Throughout this project, the team has received questions about a few themes.
Trees & Landscaping
Who is responsible for maintaining the medians?
Maintenance of the medians varies by location and agency.
Can trees be planted under power/utility lines?
There is a possibility that small trees/bushes can be planted under power lines.
Can trees and/or landscaping be planted in the median?
Because of maintenance requirements, trees will not be planted in the medians.
Can trees be planted in a 5-foot amenity zone?
To ensure the long-term health of the trees, they cannot be planted in amenity zones that are 5' or less.
Project Design Elements
How wide are the sidewalks and amenity zones in the preferred and minimum complete street guidelines?
The Complete Streets Design Guidelines specifies a minimum width of 8ft and a preferred or target width of 10ft.
There are lots of driveways along Evans. Will this change in the future?
Future phases of this project will analyze potential driveway consolidation.
In the future, where are there proposed bike routes and facilities?
We received feedback about the importance of being able to cross Evans safely and will coordinate with the Bike Plan Update to ensure emphasis on these crossings continues. There are existing routes along Birch, Dahlia, and Oneida and a proposed crossing at Holly.
Will this plan reduce the number of cars on the road?
This plan recommends improvements for all modes that may encourage use of different modes. This is aligned with the Denver Moves Everyone mode shift goal and the vision identified for the corridor that is more balanced in its approach to travel. Evans will, however, remain an important arterial corridor for vehicle traffic.
Will this plan reduce the number of lanes for cars?
This plan does not reduce the number of lanes for cars. Implementation of this plan will standardize lane widths and add medians to make vehicle travel safer. In alignment with the Denver Moves Transit plan to improve bus travel along the corridor, this plan recommends converting the third travel lane west of I-25 to Colorado Blvd to a Bus Only lane.
What changes are being considered?
Intersection improvements, signal upgrades, wider sidewalks, safer bike crossings, dedicated bus lanes, more shade from trees, and utility undergrounding are all part of the future vision for Evans based on the Complete Streets Guidelines.
Will you remove parking?
There is currently no on-street parking on Evans Avenue. The vision plan does not intend to remove parking on side streets. Over time, due to redevelopment, some parking space may be reallocated to pedestrian right-of-way.
Walking along Evans doesn't feel good because of speeding vehicles. How will the new design help people walking and biking along the corridor feel better?
There are a number of tools recommended to help reduce speeding along the corridor. Signal timing adjustments are recommended to help drivers maintain the speed limit, as are dedicated bus lanes, intersection upgrades, and medians.
Transit
What will the bus stops look like?
The plan recommends an initial minimum condition and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, in accordance with the Denver Moves Transit Plan and at high ridership stops recommends a higher level of amenities, such as a shelter or seating and trash can. Denver maintains a partnership program for its bus shelters and does not have direct responsibility for the bus shelters.
Are you adding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to the corridor?
Denver Moves Transit identified the Evans Ave corridor for medium capacity transit in the future. This means improvements such as improved service frequency, transit signal priority at busy intersections, and enhanced stops. Bus Rapid Transit is planned for Colorado Blvd and Evans Ave bus routes will connect at the Colorado Ave RTD station.
Building the Project
Can you explain the right-of-way process?
The next phase of the project is design. During design, the vision that was developed by this project will be turned into plans that can be constructed. Part of the design phase is understanding the right-of-way needed to construct the vision. More information about the process can be found here.
I'm excited for the final project. When will this project be built?
Construction of this project will depend on when funding can be allocated. Private redevelopment of parcels along the corridor may result in many aspects of the plan being implemented prior to a major project.
How will changes impact businesses on Evans Avenue?
Over time, the vision plan may lead to some driveway consolidation where appropriate to make the street safer for all modes of travel. Safer crossings at intersections may lead to more pedestrian activity along the corridor.
Will this cost me anything?
All upgrades and improvements to the corridor may be funded by the annual city capital improvement program or future local or federal grant opportunities.
This project is expensive. How will the next phases be funded?
The city has a variety of ways to fund phases of projects of this scale. We anticipate using some combination of local (capital improvement funds), state and federal funds.