'Cone zone' days loom ahead
City's construction, road projects set record price
Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News
Published May 10, 2006 at midnight
Denver is poised to begin $85 million of summer road and construction projects, the most ever.
Eighteen of 28 projects exceed $1 million. The most expensive is a $16 million parking garage and post office on the south side of 14th Avenue between Delaware and Elati streets. The structure will serve the new Justice Complex that will be built over parts of four blocks there in the next three years.
The second-largest project, at just over $14 million, includes lowering the South Platte River near the north city line as part of a project to remove 300 acres from the 100-year flood plain.
That project will relocate part of an irrigation ditch, rebuild a railroad bridge and move a large Denver Water conduit.
Among the projects that promise to frustrate drivers is the reconstruction of Broadway between 20th and 16th streets downtown from June through August. The city also will rebuild the intersection of Federal and Speer boulevards to provide more turn lanes.
Storm drainage projects include a $1.8 million job along 17th Avenue at City Park that will convert the park's Ferril Lake into a detention pond. Denver Water plans to line the lake's bed to stop water loss. As a result, Ferril Lake will be drained and remain empty for two years.
The new construction is in addition to Denver's annual street maintenance program, which this year will improve 190 streets. That work is valued at an additional $20 million.
Among the other large projects:
• $4.4 million to excavate and repave streets that had been contaminated with radium decades ago. They are Park Avenue West from Broadway to California Street, Ninth Avenue from Ogden Street to Cheesman Park and Corona Street from Seventh to 10th avenues.
• $4.2 million to replace the Holly Street bridge over Cherry Creek.
• $3.7 million for a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 25 opposite 16th Street.
Featured
-
DNC in Denver
Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
-
The Crevasse
A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.
-
Deadly denial
Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.
-
Final Salute
The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.
-
'Colorado's burning'
Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.
-
Columbine shootings
Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.
-
The Crossing
Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.
-
Osveli's journey
Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.
-
Wake for an Indian warrior
Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.
