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Painted Mural Wall Separates Central 70 Project From School

DENVER (CBS4)- A colorful mural in the Swansea-Elyria neighborhood does more than just separate a school from the Central 70 Project, it is giving artists a creative outlet.

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(credit: CBS)

Over the weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation tweeted a picture of artists painting the mural near Swansea Elementary School.

Central I-70 Murals 1 (CDOT tweet) copy
(credit: CDOT)
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Denver Public Schools asked CDOT to build the wall to help separate the school from the massive construction project.

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In addition to the safety and noise barrier, CDOT used the opportunity to support artists and give students and teachers a better view.

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The 700-foot long wall is covered in dozens of different creations painted by more than 30 artists, a majority of them local and some even grew up in the neighborhood in north Denver.

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(credit: CBS)

CDOT says they are happy to provide something bright and colorful to the neighborhood that is functional and fun.

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"I love that we've found a place for art in such an unlikely location. The school had asked for this wall, it's just sort of an extra layer of protection for the students, so why not make it a place as well? It's going to be up for quite a few years and to have something beautiful for the kids to look upon for the next few years is a neat way to provide this," said CDOT spokeswoman Rebecca White.

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The entire wall was painted in just a couple of days. The majority of the mural was finished over the weekend except for a few blank spaces left for the students to paint.

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(credit: CBS)

 

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