DENVER – Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists will see changes coming to 15th Street in downtown Denver over the next few weeks as the city works to make a protected bike lane on the street more robust and then to designate one of the lanes as for buses only – with more plans coming for other downtown streets.
New markings have already been put down on the protected bike lane, but crews are expected to install rubber curbs and posts to increase the barrier between the cyclists and drivers. Cars will no longer be able to turn left out of the bike lane and will instead have to use the thru-lane.
Drivers will have to yield to any cyclists if they are making a left turn.
After the bike lanes are finished on the left side of 15th Street, crews will start turning the right side of the street into a transit-only lane so more buses can move through the heavily-trafficked street between Court Place and Larimer Street. The city says 60 buses move down the street per hour at peaks times.
17th Street will also get dedicated transit lanes between Market Street and Broadway by the end of the year, weather permitting, the city said.
The city is also installing new crosswalk markings at intersections on 15th and 17th streets to make them more visible and say the new changes will decrease travel times and enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
As part of the city’s future transit plans, transit-only lanes are planned for 18th and 19th streets in 2020 and new protected bike lanes will be coming to 18th and 19th streets.
