May 5, 2023 DENVER — As the weather warms up and more people are out and about on foot, on bike and on scooters, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is making changes on two downtown streets to make travel safer for all.
This week, contracted crews began installing lines, markings, and posts for new protected bike lanes on Blake and Market streets that will span from the Cherry Creek Trail to Broadway. Crews are working on Blake Street first, with the work estimated to take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. Then, they’ll move to Market.
DOTI is also installing transit only lanes on Blake Street from 14th to 18th streets and on Market Street from 14th to 17th streets to make travel by bus downtown more efficient. Additionally, DOTI is building new pedestrian walkways along three blocks within a quarter mile of Coors Field where there are currently none. See attached flyer for locations.
The new protected bike lanes on Blake and Market, totaling 2 miles, will provide dedicated space on the street for people to bike and scooter, reducing concerns about scooter riding on sidewalks and improving the environment for people walking. The project will maintain two vehicle travel lanes. About 250 parking spaces will be repurposed for the multimodal travel improvements.
The Denver Moves: Downtown planning effort recommended multimodal improvements on Blake and Market streets, with plans reviewed by a Community Task Force with over 60 local organizations, 155 stakeholder organizations engaged, and 950+ survey respondents. The project also furthers the goals of Denver Moves Everyone 2050 to identify equitable and safe transportation solutions that will make it easier and safer for everyone to get places.