Denver halts the I-25 and Broadway ramp rebuild, preserving homes

Residents of the 800 South Lincoln Street block near Interstate 25 and Broadway in Denver get to stay in their homes. After nearly two decades of community advocacy, the houses on that block will no longer get demolished. 

For several years now, Denver has been making transportation improvements in the area of I-25 and Broadway to boost safety and better accommodate drivers, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians amid growing travel demand in the area.

These improvements, some of which are happening now, were outlined in an Environmental Assessment completed in 2008.  The assessment was necessary to obtain federal funding and approval from the Federal Highway Administration. At the same time, members of the community were consulted as part of the EA process.

One phase of the project included replacing the ramp to I-25 northbound. It was a future phase that the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says they had not identified any funding.

As a result, and in response to feedback the agency received in more recent years from the community, DOTI announced last year it would work with state and federal partners to explore the option of abandoning that phase of the interchange project that would have replaced the ramp from Broadway to northbound I-25. The project would have resulted in the loss of homes in the 800 block of South Lincoln Street.

Over the summer, the agency, DOTI officially informed the Colorado Department of Transportation that its priorities and values have changed significantly, with a focus on multimodal transportation and the conservation of existing affordable housing.

With that in mind, DOTI no longer intended to include the northbound ramp replacement in its long-term capital planning goals.  

"DOTI will not be pursuing replacement of the ramp to northbound I-25 nor acquisition of any homes in the 800 block of South Lincoln Street for construction of a new on-ramp. Those plans have been abandoned," said a spokesperson for DOTI, Nancy Kuhn. 

Brittany Spinner, Vice President of the Lincoln Broadway corridor, which is a registered neighborhood organization, helped with the preservation of the homes on the block threatened by the construction project. The community's collective effort included organization petitions and even walking tours. The advocacy focused on the neighborhood's safety overall.

"The advocacy support was more than just about the homes. For us, the advocacy really was about the entire neighborhood, because Lincoln Street right now is one of the most dangerous arterials in the system," said Spinner.

She adds at one point the organization had police see how fast people are driving down Lincoln Street and discovered the average mile per hour was 55 mph in a 30 mph zone. She said there are accidents along that stretch all the time. 

"So, when we saw this big highway infrastructure project coming through our neighborhood, when we're already on a deadly arterial street, we are like, how does this make sense?" said Spinner.

This project was slated as a multi-modal, and Spinner expressed that one couldn't even walk to the RTD station. 

"You had to cross 19 lanes of traffic ... and so that, in combination, that nine of our neighbors are going to lose their homes, many of who've been there for many, many years. It was, it was a holistic problem that we needed to solve, and that's why it's going to make a difference," said Spinner.

Spinner thanked CDOT and DOTI for listening to the community, resulting in safer speeds, a new sidewalk, and improved walkability, benefiting the entire neighborhood.

For people like Robert McDermott, who has owned his home for more than a decade, his home is no longer under eminent domain now that the project has been abandoned. 

McDermott is happy he will not have to move.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," he said.

The Broadway and I-25 construction project is set to be finished by 2026.