million dollars. This includes the current study and alternative development phase. An additional $250,000 will be available to put toward the implementation of short-term projects and improvements identified through this current effort.

How were the project area boundaries determined?

Denver Moves: Downtown is primarily concentrated on the city center to review and consider future changes to the downtown transportation system. The boundaries shown on the map serve as general guidelines for needed modeling and the project’s focus area. The project is taking a holistic approach that will also take into account how surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region access downtown.

When will the recommendations be implemented and/or constructed?

Denver Moves: Downtown will identify projects that improve the transportation system for the city center in the near term as well over the long-term. These projects will be prioritized for funding consideration over the next 5, 10 and 20 years. Early activation pilot projects are anticipated to begin as soon as 2020.

How is this different from previous Denver Moves studies?

Denver Moves: Downtown, just like its predecessors, supports goals set forth in other citywide plans including Blueprint Denver and the Vision Zero Action Plan. The Denver Moves: Transit plan, Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails plan and Denver Moves: Bicycles plan prioritize multimodal improvements on a citywide scale. Denver Moves: Downtown more holistically addresses transportation within the city center.

Will this project be partnering with other nearby projects?

As a result of the general obligation bond approved by voters in 2017, the City and County of Denver will be providing critical citywide improvements through the Elevate Denver Bond Program. A variety of downtown transportation and mobility projects are included on the project list such as the 16th Street Mall Plan Implementation, citywide sidewalk construction, Auraria/Downtown Connection Vision Plan, etc. Denver Moves: Downtown will coordinate with these projects as well as other previous plans such as Vision Zero.

What about my concerns (i.e. preferred mode, curb space, parking, bike, etc.)?

Denver Moves: Downtown will be addressing a wide range of transportation goals including safety, accessibility and efficiency. We would like to hear your ideas and recommendations, whether big or small, on how we can improve our downtown transportation system.

Community Task Force

Archived Meeting Materials

Virtual Open House – June 10, 2020

A virtual open house meeting was held June 10, 2020.  The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the proposed future improvements for getting around on downtown streets.

A recording of the meeting and a PowerPoint presentation are now available (below).

Community Task Force Workshop #3 – June 2019

Materials

Community Task Force Workshop #2 – April 2019

Materials

Kickoff Meeting — December 2018

Materials (PDF)

Meeting Summary(PDF, 457KB)

Meeting Materials - November 2019

Workshop #4 Materials

Community Task Force Organizations

Arapahoe Square Design Advisory Board

Ballpark Collective

Bicycle Colorado

Bike Denver

Blake 27

City Council ( Districts 9 and 10)

CityLive

Clements Historic District Neighborhood Association

Colorado Motor Carriers Association

Colorado Rockies

CU Denver - Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Cultural Arts Residential Organization

Curtis Park Neighbors

Denver Art Museum

Denver Broncos

Denver Convention Center

Denver Streets Partnership

Downtown Denver BID

Downtown Denver Partnership Mobility Council

Downtown Denver Partnership Public Realm Council

Downtown Denver Partnership Retail Council

Enterprise Hill Homeowners Association

Five Points BlD

Five Points Business District

Five Points Historic Association

Golden Triangle Creative District

Greenway Foundation

Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC)

Larimer Place Condominium Association

Lo Do District, Inc.

Lower Downtown Design Review Board

Lower Downtown Historic District

Lower Downtown Neighborhood Association (LoDoNA)

Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee

Mayor's Multi-Modal Advisory Committee

Mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Monarch Mills HOA

Pepsi Center

Rio Norte

Riverfront Park Association

RTD Citizen's Advisory Committee

The Central Platte Valley - Auraria District RNO

The Points Historical Redevelopment Corp

The River Mile

Union Station Advocates

Union Station North

Vision Zero

Visit Denver

Walk Denver

Windsor Condominium Association

Latest News

Learn more about downtown Denver’s current transportation system by reading the Final State of the System Report.

State of the System(PDF, 15MB)

Denver Moves: Downtown State of the System cover image

Contact

For questions or more information about the Blake & Market Safety and Mobility Improvements Project, please email denvermoves@denvergov.org.

Related Information

Back to top