Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and City Councilman Kevin Flynn got their hands slightly dirty Thursday for a photo op in Southwest Denver to commemorate the first segment of sidewalk being built with bond money approved by voters in 2017.
The walkway is being installed in the Bear Valley neighborhood along Bear Valley Park, where sidewalks don't exist.
"This is going to be a multi-modal street," said City Councilman Kevin Flynn. "Imagine that here, in southwest Denver."
Denver is at the starting line of a long race course. While Denver's infrastructure for cars is fully built out, about 40 percent of Denver's streets are either missing sidewalks for pedestrians, or lined with subpar ones, according to the city's Denveright Pedestrian and Trails plan.
The city is missing about 300 miles worth of walkways. Denver will spend more than $30 million over the next decade to fill in the gaps.
Voters approved $937 million in general obligation bonds (also known as the GO bond and branded as "Elevate Denver") in 2017. The biggest chunk will go to transportation projects.
"Elevate Denver is delivering on our promise to voters to preserve and enhance the Mile High City so it can remain the vibrant, viable city we all know and love -- and one of the first steps starts today, here in Bear Valley Park," said Mayor Michael Hancock in a statement. "I'm thrilled to help pour some cement for the first of many new Elevate Denver-funded sidewalks that will improve mobility and access in neighborhoods across Denver."
Denver hired local company, T2 Construction Inc., for the project.
