2021 Paving Starts in North Denver

Keep an eye out for cones and road closure signs as repaving is starting. Photo by Allen Cowgill

As the temperatures warm up, paving projects for roads and sidewalks by the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) have begun. 

Major resurfacing projects this year include all of the residential streets in the Inspiration Point neighborhood, 32nd Ave from Federal to Pecos, 44th Ave from Federal to Tejon, Zuni St. from 48th Ave to 52nd Ave, Platte St. from REI to 20th St., and Lipan St. from 38th Ave to 46th Ave. 

According to DOTI, residential streets are typically repaved about once every 15 years, and the busier arterial and collector streets are repaved about once every seven to ten years.

All of the streets except Lipan will be mill/overlay, a process where the top couple inches of the street are removed, and then paved over with new asphalt. Lipan will get the Hot In Place Recycle Treatment, where the top inch of the road surface is heated then mixed with new asphalt.  It’s a more environmentally friendly and affordable process that DOTI uses on certain streets based on the condition of the road. 

Residents can expect DOTI crews to come to the respective streets twice. One crew will be removing the old asphalt over the course of a day, known as milling. And shortly thereafter weather permitting, the second crew will arrive to spend a day paving the street. 

DOTI spokesperson Heather Burke indicated that residents will receive a heads up about paving. “Door hangers are placed a few days in advance to notify residents about the work. Temporary no parking signs will then be placed on streets to be paved at least 24 hours in advance of crews arriving.”

Any cars left on the street on the day of paving will be towed, typically only a few blocks away.  The owner of the car will face a reduced fine this year of $50 for parking in a no parking zone, as the city is waiving the typical additional $100 fine for towing due to the economic hardships so many are experiencing right now. Owners who have trouble finding their car after the tow can call the city’s non-emergency line at 720.913.2000 for help locating the vehicle. 

In addition to the street repaving, DOTI will also be taking advantage of repaving work to add new bike lanes on North Harlan and Gray St, a popular connection route that sees hundreds of people on bikes per day that use the Clear Creek Trail. They are expanding the bike lane network on West 46th Ave from Federal to Lipan, and Zuni from 46th Ave to 52nd Ave. West Regis will see a bike lane refresh with new striping. These projects are to help further Denver’s goal of enabling 30% of trips to be by bike, walking, or mass transit by the year 2030 to help mitigate climate change and reduce air pollution. Details on the bike lane improvements can be found at: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Bicycles/Coordinated-Projects

As part of the program to build out the sidewalk network for people who walk or roll in wheelchairs, Burke says DOTI also hopes to begin construction this year on sidewalks around most of Rocky Mountain Lake Park, 49th Ave from Sheridan to Eaton, 52nd Ave from Zuni to Vallejo, and 47th Ave from Federal to Grove. 

The city also will be doing work on concrete gutters and curbs, as well as improving older pedestrian ramps to bring them up to compliance for people with disabilities as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The schedule for this year’s improvements have not been released yet, but it will be posted along with weekly updates on the schedule of which streets will be paved at denvergov.org/denverpaving

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