It’s time for another 14th Street Initiative update. For those of you unaware, the 14th Street Initiative is the $14 million reconstruction of 14th Street in Downtown Denver, which runs through the Theatre/Convention Center district and links the Lower Downtown and Civic Center districts. Basically, 14th street is going on a road diet, losing a vehicle lane while gaining a bike lane, wider sidewalks, new landscaping and signage, pedestrian amenities and lighting, and an entirely rebuilt road bed. For our initial report on the project, check out this post from November 2009 (including a very cool fly-through video), as well as my first update post after construction began, from March 2011. The 14th Street Initiative is another great example of Denver’s ongoing efforts to shift the balance of how we use the public right-of-way (particularly in our urban core) from automobile-oriented to a multi-modal, pedestrian-friendly approach. Let’s take a tour from this past weekend…
Left: Improvements on the block between Market and Larimer.
Right: The now-shorter pedestrian crossing at Larimer Square (just 12 steps!), thanks to the new bulb-outs.
Left: Newly installed trees between Larimer and Lawrence. I’m impressed with the project’s commitment to plant larger trees to produce an immediate “shade dividend.” These are 3-inch caliper trees; some of them are upwards of 15 feet tall.
Right: More trees and granite streetscape elements between Lawrence and Arapahoe.
Left: At 14th and Arapahoe, workers getting ready to install the the special wayfinding monument that will eventually anchor every corner along the corridor.
Right: The Arapahoe corner monument awaiting installation (it was in place by not long after this photo was taken).
Left: New shorter and enhanced crossing at the entry to the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
Right: Wider sidewalks provide additional room for cafe patios, like this one at the Corner Office.
Left: Raised landscaping beds between Curtis and Champa, with a Denver B-Cycle “bike redistribution vehicle” in the background.
Right: New accent lighting embedded into the sidewalk.
Left: The first corner monument set in place about two weeks ago, at 14th and Champa.
Right: Brick pavers being installed that allow storm water to seep into the tree vaults below.
Left: Better defined crosswalks improve pedestrian safety at the complicated 14th/Stout/Light Rail intersection.
Right: A shorter walk across 14th Street for visitors going between the Hyatt and the Convention Center.
Left: Construction has now moved south of California Street. Here, the intersection of 14th and Welton begins its transformation.
Right: Work has also started at 14th and Tremont. The remaining intersections with 14th (Glenarm, Court, Cleveland, and Colfax) are all now under construction to some degree.
Finally, here are two bonus photos taken from far above. These images are courtesy of Ann Alexander Leggett with Concrete Works of Colorado.
Left: Block between Larimer and Lawrence.
Right: The 14th and Stout intersection
I’ll do a final 14th Street Initiative update later this fall when the project is completed.
looks great! one other benefit to consider- with this level of design i’m sure this project created more jobs for the buck than the typical highway paving or widening job that stimulus dollars were used for.
Amazing shots, and such a beautiful streetscape! The only issue I can really see is the lack of people using that amazing space. In the aerial of the Convention Center area, the street is packed with cars but the sidewalks are nearly 100% clear. Would love to see them being heavily used!
I think the photos are a little misleading. First, there are a lot more cars because they are backed up due to the construction. Second, there are a lot less people crossing through this area because they are avoiding the construction. Finally, the Convention Center and Performing Arts Center produce a lot of traffic at specific peak times, so the time of day plays a factor. Come here when there’s a convention or two going on, and the streets are packed with people.
I took these photos in the middle of a weekday afternoon on a blistering day when no reasonable person should be outside anyway. As we know, there are plenty of times when the sidewalks of downtown, including 14th Street, are abuzz with activity.
I love that they’re making the crosswalks a bright red now. Not that it’s keeping cars out of them but I like the official marking being stepped up a notch. I think it’ll take some driver training to really make all these improvements work as they’re supposed to.
Here’s a video of the Topping Out of the Carr Justice Center – there are no ways to email Ken, so I’m getting it to you this way:
http://youtu.be/YGdkHIXCEQM
Randall, thanks for the link. Also, my email address is provided on the “About DenverUrbanism” page. You can email me at: feedback *at* denverinfill *dot* com.