Santa Fe Drive to close in Denver's Baker neighborhood for railroad replacement this week

Denver residents in the Baker neighborhood and those who drive through it might need to seek a detour this week as BNSF Railway plans to replace stretches of railroad near Santa Fe Drive and Cedar Avenue.

BNSF has requested a full five-day closure of the area, starting Monday morning and ending at 5 p.m. on Friday, while they replace rail in the area.

Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is urging people to avoid the area until the work is complete.

From northbound Santa Fe, you'll be able to turn east and west onto Alameda Avenue, but might encounter congestion and delays. The official detour around the closure will take people west on Alameda Avenue to Federal Boulevard.

You can also continue on Santa Fe north of Alameda until the full closure at Cedar, where your only options are then to head north onto Interstate 25 or turn around and go south on Kalamath Drive.

Drivers on I-25 should also take an exit other than Alameda Avenue to avoid congestion and delays.

The work is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate the area of the Alameda Avenue underpass being undertaken by the city. Work in the area started earlier this year and is expected to go through spring 2026.

BNSF operates around the country, with the impacted stretch of rail part of a portion of its line that runs along the I-25 corridor from the southern to northern U.S. borders.