DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is working to replace the bridges over Interstate 25 at Speer Boulevard and 23rd Avenue. The department is also considering changes to the interchange ramps at 23rd Ave.
CDOT has floated three options for the 23rd Ave. interchange ramps. Alternative 1 is a braid alternative at 23rd Ave.
At the moment, a "weave occurs when vehicles are both entering and exiting in the same lane, creating unsafe conditions," according to CDOT. The department said the braid would "eliminate this weave by having exiting and entering traffic cross over or under each other."
"This alternative has northbound vehicles exiting I-25 to go under 23rd Avenue to get to Speer Boulevard. Those who want to get on and off of I-25 to 23rd Avenue will exit on more traditional ramps. This removes the existing weave for drivers going north on I-25 from 23rd Avenue and those trying to get off of I-25 to Speer Boulevard. A signal would be added to the east side of the 23rd Avenue bridge to improve non-motorist safety," according to the CDOT project website.
Alternative 2 would "remove the existing ramps to get off and on I-25," meaning there would no longer be access to or from I-25 at 23rd Ave.
"Closing the ramps at 23rd Avenue would eliminate the weave on I-25 between 23rd Avenue and Speer Boulevard. This allows 23rd Avenue to serve bikes and pedestrians. Visitors to businesses such as the Children’s Museum, Aquarium, and REI will need to use Speer Boulevard or other roads. Access to 17th Avenue to and from I-25 will still be available," according to the CDOT project website.
Alternative 3 would "replace the bridges and ramps and install a new signal on the east side of the ramps."
"This alternative does not improve the short northbound I-25 weave between the 23rd Avenue on-ramp and the eastbound Speer Avenue Boulevard off-ramp. This alternative provides improved safety for non-motorized users by adding a signal on the east side of the 23rd Avenue bridge. This will improve non-motorist safety by removing the “free-flow” ramp movements. Access to and from I-25 from 23rd Avenue would remain," according to the CDOT project website.
Jill Locantore, executive director of Denver Streets Partnership, said she and others are pushing for Alternative 2.
"The city has put in a lot of work to add a safe and comfortable protected bike lane on 23rd on either side of I-25, but the chain is only as strong as the weakest link," Locantore said. "We think it's important for them to hear from people who regularly use 23rd Avenue as a cyclist, as a pedestrian, also people who live in this area and regularly drive in this area, what they would like to see in terms of a safer street network for everybody who's trying to travel through this space."
That's where neighborhood residents and cyclists like Allen Cowgill and David Chen come into play.
"I probably go down this three or four times a week, just going into downtown, running errands and things like that," Cowgill said. "I think my biggest concern is that the safety won't go far enough."
He and Chen believe the full closure of the ramps is the best solution.
"We've had a lot of close calls coming up this bridge, especially during rush hour when drivers are especially impatient," Chen said. "Closing those ramps would be a huge, huge deal for the West 23rd Avenue protected bike lane."
Cowgill and Chen frequently cycle with their children to nearby amenities, including the Children's Museum of Denver Marsico Campus.
In a statement, the Children's Museum said it supports Alternatives 1 and 3.
Full statement:
The safety of our guests, staff and community is a top priority for us. We have been working with CDOT and stakeholders in our neighborhood on solutions to improve safe access for cyclists, pedestrians and other multimodal transportation options.
We believe that Alternatives 1 and 3 proposed by CDOT will support these outcomes.
Michael Yankovich, president and CEO of the Children's Museum, told Denver7 that while he understands cyclist and pedestrian patron concerns over safety near the interchange ramps, he doesn't believe a closure is the right call.
"Some of the concerns we have with some of the options, particularly Alternative 2, is one of the things is by removal of the ramps, we're concerned about first responders being able to access not just our neighborhood but also the Children's Museum," Yankovich said. "The second one is we're worried about, you know, if those ramps are removed, does that really push hundreds of thousands of cars, buses, delivery vehicles, into the neighboring community?"
"The other one that we've been thinking deeply about are the Children's Museum serves over half a million community guests and friends every single year. If those ramps are removed, our concern is the additional distance that they will need to come to get to the Children's Museum," Yankovich continued.
Chen hopes more residents and cyclists speak up and submit input to CDOT. He also hopes museum officials change their minds.
"I think that's short-sighted because they're not actually taking into consideration the patrons that use the bike lane to get to the museum, which we do," he said. "I think the museum can be convinced. I think their hearts are in the right place. They want safety for the kids that come to their museum, but they need to kind of get out of their car.."
The project is still in its study phase. Comments can be submitted through this link.
In a statement, CDOT said it is "assessing the needs and opportunities to include additional improvements to the interchange system and how to support broader goals for the I-25 mainline and those of the surrounding community."
Full statement:
CDOT is in the study phase of the I-25: Speer & 23rd Bridge & Interchange Project. A key focus of this project is replacing the bridges at Speer Boulevard and 23rd Avenue over I-25 in Denver. The bridges do not provide adequate clearance over I-25 and the girders have been damaged by truck hits. CDOT is also assessing the needs and opportunities to include additional improvements to the interchange system and how to support broader goals for the I-25 mainline and those of the surrounding community. The goal of the project is to improve safety and operations for motorists on I-25, and improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.
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