DENVER — A three-mile stretch of West 38th Avenue in Denver could look different in the coming years.
The City of Denver on Wednesday held its third and final public meeting to share its vision for a safer corridor from North Sheridan Boulevard to North Fox Street.
"It has a lot of challenges," said Phoebe Fooks, senior planner for the City of Denver. "It's also one of our High Injury Network (HIN) streets, meaning that it experiences one of the highest crash rates of vehicles in the city."
According to city data, there have been 668 crashes over the past five years in the area.
"Right now it's just concrete and cars," said Drew Sarmiere, who lives nearby.
Sarmiere believes there's an opportunity for beautification, along with sidewalk improvement.
"There's no trees along the entire route, you know. It's a kind of an urban wasteland," he said.
After 1.5 years of studying the corridor, Fooks said the city's preferred long-term plan involves cutting the lanes on W 38th Ave. from five to three and re-purposing the extra space to widen sidewalks. The extra space would also allow for bus bypass lanes at busy intersections like Federal Boulevard.
Fooks said the plan involves a green corridor for drainage and shade.
- Read the City of Denver's analysis report below
However, not everyone agrees with the city's plan for the future.
"When you asked me what the solution is... it's not a tree," said Jose Guerrero, who owns Sacred Society along West 38th Ave.
Guerrero worries the ideas currently under consideration will make West 38th more of a drive-through than a destination.
"How do you bring more people to this community to make it a community? How do you drive more people here to enjoy this part of the city?" he said.
Fooks said the design for the project could take up to two years. The estimated cost at this time is around $50 million.
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