​Denver is expected to have another fun and busy weekend with the first three-day Grandoozy music festival, Sept. 14th through the 16th, at the Overland Park Golf Course at 1801 S. Huron Street. Gates open each day at 1:30 p.m. with performances ending around 10:00 p.m.
 
The scale and unique scope of this music festival is the first of its kind in Denver and the Denver Police Department offers the following tips for a safe and successful weekend:
 
For those who live or travel in the area of Overland Park Golf Course:

• Be aware of festival road closures, some of which have already started. For the list of complete closures, please visitDenver’s Office of Special Events.
• Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists – Throughout the three days of the festival, there will be an influx of pedestrians and bicyclists around the event venue. If you are driving, please pay extra attention.

Event Goers:

• There is no on-site event parking. However, informative arrival and departure tips are available on theGrandoozy website. 
• Utilize mass transit – Ride RTD rail or busses to the I-25/Broadway or Evans stations. If you haven’t used RTD before, this is your time to do so! Learn more by visitinghttp://www.rtd-denver.com. Grandoozy will provide a free shuttle service between the Broadway Station and the festival and there is a walking path from the Evans Station. Visit  https://www.grandoozy.com for more information.
• Ride Share – Take a ride share service and get dropped off along Santa Fe between Florida Ave. and W. Jewell Ave., then proceed to the W. Jewell Ave. entrance. Note that the right-hand lane along southbound Santa Fe Dr. will be closed from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Santa Fe Dr. will remain open in both directions throughout the festival, but travelers may experience slow-downs.
• There are also friends and family drop-off areas – one at S. Platte River Dr. between Santa Fe Dr. and S. Huron St. (ADA accessible) and another at Grant Frontier Park near S. Platte River Dr. off W. Evans Ave.
• Ride your bike, or use bike sharing – A free bike valet will be available near the intersection of the S. Platte River Bike Trail and W. Asbury Ave., near the south entrance to the festival on W. Jewell Ave.
• “Festival” responsibly – Don’t overindulge, and be mindful of yourself and your belongings.

 
For the most up-to-date festival information, visitwww.grandoozy.com. For questions or concerns, please call the Grandoozy Community Hotline at (720) 669-8410.

Progress to date and work hours:
Work crews continue to excavate Sanderson Gulch between Sanderson Gulch Park and S. Platte River Drive in order to prepare the site to receive large underground concrete culverts and make room for an improved drainage way on the surface. Heavy equipment remains on site for excavation, drilling, and soil removal. Crews will not be working from July 4 through 8, 2018. 

Safety Note:
Project managers want to emphasize that this is an active construction site. In order to keep everyone safe, trails and sidewalks within the construction zone are not accessible to pedestrians.

Traffic and Trail Alerts

S. Platte River Drive and W. Florida Avenue Traffic Alerts:
One lane of S. Platte River Drive going southbound will be reopened on July 2, 2018, and remain open for the remainder of the summer. Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive will be detoured onto W. Florida Avenue to S. Tejon Street or Santa Fe Boulevard.

S. Jason Street is open for business, but remains closed to through traffic.  S. Huron and S. Inca Streets are also open for business, but only southbound traffic will have access to S. Platte River Drive.
The timing of traffic lights at S. Platte River Drive and W. Florida Ave has been adjusted to more efficiently move traffic through the construction zone.

W. Arkansas Avenue and S. Lipan Street Traffic and Trail Alerts:
The intersection of S. Lipan Street and W. Arkansas Avenue will be closed beginning on July 9, 2018 to accommodate increased excavation in Sanderson Gulch Park.  S. Lipan Street remains open for business.  

Traffic detours around this intersection are on S. Tejon Street and Santa Fe Boulevard from W. Florida or Mississippi Avenues.  W. Arkansas Avenue, on the south side of Sanderson Gulch Park, will remain closed between S. Mariposa Street and S. Lipan Street.

Sanderson Gulch Park trails adjacent to the construction site are closed. For your safety, please observe the ‘Trail Closed’ signs.

Construction Update
 
Progress to date and extended work hours:
Excavation of Sanderson Gulch to prepare for the installation of large-capacity, underground box culverts, is underway.  Heavy equipment and crews will be working on the gulch between Sanderson Gulch Park and S. Platte River Drive.  In order to meet schedule deadlines, construction crews will continue to work extended hours.  Work crews and heavy machinery will operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.  Noise levels are being monitored.  Please see the notice of extended work hours for further details: 
https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/711/documents/capital-projects/sanderson-gulch-may2018-notification.pdf

Detours and bicycle safety:
Two City of Denver infrastructure projects are occurring at the same time and geographically close to one another: the Sanderson Gulch storm water project and the Mississippi Avenue Bridge rehabilitation project.  The South Platte River Trail is closed to pedestrians and cyclists where it passes under the Mississippi Avenue Bridge.  Cyclists are urged to use the designated detour onto Huron Street in order to get back onto the bike trail.  It is not safe for bicycles to be on S. Platte River Drive, which is an active construction site, or on Lipan Street, which has heavier-than-normal traffic due to a related construction detour.
 
Traffic
Traffic detours and delays continue on both the west and east sides of the Sanderson Gulch project site.

S. Platte River Drive:
There will be increased drilling and construction activity on S. Platte River Drive; S. Platte River Drive is closed in both directions from S. Santa Fe Drive to W. Florida Avenue. Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive will continue to be detoured onto W. Florida Avenue and north on S. Lipan Street.  Through traffic on southbound S. Platte River Drive will be detoured onto S. Huron Street.  

S. Huron Street, S. Inca Street, and S. Jason Street will remain open to business traffic at W. Louisiana Avenue, but will have no access to S. Platte River Drive.

S. Lipan Street and W. Arkansas Avenue:
S. Lipan Street remains open in both directions, but traffic lanes will be shifted to the west away from the active construction zone.  Flaggers will help direct traffic.  There will be no access to S. Lipan Street from W. Arkansas Avenue.  W. Arkansas Avenue will be closed for one block between S. Mariposa Street and S. Lipan Street.  PLEASE SLOW DOWN and be aware of workers in the area.

Expected Start Time and Duration
​Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Co. (RLW) intends to work a schedule extending into Nighttime Hours, Monday through Saturday, starting as early as May 16, 2018. These extended hours of work will span the duration of the project, extending to March 31, 2019.

Character of Work Activity Planned
Nighttime work will consist of demolition and removal of concrete, trenching, forming, pouring concrete, stripping forms, backfilling, and soil compaction throughout the project corridor.

Names and Telephone Numbers of Available Contact Persons

• Matt McDonald- Superintendent: (385) 226-2939
• Lanaia Carveth- Environmental Consultant: (303) 590-4800
• Vance Howell- Project Manager: (385) 499-2148
• Vincent Ramos – Project Engineer: (385) 228-5142

These are the numbers that may also be used for any complaints associated with nighttime work on the Sanderson Gulch Drainage Improvements Project.

Progress to date and extended work hours:
Excavation of Sanderson Gulch in order to prepare for the installation of large capacity, underground box culverts, is underway.  Heavy equipment and crews will be working on the gulch between Sanderson Gulch Park and S. Platte River Drive.  In order to meet schedule deadlines, construction crews will begin working extended hours.  Work crews and heavy machinery will operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., six days a week, Monday through Saturday.  Noise levels are being monitored.  Please see the notice of extended work hours for further details: 
https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/711/documents/capital-projects/sanderson-gulch-may2018-notification.pdf

Detours and bicycle safety:
Two City of Denver infrastructure projects are occurring at the same time and geographically close to one another: the Sanderson Gulch storm water project and the Mississippi Avenue Bridge rehabilitation project.  The South Platte River Trail is closed to pedestrians and cyclists where it passes under the Mississippi Avenue Bridge.  Cyclists are urged to use the designated detour onto Huron Street in order to get back onto the bike trail.  It is not safe for bicycles to be on S. Platte River Drive which is an active construction site, or on Lipan Street which has heavier than normal traffic due to a related construction detour.
 
Traffic
Traffic detours and delays continue on both the west and east sides of the Sanderson Gulch project site.

S. Platte River Drive:
S. Platte River Drive is closed in both directions from S. Santa Fe Drive to W. Florida Avenue. Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive will continue to be detoured onto W. Florida Avenue and north on S. Lipan Street.  Through traffic on southbound S. Platte River Drive will be detoured onto S. Huron Street.  

S. Huron Street, S. Inca Street, and S. Jason Street will remain open to business traffic at W. Louisiana Avenue, but will have no access to S. Platte River Drive.

S. Lipan Street and W. Arkansas Avenue:
S. Lipan Street remains open in both directions, but traffic lanes will be shifted to the west away from the active construction zone.  Flaggers will help direct traffic.  There will be no access to S. Lipan Street from W. Arkansas Avenue.  W. Arkansas Avenue will be closed for one block between S. Mariposa Street and S. Lipan Street.

Cyclists can rejoin the South Platte River bike trail at the intersection of S. Huron St. and S. Platte River Drive.  Please follow the orange detour signs.  Cyclists may not enter S. Platte River Drive, it is closed. 
 
Project Background
The Sanderson Gulch construction project between S. Lipan Street and S. Platte River Drive will reduce flood risk to nearby properties, improve water quality flowing into the South Platte River and create a more pleasant public area for the community to enjoy.
The project involves installing larger storm drainage pipes to provide greater protection during bigger storm events, and improving the naturalized channel to manage and clean water during smaller storm events. The project will take approximately 12 months to complete.Questions? CCD.constructionupdates@gmail.com

For urgent, construction-related questions call Dave Shaw,  Project Manager at 303 446-3456
For non-urgent questions that will be answered within a few hours during regular business hours,
call 720 460-9055
Learn more at: http://denvergov.org/sandersongulch

​Beginning on Monday, April 30th the next phase of work on Sanderson Gulch will begin.  The Denver Water and electrical utility lines running next to S. Platte River Drive have been relocated.  The open trench will be backfilled with dirt.
Excavation and soil testing will begin at two separate locations within the project site.  Both locations will experience traffic impacts.

In the vicinity of S. Platte River Drive:
S. Platte River Drive will close in both directions from S. Santa Fe Drive to W. Florida Avenue. S. Platte River Drive will be closed intermittently between April 30 and the end of 2018.  Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive will continue to be detoured onto W. Florida Avenue and north on S. Lipan Street.  Through traffic on southbound S. Platte River Drive will be detoured onto S. Huron Street.  

S. Huron Street, S. Inca Street, and S. Jason Street will remain open to business traffic at W. Louisiana Avenue, but will have no access to S. Platte River Drive.

Gas line relocation work will begin in S.Platte River Drive.  Drill rigs at this location will begin soil sampling.

In the vicinity of S. Lipan Street and W. Arkansas Avenue:
Crews will begin excavating Sanderson Gulch at the upper reach of the project site.  S. Lipan Street will remain open in both directions, but traffic lanes will be shifted to the west away from the active construction zone.  Flaggers will help direct traffic.  There will be no access to Lipan Street from W. Arkansas Avenue.  W. Arkansas will be closed for one block between S. Mariposa Street and S. Lipan Street.

The construction of the utility trench along S. Platte River Drive is complete.  Construction crews will now begin working around the clock, 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, to relocate the Denver Water line and the electrical utility line in the new trench.  ​

Soil sampling using drill equipment will continue in Sanderson Gulch between S. Platte River Drive and the BNSF railroad.

People in the area will notice heavy construction machinery, construction trailers, and more crews moving into the vicinity of S. Lipan Street and W. Arkansas Avenue.  With the utility line relocation coming to a close toward the end of April,  construction crews are preparing for excavation work on Sanderson Gulch itself.

S. Lipan Street is open to traffic in both directions.  S. Platte River Drive remains closed northbound at W. Florida Avenue.

Denver Water will continue working to relocate a water line and electrical utility in S. Platte River Drive. The construction crew is shoring up a trench for placement of the new utilities. You will see the metal trench plates being driven into the ground by heavy machinery as you drive by the area.
 
Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue will continue to be closed, with a detour to S. Lipan Street. The timing of the traffic lights at S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue has been adjusted to move traffic more efficiently.
 
Red roll-off containers are arriving on site that may be used to store excavated dirt as part of the project’s materials handling plan.  The empty containers will be temporarily stored on S. Jason Street before they are moved to the construction site.  The 'no parking' signs on S. Jason Street will be removed as soon as the soil containers are moved on site. 

Construction Update 
Denver Water will continue to work on the relocation of the water line and electrical utility in S. Platte River Drive. The construction crew will begin to dig and shore up the trench for the new utilities. You may see the metal trench plates and large water pipes as you drive by the area. Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue will continue to be closed, with a detour to S. Lipan Street. The timing of the traffic lights at S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue has been adjusted to move traffic more efficiently.
Finally, you may have noticed another construction project on the east side of S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue. This project is not associated with the Sanderson Gulch Stormwater project, it is a sewer project being constructed by the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District.

Project Background
The Sanderson Gulch construction project between S. Lipan Street and S. Platte River Drive will reduce flood risk to nearby properties, improve water quality flowing into the South Platte River and create a more pleasant public area for the community to enjoy. The project involves installing larger storm drainage pipes to provide greater protection during bigger storm events, and a naturalized channel to manage and clean water during smaller storm events. The project will take approximately 12 months to complete.

The Sanderson Gulch construction project between S. Lipan Street and S. Platte River Drive will reduce flood risk to nearby properties, improve water quality flowing into the South Platte River and create a more pleasant public area for the community to enjoy. The project involves installing larger storm drainage pipes to provide greater protection during bigger storm events, and a naturalized channel to manage and clean water during smaller storm events. The project will take approximately 12 months to complete.

Construction Update 
Denver Water will continue to work on the relocation of the water line and electrical utility in S. Platte River Drive. You may see the large pipes being used for this water line relocation as you drive by the area. Northbound traffic on S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue will continue to be closed, with a detour to S. Lipan Street. The timing of the traffic lights at S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue has been adjusted to move traffic more efficiently.
​
Finally, you may have noticed another construction project on the east side of S. Platte River Drive at W. Florida Avenue. This project is not associated with the Sanderson Gulch Stormwater project, it is a Denver Metro Sewer project.

So far this year, 11 people have died in crashes along Federal, including seven pedestrians. The rate of fatalities on Federal Boulevard is currently 20 times higher than the urban rate on Colorado roadways.  Denver’s Vision Zero sets a goal that none of these deaths are acceptable.

Next week, the city, in conjunction with CDOT, will begin making enhancements at 10 intersections on Federal between Virginia and Jewell, adjusting signal timing to activate the pedestrian signal every cycle. Following those improvements, at five of these intersections the city will add new pedestrian countdown indicators (where there currently are none). And a few weeks following these improvements, the city will install a pedestrian head start at 7 of these 10 intersections.

In the coming weeks, the city also will be testing new crash analysis technology at 10th, Howard and Holden, and following that will be implementing similar pedestrian signal improvements at these intersections.

Later this year and into early 2018, the city will make additional pedestrian and safety upgrades at Howard and Kentucky.

Below are the specific changes to each intersection.
(LPI = Leading Pedestrian Interval (4 seconds), ped recall = pedestrian signal comes up every time)
Virginia: Ped recall, new countdown ped signal, LPI
Exposition: Ped recall, new countdown ped signal, LPI
Kentucky: Ped recall, new countdown ped signal, LPI
Mississippi: Ped recall, new countdown ped signal
Louisiana: Ped recall, new countdown ped signal, LPI
Arkansas: Ped recall, LPI
Florida: Ped recall
Iowa/Mexico mid-block: Ped recall
Colorado: Ped recall, LPI
Jewell: Ped recall, LPI

The next meeting will be held at 9 a.m. November 8, 2017 at the District 4 Commander's Meeting, 2100 South Clay Street.  All are welcome.

Did you know during the month of October, you can win great prizes, save money, and get recognition just for carpooling, taking the light rail/bus, riding a bike or even walking to work? That’s because “Go-Tober” is a month away! The DRCOG program encourages people to commute smarter year-round and find ways to travel to work other than driving alone. Last year, City employees who took the “Go-Tober” challenge saved an average of $45 and logged enough trips to get from Downtown Denver to Frisco almost 900 times! If you’re up for the challenge, register your company at http://waytogotober.org. The winners will be announced on November 1!

New community input opportunity: The Denver Moves: Transit team has started to identify, evaluate, and prioritize where major transit capital investments (e.g., rail, bus rapid transit, new transfer facilities, etc.) could be in Denver. We need your input to help inform the final recommendations. Please share with your community the new online survey to tell us where they would like to see major transit investments and services in Denver.  The transit plan team will also be back out in the community in August and September offering a number of in-person opportunities to provide input about transit corridors – information about where we’ll be is here and on the Denveright calendar.

Blueprint and Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails are hosting workshops/public meetings in August and September – click on the links for more information: Blueprint(PDF), Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails

Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced a reorganization of Denver Public Works to elevate and better address the city’s growing transportation and mobility needs. The restructuring will serve as a precursor to the proposed new cabinet-level Department of Transportation and Mobility.
 
“We all know the challenges we face – worsening congestion and safety and limited mobility options,” Mayor Hancock said. “Those challenges impact our economy, environment, health and overall quality of life. Restructuring Denver Public Works to elevate transportation and mobility – now one of the highest priorities for the people of Denver – and then creating a new Department of Transportation and Mobility will advance our ability to move more people, more efficiently and more safely.” 
 
The next Public Works executive director will be responsible for implementing the reorganization by first creating two divisions within the department: a public works division and a mobility division. A candidate review process for the new executive director is currently underway.
 
The reorganization will consolidate mobility policy and planning, parking, right of way and traffic engineering operations and maintenance under one roof, while the Public Works division will continue to manage solid waste, wastewater, water quality, fleet management and other essential services. 
 
“Increasing mobility options in Denver is of utmost importance and the decision to elevate the city’s transportation focus is the right one at the right time,” said Denver City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman (Dist. 5) who serves on the Mayor’s mobility task force. “This move sends a profound message to our community regarding one of their top priorities that the city will be applying concentrated resources for more effective and efficient mobility for our citizens.”
 
Restructuring DPW in the near-term will allow for a smooth transition to a new Department of Transportation and Mobility and will expedite decision-making and project delivery for Denver residents. Establishing a cabinet-level department with these duties requires an amendment to the Denver city charter, which entails referral by Denver City Council and approval by Denver voters. The decision follows an analysis by Sam Schwartz City Strategies, which examined optimal organizational structures to help city leaders better address Denver’s growing transportation and mobility needs.
 
“The employees at Denver Public Works care deeply about our city and our goal is for this reorganization to enhance their efforts to keep Denver safe, vibrant and moving forward,” the Mayor added.
 
The Mayor’s announcement comes as the city prepares to seek voter approval in November for a $900 million General Obligation bond. The largest portion of bond proceeds will fund improvements to Denver’s street, bridge, pedestrian and bicycle networks.

Denver Parks and Recreation will begin improvements to the Washington Park Loop Road. Weather permitting, construction will begin the week of June 19 and is estimated to be completed in approximately 4 weeks. During construction, access to all interior parking lots will be available, and detours will be clearly identified with temporary signage and barriers.
 
Prior to construction, parallel parking along the Washington Park Loop Road will be removed to improve safety and widen lanes to establish a more uniform and intuitive lane configuration as recommended in the 2015 Washington Park Loop Safety Plan and the 2011 Washington Park Master Plan. Temporary signage will be posted notifying park users of the upcoming lane reconfigurations and the schedule and removal of the remaining parallel parking spaces on the Loop Road. 
 
Modifications will include: 

• Lane configuration improvements comprised of a two-way pedestrian lane separated by a two-foot painted buffer from two unidirectional lanes that accommodate wheel-based recreation
• Crosswalk and car traffic zone improvements consisting of hatched buffers, flexible bollards, green dashed pavement markings, shared lane markings, pavement markings, and painted crosswalks
• Signage improvements and the addition of new lane configuration signs, speed limit signs and vehicular regulatory traffic signs. These signs will be installed in strategic areas throughout the park to ensure maximum opportunity for education and awareness of the rules and regulation along Loop Road and throughout Washington Park.

 
For more information on the Washington Park Loop Safety Plan, visit our website.

Check out the newly redesigned website about Photo Enforcement, which includes speed vans and red light cameras. Here you’ll find answers to questions like, “How are enforcement locations chosen” and “why are tickets issued for stopping past the stop-bar?”
www.denvergov.org/smartersafety

You can also request enforcement to address speeding problem areas that you are     concerned about.  The Photo Enforcement team will look into the street to determine if a speed van can help address the issue.  

Using modern and reliable technology to make our roads safer for everyone, Denver is committed to smarter safety. 

With Memorial Day and weekend approaching, the Denver Police Department reminds those who consume marijuana and/or alcohol to not get behind the wheel. During the holiday weekend, the Denver Police Department will operate DUI checkpoints and impaired driving saturation patrols at various locations throughout the city. Although the locations, dates, and times are undisclosed, drivers should be aware of the extra patrols and plan ahead for safe travels this weekend and always.
 
“As Denverites honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country this Memorial Day Weekend, we ask them to do so responsibly,” said Robert C. White, Denver Police Chief. “With the many transportation options in and around town, there is no excuse to drive while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Please plan ahead and make it a safe weekend for everyone!”
 
During Memorial Day Weekend in 2016, 46 drivers were arrested for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Denver. Be smart, safe and consume responsibly.

As part of the City’s South Broadway Reconstruction Project to improve the roadway surface and enhance mobility along the corridor, paving will occur in the intersection of West Kentucky Avenue at South Broadway starting Friday, May 12 at 9:00am. This work will require the intersection to close at Kentucky until Monday morning.

The right turn lane from Kentucky Avenue to South Broadway will remain open for eastbound traffic only. Traffic will be allowed through the intersection on South Broadway and will be reduced to one lane from Ohio to Tennessee Avenues while work is underway. Drivers trying to access RTD’s I-25 and Broadway Light Rail Station are urged to take Ohio Avenue as an alternate route to the station.

In addition, the southbound entrance to I-25 on northbound Broadway will have a new access pattern. Cars can enter the interstate at this location, however, buses, trucks and larger vehicles will be detoured to enter I-25 southbound at Alameda.

Drivers should expect delays during construction. 

We are excited to announce that the South Broadway Reconstruction project is 75 percent complete! Thanks to warmer weather, a lot has been accomplished and the team has been hard at work. The project was expected to be finished by the end of July 2017, but is on track to finish one month early, with full use of roads two months before the designated completion in late August. Work on Mississippi west of South Broadway should be complete before Memorial Day weekend. This will include a beautiful new elevated walkway. Streetscaping and landscaping are expected to be done in June. This includes new streetscaping features with brick pavers, landscaping planters, and amenities such as new bike racks, new trash receptacles, and new benches to relax and take in the gorgeous Colorado views. Read more about the project update by downloading the PDF.