New Denver interchange to boost safety, commuter access, and economic growth

At DOT, we’re always on the lookout for ideas that can solve transportation challenges and help get America moving again.  Yesterday, I highlighted a program in San Francisco, City CarShare, that reduces congestion and emissions while giving residents the choices they want to get from place to place.  And today, I’m proud to highlight another project that fits the description: Denver's I-70/Central Park Boulevard Interchange.

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez was in Denver yesterday to celebrate the opening of this project with Mayor Michael Hancock.  The interchange will help improve safety on Central Park Blvd. and ease congestion on I-70 and I-270, affecting 228,000 drivers a day.

 

The new interchange also features a bridge over I-70 that has six lanes to handle an estimated 18,000 drivers a day, a number that’s expected to double by 2035.  And, to ease congestion even further, the bridge has a 12-foot sidewalk on either side and specially designed ramp intersections at both ends for pedestrians and cyclists.  With these features, those who don’t or can't drive--but still rely on this vital corridor--now have a safe alternative for crossing the busy Interstate.  And with plenty of vehicle lanes, drivers can more easily get where they're going.

Where, exactly, are they going?  Well, the new interchange is in the Stapleton area of Denver, and it’s a great example of how transportation investments can boost economic development and revitalize communities.  Stapleton used to be the area where Denver’s airport was located. After the new Denver airport opened in 1995, the old airport buildings and garages were torn down, and the area is now being developed as a close-knit community with single-family homes, row houses and apartment buildings.  It's a terrific community with plenty of park space, shops, and restaurants that are easy to get to by driving, walking or biking.

 
New bridge over I-70, photo courtesy Denver Post

Now, the growing population of Stapleton, just ten minutes from Downtown Denver, will have direct access to I-70 and I-270, and to the Northfield retailers across the new bridge.  In addition, people from around the region can check out the developing neighborhood, no matter what mode of transportation they use. 

As Administrator Mendez said yesterday, "We take great pride in projects like this for a very simple reason:  When you invest in transportation, you also invest in safety, in a better quality of life and, of course, in jobs and a stronger economy."

FHWA Administrator Mendez (right) with FHWA Colorado Division Administrator John Cater

And he is absolutely right about that.  We need projects like the I-70/Central Park Boulevard Interchange throughout the country.  Just as this interchange connects people from one side of Denver to another, we need to connect people who need work with the work America needs done.  That's why we're asking Congress to pass the transportation investments the President proposed in the American Jobs Act.

Let’s put politics and partisanship aside; let's get America working again.