DENVER — Denverites commuting downtown for work or play will have to find other ways to get around, especially if traveling through the busy intersection that is Broadway and Welton St.
The southbound lanes of Broadway were closed at Welton St. Monday as part of the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) reconstruction of the older segments of the rail system, which is expected to last through at least September of this year.
The closure will last until June 23, RTD officials told Denver7 traffic expert Jayson Luber.
During the closure, crews will remove two feet of original rail infrastructure and do a full reconstruction.
“This is our oldest infrastructure we have in the rail system. This is the original alignment that connected down along Welton all the way to I-25 and Broadway, so it's 30 years old and it's in need of this full depth reconstruction so that we can continue to use it for another 30 years,” said Stuart Summers, an RTD spokesperson.
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RTD will suspend some light rail service downtown through last quarter of 2024
As part of the reconstruction of the rail system, all D and H line trains have been rerouted to Denver Union Station, and the L line, which connects the 30th/Downing Station to the Downtown Loop, has been suspended.
“Now this is the first of five light rail intersections that will be reconstructed, so drivers should expect different detours all summer long,” said Luber.
There is a silver lining to the potential traffic headache for commuters, however.
“With light rail trains rerouting to Denver Union Station, RTD is planning to temporarily reintroduce its Free MetroRide Service, which operates along 18th and 19th Streets,” the spokesperson said.
Need a detour? Luber breaks those down in the video below.
