You might remember our story about the humble footbridge over Cherry Creek bordering the Auraria and Union Station neighborhoods, which has fallen into disrepair. A property transfer in the 1990s failed to include the Delgany Street pedestrian bridge in the deed, which means its ownership is unclear. A second bridge nearby, which hosts a defunct railcar, also has unknown ownership.
Since then, residents have been asking the city what it would take to fix the pedestrian bridge, which now has its own X (formerly Twitter) account and email address. Step one would be finding an entity willing to take on the cost of repairs.
Which brings us to our new question: Do you want these bridges?
The city does not want these bridges.
Councilmember Chris Hinds, who represents the bridges (along with much of downtown and the rest of District 10), said that the city will not take over because of their condition.
“It's the city's policy not to take over any sort of infrastructure that is not in proper maintenance,” he said.
The Greenway Foundation, a nonprofit focused on river preservation, had been looking into raising funds to repair the bridges in 2022 when staff realized the organization could not get the proper permits because it could not show ownership. Executive Director Ryan Aids said the organization remains open to helping get the bridge back in operation.
"The Greenway Foundation remains committed to help reopen the pedestrian bridge when it is safe to do so," Aids wrote. "Following the recent meeting with neighbors and Councilman Hinds, TGF will remain involved to find an interested owner and in fundraising for repairs when that time comes."
Residents are now looking for a group to take ownership of the pedestrian bridge.
If residents can find an interested owner, the city could claim the bridge through eminent domain and pass it to the interested group.
Rob Grey, who has been helping organize residents, said neighbors are primarily interested in the pedestrian bridge, which people previously used regularly before it was closed due to its condition.
“The Delgany Bridge, over the 20 years that I've been here, has always been a valuable asset within the community,” Grey said. “People taking wedding pictures on the bridge was a regular occurrence. It’s a pathway to the bike path, it's a pathway to a park.”
Grey said residents are willing to raise money for repairs but need to find a group willing to take on ownership and liability for the bridge.
“You can't fundraise for a bridge when you don't know who the owner is,” he said.
Grey plans to reach out to a number of potential groups including the Delgany Maintenance District, the Cherry Creek Sub-area Business Improvement District and the Riverfront Park Master Homeowners Association. He also thinks historic preservation could be an option, since the bridge was built around the year 1900.
Don Cohen with the Riverfront Park Association said the group isn't interested in helping with repairs.
"Helping repair the Delgany Bridge falls outside of the Riverfront Park Association maintenance budget and there are no plans to help underwrite repairs," he wrote.
Denverite has reached out to the Delgany Maintenance District for comment.
“We need to move the ball from this being a community grievance to the restoration of a community asset,” Grey said.
But the price tag to fix the bridge is unclear.
In 2022, the Greenway Foundation estimated repairs on the pedestrian bridge would cost $250,000. Hinds said that when the city did an analysis of what it would take to bring the bridge up to code that figure came to around $3 million. A structural engineer, who also happens to be a nearby resident, did his own calculations and came up with around $130,500.
So if you have always wanted to own your own bridge, and if you have $130,500 laying around, or maybe $250,000, or maybe actually $3 million, let us know at [email protected].
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the Greenway Foundation.
