We've all been running late getting stuck in Colfax Avenue traffic lately, waiting for everyone to merge into that one narrow cone-marked lane, narrowly avoiding gaping holes in the road and massive construction equipment. (Just me?)
That construction isn't set to end any time soon. Denver Water is in the middle of a massive pipe replacement project along East Colfax, replacing a five-mile-long, 130-year-old pipe that has reached "the end of its useful life," according to Denver Water. It will also replace around 60 lead pipes in the area as part of its massive lead pipe replacement project.
The geriatric pipe runs along Colfax between Broadway and Yosemite Street, which means that stretch will see scattered construction and traffic disruptions through the end of 2024. Denver Water is moving in two- and three-block sections from west to east, currently focusing on York to Columbine streets and Quebec to Roslyn streets.
Why now? Why me?
Denver Water needs to get the project done before construction begins on the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit line, which will transform parts of the street with bus stations and a dedicated route down the middle of the road.
Drivers headed east will not have much more luck taking 14th Avenue, which is also undergoing construction and restricted to one lane along many parts of the street. That project, running from Jackson to Colorado Boulevard, involves upgrading stormwater infrastructure that dates back to the 1930s. That portion of 14th Avenue will be restricted to local traffic through April, while the whole project will finish in January 2025.
You can check the status of the Colfax Avenue project online, and get a specialty "I survived the great East Colfax Avenue pipe replacement of 2024" bookmark from the Tattered Cover on Colfax Avenue to remember this moment for posterity.
