This weekend, urban artists took to the streets to paint a stretch of aging Denver infrastructure. With only a limited amount of life left, the I-70 viaduct now has a splash of color, adding beauty to a steel and concrete beast.

The stretch between Brighton Boulevard and York was closed on Saturday for this event. There were multiple booths with fall activities, and Q&A about the future of the highway. A stage sat in the center of the closed-off section with performances echoing throughout the area. I never took the time to explore around here but there was a beauty to it; a hulking old structure, with a gathering of people adding wonderful colors was a great sight to see.

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From colorful portraits to realistic three dimensional scenes, there was a lot to see. Kids, adults, amateurs and professionals were lined up painting their own canvas along the concrete walls and curbs.

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With the streets closed, echoing music, and cars driving overhead, this was a great experience; even with the potent smell of dog and cat food. Here are two ‘aerial’ perspectives of the art.

 

Art gives personality to any part of the city, even in the most unlikely places. As strange of a place as this is, this art really livens up this dark, drab corridor.

What’s next for the viaduct? Via CDOT: “The Central 70 project proposes to reconstruct a 10-mile stretch of I-70 East, add one new Express Lane in each direction, remove the aging 50-year old viaduct, lower the interstate between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, and place a four-acre cover over a portion of the lowered interstate.”