The city of Denver is cutting the speed limit on the 8th Avenue viaduct over Burnham Yard to 10 mph— maybe permanently.
That’s a significant cut from the regular speed limit of 30 mph, with the reduced limit in place for about a half-mile between Tejon and Mariposa streets.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure shut down the viaduct over the weekend to make more repairs, and the new speed limit is meant to force drivers to slow down while crossing over two steel plates installed over the bridge’s expansion joints.
Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for DOTI, said it was a temporary solution while the city seeks tens of millions of dollars for a major revamp of the bridge. The Vibrant Denver bond proposal includes $89 million to revamp the bridge — and lower the road to street level where it crosses Burnham Yard, the old railyard, where the city anticipates major new development.
“DOTI anticipates that maintenance will continue to be necessary on the viaduct and is working to ensure it continues to serve the travelling public while seeking funding to replace the west side of the viaduct and bring the rest down to grade, or street, level for greater connectivity,” wrote Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for DOTI.
The rework of the bridge is part of a larger conversation about the future of Burnham Yard, where companies associated with the Broncos have been buying properties and city officials have been considering a site for a new NFL stadium.
The 8th Avenue project is the largest item in the bond proposal, while another $50 million would go toward revamping 6th Avenue, which also crosses Burnham Yard.
Some city leaders, residents and transit advocates have criticized the heavy spending on the viaducts. They want the city to redirect the money to slow down traffic on 13th and 14 avenues.
But city officials maintain the 8th Avenue bridge remodel is an urgent cause, with or without the Broncos — even as DOTI is wrapping up nine months of repairs on the bridge. That project, including resurfacing, was funded by $1.5 million in debt from the 2017 Elevate Denver bond.
The Denver City Council is set to vote on the debt spending proposal on Monday. If they approve, the spending proposal will go before voters this November.
