South Broadway NEPA Preferred Alternative

Description of the Significant Components

The South Broadway Preferred Alternative is the result of two years of work.  This work includes numerous meetings with stakeholders, businesses, agencies, and the public.  The purpose of this project is to create a South Broadway corridor that provides safe and efficient mobility for all modes (pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and automobile), which:

• accommodates the transportation needs of area neighborhoods, existing businesses, planned redevelopments, and the I-25/Broadway transit station area; and
• promotes the development and use of transit-oriented, civic, and neighborhood places.
  

 The Preferred Alternative includes the following major elements:

• new and wider sidewalks
• multi-use trails to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians
• design features to keep regional traffic out of the adjacent neighborhoods
• access and egress modifications to improve transit accessibility
• additional turn lanes and through lanes to add capacity and reduce vehicle delay
• grade separation to accommodate the heavy volume of vehicles moving from southbound Broadway to southbound I-25
  

• Provides grade separation to improve capacity of movements from Broadway to southbound I-25.
• Provides a fiscal and environment solution by avoiding options such as a tunnel, a visually obstructive fly-over to I-25, or impacts to the historic Ford building.
• Takes advantage of the recently reconstructed Broadway bridge by utilizing:
  1. high overhead clearing of the I-25 viaduct; and,
  2. space between I-25 mainline and southbound I-25 exit ramp.
     
     

 Signal at Ohio and Lincoln:

• Improves pedestrian safety by stopping traffic and allowing pedestrians to cross.
• Meters traffic exiting/entering I-25, minimizing impacts to adjacent property owners by slowing traffic.
• Prevents westbound vehicles on Ohio from accessing I-25 with a raised island; thus, minimizing cut-through traffic in the West Washington Park Neighborhood.
• Improves operations by closure of the Lincoln St cul-de-sac (which removes the fifth leg of the intersection.)

• Improves on the Valley Highway EIS design by improving the weave distance on I-25 between the merge point of this ramp and the Santa Fe exit.
• Increases ramp design speed to 24 mph, improving capacity and safety over existing 15 mph ramp condition.
• Allows a 24 mph design rather than FHWA standard 25 mph design to minimize right-of-way impacts to residential parcels east of off-ramp.

• Provides an additional 40 feet of right of way to allow 8 through travel lanes on Broadway with double left turn lanes for critical left-turn movements. 

Consolidation of Southbound I-25 exit and Kentucky:

• Consolidates Kentucky with the southbound I-25 off-ramp, which will eliminate an existing signal and improve travel time on Broadway. 

Interim Parking along Broadway:

• Accommodates initial Broadway traffic demand increases by providing six through lanes and key double lefts
• Provides improved access to businesses of Cherokee and Lionstone with initial opportunity to have on-street parking.
• Minimizes “induced” traffic growth with excess capacity during the interim years.
• Allows construction of pedestrian bulbouts to minimize the pedestrian crossing distance during the interim years.  
• Provides a barrier between pedestrian zone and traffic on Broadway.  

Curvature of Broadway:

• Avoids impact to the historic Ford Building southeast of the Broadway and I-25 interchange. 
• Considers grade constraints west of the Mississippi/Broadway intersection. 
• Distributes the right-of-way impacts to major property owners on both sides of Broadway
  
  

• Incorporates a curvilinear design to minimize impacts to local business.
• Provides additional access to RTD north of the I-25/Broadway interchange.  Vehicles traveling southbound on Broadway to the station will be able to avoid the series of interchange signals

Traffic Signals on Exposition:

• Improves bus ingress/egress to the RTD station. 
• Improves pedestrian safety by stopping traffic for pedestrians crossing Broadway.
• Improves vehicle ingress/egress to RTD station.

Raised median on Mississippi:

• Reduces north/south cut-through traffic through Platt Park neighborhood.
• Provides a pedestrian refuge for pedestrians crossing Mississippi.
• Reduces turning movement conflict points near the busy intersection at Broadway.  
   

Stop Signs along Arizona:

• Low cost and flexible traffic calming measure to reduce vehicular speeds and make traffic cutting-through less attractive.

Improved Pedestrian and Bicycle Amenities:

• Wider sidewalks increase pedestrian capacity and improve safety.
• New multi-use trails provide bicycles with “off street” facilities through the I-25/Broadway interchange.  
• Improved pedestrian and bicycle access to/from RTD transit center.
• Pedestrian enhancements will include linkages to popular recreational areas including Washington Park and the Platte River.
  
  

• Some vehicle delay is still expected during peak periods

• Non-traditional interchange design
• Up to 20 properties would be affected by the construction of this Preferred Alternative, requiring the acquisition of approximately 6.5 acres of right-of-way.  10 property displacements are anticipated for this Alternative including:  7 housing units, and 3 businesses. 
• Vehicle delays during project construction