Since 2017, Denver has completed dozens of targeted safety projects. In the summer of 2024, Denver announced its SPEED program targeting several speed reduction actions that will take effect in the next 18 months on Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, two streets with high safety risks.
The 17th and 18th Avenues Bus Priority & Vision Zero Project will improve pedestrian safety, decrease bus commuter travel time, and increase reliability for RTD Route 20 along 17th and 18th Avenues between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard. This area is a part of Denver’s High Injury Network, so the project will include detailed crash analyses and identify proposed safety improvements to support citywide Vision Zero efforts.
- LOCATION: 17th and 18th Avenues between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard
- IMPROVEMENT TYPES: Bus Bulbs (extend the bus-stop and curb line waiting/boarding area to the travel lane) at most eastbound bus stops along 17th Avenue, lane shifts on 18th Avenue between York Street and Broadway, Paint and Post Bulb Outs (or “curb extensions”, extend the sidewalk or curb line at intersections) at most intersections along 17th and 18th Avenues in locations where there is on-street parking, and installing safer neighborhood bikeway crossings at Pearl Street and 17th and 18th Avenues.
- COMPLETION: December 2025
Description of Improvements:
Bus Bulbs are curb extensions at bus stops that allow the bus to pick up and drop off riders in the lane without pulling in and out of traffic. Bus bulbs provide more space for riders waiting for their bus and help to improve travel times.
A lane shift is a travel lane shift that encourages vehicles to slow. The locations of the lane shifts on 18th Avenue were selected to maximize in-lane bus stops and minimize parking impacts.
Paint and Post Bulb Outs (or “curb extensions”) extend the sidewalk or curb line at intersections. Bulb outs have many benefits including shortening pedestrian/bicyclist crossing distances, improving visibility at the intersection, and reducing vehicle turning speeds.
Safer neighborhood bikeway crossings are proposed at the Pearl Street Neighborhood Bikeway across 17th Avenue and 18th Avenue. The design would reduce the number of lanes to cross and install a rectangular rapid flashing beacon. On 17th Avenue between Logan Street and Washington Street and 18th Avenue between Washington Street and Pennsylvania Street 3-to-2 lane changes would occur.
This project area extends along York Street and Josephine Street between 16th Avenue and 47th Avenue and will be carried out through a two-part approach. The first phase of work which has already been completed included short-term design plans that improve safety for all street users. The second phase will result in a long-term vision for the corridor that connects neighborhoods and guides future infrastructure improvements.
- LOCATION: York and Josephine Streets
- IMPROVEMENT TYPES: Repaving, Roadway Repaving and Improvements – York St: 18th Ave to 40th Ave: reducing pedestrian crossing distances, ADA curb ramp improvements, adjustments to signal and intersection operations, and traffic-calming measures
- COMPLETION: December 2024
The University Neighborhoods Safer Streets Program takes a big-picture look at the transportation in this area which is included in the High Injury Network, including projects funded by voter-approved bonds, scheduled maintenance like street paving and new construction. Planning actions focus on strengthening the connectivity and improving safety to and around the University and Colorado Station Areas.
- LOCATION: Buchtel and Evans Avenues
- IMPROVEMENT TYPES: Connecting various projects through new sidewalk installations, new bike facilities and street repaving.
- COMPLETION: Ongoing
Mississippi Avenue serves as a critical east/west corridor through Denver and is home to a diverse community of residents deeply invested in their neighborhoods. This project from Eliot to Quivas, aims to enhance the community’s connectivity, accessibility, and safety for all transportation modes.
Mississippi Avenue has historically experienced many crashes impacting drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The Mississippi Avenue Vision Zero Safety Project, is part of the Safer Main Streets Initiative and is funded through federal grant funding administered by CDOT.
- LOCATION: Mississippi Avenue
- IMPROVEMENT TYPES: Reduce speeds, shorten pedestrian crossings, add ADA compliant curb ramps, and eliminate dangerous left-turn movements, raised medians, curb extensions and signal modifications.
- COMPLETION: Summer 2026
To increase safety by reducing speeds, Denver announced several targeted actions that will take effect in the next 18 months on Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, two streets with high safety risks.
- LOCATION: Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue
- COMPLETION: December 2025
The actions, that make up new SPEED program, include:
- Saturating corridors with speed limit signs and speed feedback signs, providing visual reminders of posted limits; Start directed marketing program to encourage drivers to slow down
- Programming traffic signals to slow vehicles down to the posted limits (tip: if you go the speed limit, you get more green lights!)
- Engineering signal timing to prevent excessive speeding at night by having more signals rest in red until a car arrives (note: 57% of fatal crashes last year happened at night)
- Expanding use of signal timing that gives pedestrians a head start crossing the street before the light turns green
- Deploying speed enforcement on both corridors including surging mobile speed vans and piloting automated speed enforcement cameras
DOTI Safety First Policy(PDF, 250KB)