New on-ramp added outside Denver International Airport to make it easier, safer to pick passengers

Administrators of Denver International Airport have created an easier way for passengers to get picked up from the airport and improved the waiting area experience for drivers.  

In the past, when travelers wanted to leave the Final Approach cellphone lot to pick someone up at the Jeppesen Terminal, they had to take East 78th Avenue and get onto Jackson Gap Road to get eastbound on Peña Boulevard. Now, travelers can take Gun Club Road and go straight to eastbound Peña Boulevard from the on-ramp. This cuts down travel times by a lot.

Airport spokesman Michael Konopasek told CBS Colorado First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter Brian Sherrod not only is this an easier option, but a safer one. This new option will help to encourage travelers against parking on the side of Peña Boulevard while waiting to pick someone up. That practice is dangerous -- and illegal. Traffic on Peña Boulevard is fast-moving, and there are no parking signs all around.

This week travelers will see some road closed signs in certain areas, but the on-ramp is fully operational. The construction for the project started with the widening of Gun Club Road. That went from the summer of 2023 to November 2023. The rest of the time -- from November 2023 to July 2024 -- was used for the construction of the on-ramp.

Officials tell CBS Colorado they hope travelers will utilize the safer cellphone lot rather than the unsafe Peña Boulevard for parking.

"We are hoping this will deter parking along the side of Pena Boulevard," Konopasek said. "People who drive by (Peña Boulevard) commonly see people parked on the sides. There are plenty of no parking signs. You are not supposed to. It is a big safety concern but people do it."

Officials tell CBS Colorado the project cost is roughly $5 million. The funds were provided through the larger Peña Phase 1B Project currently taking place, which is connected to the airport's capital improvement project. There will be a signal light added to the area in the future.