Denver Vision Zero York/Josephine Corridor Study and Design Project

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Project Summary

York and Josephine Streets: East 47th to Colfax Avenues, have served the City of Denver for decades as primary arteries for vehicular travel and multimodal access to culture and recreation. With improvements to adjacent corridors, such as I-70 and Colfax Avenue, the needs and demands of the corridor are changing. Additionally, the corridor is a part of Denver’s Vision Zero High Injury Network – the corridors with the highest density of fatal and serious injury crashes in the city.

To address these changing needs and achieve Denver’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and serious injuries, the City and County of Denver re-envisioned and enhanced these corridors through the Vision Zero York/Josephine Corridor Study and Design.

  1. The corridor study is available here, with the appendices in separate documents:
  2. The following safety improvements were designed, evaluated, and installed on York Street between 18th and 40th Avenues:
    • Removing a vehicle traffic lane in each direction,
    • Addition of left turns on east/west streets that were prohibited before,
    • Reducing pedestrian crossing distances,
    • ADA curb ramp improvements,
    • Changes to signal and intersection operations,
    • Traffic-calming measures, and
    • On-Street parking at select locations.

Project Documents

Existing Conditions

An existing conditions report was developed that collected and summarized the different interrelated transportation, land use, and community components.

Existing Conditions: Vision Zero - York/Josephine Corridor Study(PDF, 9MB)


Alternatives Analysis

Establishing a vision for the corridor is a key outcome for this study. To realize the corridor vision and concept design for the Denver Vision Zero/Josephine Corridor (47th Avenue to Colfax Avenue) planning project, three corridor alternatives were developed from existing conditions, alignment with approved Denver plans and studies, and community input. It is recognized that the final concept could use elements from different alternatives to create the preferred alternative.

A visual overview of the alternatives can be reviewed in this document(PDF, 3MB), and details per segment in the presentation:

The three alternatives are:

  • Alternative One - Reconfigure the Corridor
    • Segment A and C: Convert the two one-way streets, to two bi-directional street
    • Segment B: Convert 4-lane arterial to a 3-lane (1 north, 1 turn lane, and 1 south) arterial
  • Alternative Two - Dedicate Space for Transit
    • Segment A and C: Keep one-way direction and shift travel lane to transit lane
    • Segment B: Widen the roadway from 4 to 5 lanes to accommodate 3 lanes of vehicle traffic (1 northbound lane, 1 turn lane, and 1 southbound lane) and add 1 transit lane in each direction
  • Alternative Three - Dedicate Space for Biking*
    • Segment A and C: Reconfigure the segments to Alternative A and add bike lanes on each side (above or below the curb). Will need to change the right of way use of the pedestrian amenity zone by 1 to 3 feet. Assumes Josephine as bike corridor.
    • Segment B: Reconfigure the roadway to Alternative A (4 lanes to 3 lanes) and add bike lanes on each side (above or below the curb). Will need to change the right of way use of the pedestrian amenity zone by 1 to 3 feet.
    • *This alternative would need to be verified by Denver Moves Bikes Update

Improvements for All Alternatives

Addressing existing conditions, alignment with approved Denver plans and studies, and community input, a number of improvements have been identified that can be integrated into all alternatives. The issues and improvements that were identified are explained below and shown in the map.

  • Address Barriers
    • Consider grade separation for people walking/biking at railroads (at 40th and 42nd Avenues)
    • Consider traffic circle/roundabout to simplify connections and space at 18th and 17th Avenues & York and Josephine
  • Safety & Creating Better Connections
    • Safety interventions + spot improvements for people to cross the street at intersections, crossings, and access to transit throughout the corridor
  • Become more Environmentally Resilient
    • Add more trees and landscape to the corridor
    • Add in green infrastructure improvements for sustainable green growth
  • Transit Improvements
    • Improve frequency to 15 minutes
    • Improve all bus stops
    • Consider bus stop consolidation related to safe crossings and development
    • SWITCH the end of line routing for routes 24 and 44 and address/relocate the bus stops at 40th and York to ensure transfers are seamless and safe.

Map of York Street/Josephine Street study corridor from 47th Avenue to Colfax Avenue

Full Size Map(JPG, 386KB)

Once community engagement is complete, the full analysis will be conducted to assess each alternative and it's connection to the York/Josephine Corridor Study Project goals.

Public Meeting Archive

Public Meeting #4 - April 10, 2024


Community Engagement Summary - March 28, 2024


Public Meeting #3 - February 28, 2024


Public Meeting #2 - November 16, 2023


Public Meeting #1 - July 12, 2023

  • 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
  • Geotech Environmental Equipment
  • 2650 E 40th Ave, Denver 80205
  • Hybrid (In-Person/Remote)

Public Meeting #1 Presentation Slides(PDF, 2MB)
In-Person Public Meeting #1 Boards(PDF, 795KB)
Previous Plan Recommendations Roll Plot(PDF, 32MB)