36th & Downing 2-Way Conversion - "The Lawrence Swoop"

Project Background

Why was this 2-way project completed?

This part of northeast Denver had long been dangerous for pedestrians and drivers. The current site is in what the city calls a High Injury Network (HIN). These are a network of streets that represent only 5% of Denver's roads, but are responsible for 50% of traffic deaths! To promote better pedestrian safety and flow of traffic, Downing St. and N. Marion St. were converted to two-way streets and a new network of signalized lights, sidewalks were installed and extend neighborhood bike routes as recommended in the 38th and Blake Station Area Plan .

What is the community benefit?

Although there was a short-term inconvenience of construction and new traffic patterns, this is a long-term investment in the safety of our residents. This site has the highest rates of pedestrian vulnerability, above average rates of seniors without cars, highest level of vulnerability for children to experience a traffic accident, higher than average concentrations of people with disabilities, highest rate of streets with health concerns, and the highest rate of safety concerns. This project addressed each of those concerning factors, making it a safer place for everyone – especially our most vulnerable neighbors.

Below is a recap of Phases 1-4 of this project:

Phase 1 — 11/30/20 to 12/31/20

• Closures – 36th Avenue and Lawrence between Downing and Marion
• Scope of Work:
• Closed Lawrence from Downing to Marion
• Installed sidewalk at 36th where Lawrence currently runs
• Installed new alley entrances off of 36th
• Installed new sanitary mainline

Phase 2 — Late January to Late February 2021

• Closures – Limited Closures to the intersections of 36th, Larimer and Downing
• Scope of Work:
• New Curb, Gutter, Sidewalk and paving at the intersection of Downing, 36th and Larimer
• All this was to get ready for Downing to become two-way

Phase 3 — Late January to Late February 2021

• Closures – Downing from 36th to 35th for the entire phase, and Downing from Walnut to 35th while it is striped and signed for two-way traffic
• Scope of Work:
• Installed two new traffic lights and one pedestrian crossing signals at the intersection of Lawrence, 35th and Downing
• New Curb, Gutter, Sidewalk and paving at the intersection of Lawrence, 35th and Downing
• New Paving on Downing
• New traffic light at Downing and Walnut
• New signage and restriping of Downing in order for Downing to become two-way

Phase 4 — Late February to Late March 2021

• Closures – Intersection of Walnut and Marion, and Marion from 37th to Walnut while it is striped and signed for two-way traffic
• Scope of Work:
• Installed four new traffic lights and three pedestrian crossing signals at the intersection of Walnut and Marion
• New Curb, Gutter, Sidewalk and paving at the intersection of Walnut and Marion
• New Paving on Marion
• New signage and restriping of Marion in order for Marion to become two-way

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