'So Many Cars': 17th Avenue Near Colorado Boulevard Could Reopen In June
DENVER (CBS4) – Construction on a stretch of 17th Avenue near Colorado Boulevard in Denver is still ongoing, nearly a year after breaking ground. Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says some delays were COVID-related, but they expect this part of the project to be complete by early summer.
Commuters and neighbors expected the work to be done in April. Kay Zizzi lives near the construction off 17th Avenue.
"At the beginning, it was just chaos. We couldn't get our cars out because there was a steady line of cars day and night," said Zizzi. "We've had ambulances that were stuck and couldn't get out of here."
Zizzi has lived on Garfield Street for decades. She says the most frustrating part has been large trucks going up and down her street. One even damaged her vehicle.
CBS4 caught her walking home with groceries from a nearby supermarket.
"My car was t-boned by a delivery truck trying to get out of the street because they didn't know they were going to have to stop at Garfield," said Zizzi. "There's cars on both sides here. There's not enough room for them to turn around."
Her home has experienced the damage this new construction is trying to prevent. Her house has flooded once in the thirty years that she has owned it.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure told CBS4:
"What we are doing at 17th and Colorado is building a bigger and better stormwater system on the city's east side of town to more effectively carry and convey the stormwater that flows through the area in big storm events. The existing infrastructure is undersized."
Zizzi's neighbor, Peter Dellgren, has stayed up on the work through community meetings.
"There's a good chance for houses and basements to flood from here to Colorado. Plus, it's part of the drainage system that goes all the way up, if I understand it right, out through the golf course," said Dellgren.
According to the city, the construction includes installing a new storm water pipe beneath Colorado Boulevard which will connect to the current the stormwater system at City Park Golf Course.
Dellgren understands the importance, but can't wait for the work to be done.
"This road looked like I-25. There were so many cars," said Dellgren, who says the traffic has gotten better. "I want 17th back. It's hard to get back out on Colorado from here, especially in rush hour."
DOTI told CBS4, "We have just completed tunneling underneath Colorado Boulevard. We chose the tunneling method to keep traffic flowing on Colorado Boulevard. That tunneling work went a little more slowly than we anticipated, but we have gotten through that and are going to be heading to Albion."
The city is adjusting its timeline for fully reopening E 17th Avenue, west of Colorado Boulevard, to early June.
As funding becomes available, DOTI says its goal is to reach and provide relief to well-known flood areas, including 14th Avenue and Krameria Street.
