Syracuse Street Corridor Study and Design Project

Syracuse Street Corridor

The Denver Moves Bicycles plan (2011) identified a portion of the Syracuse Street Corridor as an area to study for potential future bike infrastructure in East Denver. In 2017, Denver Public Works initiated the Syracuse Street Corridor Study and Design Project to determine the feasibility of a bikeway along the corridor to connect Stapleton, Lowry and East Colfax.

Existing bike lanes had been previously established north of Montview, and this project extended the study area north to MLK/31st Avenue with the goal of developing a complete, high ease-of-use, bikeway corridor. Bike lanes and other amenities have been recommended along Syracuse Street and Roslyn Street between E 8th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Features

These design improvements are intended to provide a traffic calming effect to improve cycling conditions along the corridor.

Dedicated bike lanes along the entire corridor
Travel lanes reduced to 10 feet wide
Removing travel lanes in both directions on the segment north of Montview, which currently has lower traffic volumes and higher observed speeds
Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons at the Stapleton Greenway trail crossing At East 24th Avenue, to make it safer for families walking and biking to cross Syracuse/Roslyn

bicyclist approaches an intersection along Syracuse Street

Study Area: 8th Ave – E 26th Ave
Click to enlarge

Dedicated Bike Facilities

While all facility types were analyzed for the varying segments of the project corridor, conventional and buffered bike lanes are recommended based on Denver Bikeway Design Guidelines. Protected bike lanes would have significant impacts to on-street parking; feedback from residents during the study process indicated that retaining parking along Syracuse was a critical issue.

The bikeway design guidelines take several corridor features into account to determine appropriate facility types:

vehicular travel speed
traffic volume
number of lanes
on-street parking utilization
land use and neighborhood context
operational and maintenance considerations

8th to 11th Avenues

Six foot-wide bike lanes will be introduced to both directions of this 3 block segment of the Syracuse corridor. Adding bike lanes provides dedicated roadway space for bicyclists, with improved separation from motor vehicles, and avoids parking impacts.

11th Avenue to Montview

Six foot-wide bike lanes will be introduced to both directions of this segment of the Syracuse corridor. Adding bike lanes provides dedicated roadway space for bicyclists, with improved separation from motor vehicles.

In order to provide dedicated bike lanes along this segment of the corridor, parking will be restricted to one side of the street, alternating from east to west side parking every few blocks. Extensive parking studies were conducted to ensure that sufficient parking will be available for residents, businesses and churches along the corridor.

Montview to MLK/31st Avenue

Where Syracuse widens north of Montview, new buffered bike lanes will be introduced in both directions of Syracuse (and Roslyn) from Montview to MLK/31^st Avenue. Travel lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction, maintain turning lanes at each signalized intersection.

The existing slip ramp from westbound Montview to northbound Syracuse will remain; however, all drivers will be required to stop prior to merging onto northbound Syracuse. This will be introduced to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety at this location.

RTD bus stops will remain in their current locations.

Project Status: Design

This study began in Summer 2016. Designs for bike lanes and other amenities on the corridor are planned for 2019.

Materials

Reports

DRAFT Existing Conditions Report - May 2017 (PDF)

Public Meeting February 2019

The City and County of Denver shared design plans for bicycle improvements that the community helped form during previous public meetings. Bike lanes and other amenities were recommended during past studies along Syracuse Street and Roslyn Street between 8th Ave. and Martin Luther King Boulevard.