Infrastructure in the United States was recently rated a C- by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which conducts an infrastructure assessment every four years. The middling grade reflects that infrastructure like drinking water and stormwater pipes are in fair condition, but showing signs of deterioration and vulnerability to disaster.
Areas of Denver with particularly old water transportation systems or that are flood-prone can be even more susceptible to emergencies, which is why Denver Water and the City of Denver are making consistent investments into upgrading and replacing water management systems. But these projects come at the cost of disruptive construction projects that impact foot and car traffic on major roads like Colfax Avenue, Colorado Boulevard and 14th Avenue, temporarily disrupting surrounding businesses and residents.
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is currently in phase two of a three-part plan to upgrade existing stormwater pipes on 14th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard with larger, higher capacity pipes to reduce flooding in City Park.
DOTI expects the project to cost a total of $16 million and is funding it with Denver residents’ regular stormwater bills, said Nancy Kuhn, DOTI’s director of communications.
Independently, Denver Water is in the midst of an effort to replace a five-mile-long, 130-year-old cast iron pipe underneath Colfax Avenue from Broadway to Yosemite Street with a more reliable PVC pipe system. While that construction is going on, Denver Water will also use the opportunity to replace lead service pipes in the area, with residents’ approval. This project is part of Denver Water’s goal to replace 80,000 feet of water distribution pipes per year.
To that end, Denver Water will invest $1.9 billion into the water supply over the next 10 years as part of its capital improvements program, which includes other water-related projects as well, like reservoirs and water quality research. These projects are funded by customers’ regular water rate payments, bond sales, cash reserves, hydropower sales and fees paid when new homes and buildings are connected to the water system, said Jimmy Lythe, spokesperson for Denver Water.
Water rates increased in 2024, to about $18.40 per month from $17.90 per month in 2023.
Both projects are expected to last until January 2025, with complete and partial road closures and detours required for non-local traffic, and some short term water-shutoffs as Denver Water connects the new pipes to the existing system.
DOTI stormwater construction
DOTI plans to have 14th Avenue from Jackson Street to Harrison Street fully closed until April, directing drivers headed east to take a detour along 17th Street. As that phase wraps up in April, tunneling beneath the easternmost lanes of Colorado Boulevard, and moving south on Colorado between 13th Avenue and 14th, from May until September.
To protect workers and pedestrians traveling on Colorado after tunneling begins, DOTI will close the easternmost lane of Colorado and install a new eight-foot long sidewalk and amenity zone, Kuhn said.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the one that’s currently underway, making sure that that’s tweaked properly, and really trying to prevent cut through traffic, which the neighbors don’t appreciate,” Kuhn said. “You’re trying to get people off 14th that don’t need to be on there. We’re constantly looking at it, I think it’s in the best place it’s going to be right now.”
All construction updates will be posted to DOTI’s website, and interested stakeholders can sign up for weekly updates by filling out DOTI’s sign up form or emailing info@jacksonstreetstorm.com.
Workers at National Jewish Health, which is located directly next to the construction area, now have to walk down to Colorado Boulevard and 14th Avenue to get between the hospital’s main campus and the parking lot, rather than cut across 14th.
But because the construction only affects one block of 14th, it is ultimately not very disruptive, NJH staff said.
The need to increase stormwater capacity in the area stems from remnants of an old creek that used to flow through the area, known as the Upper Montclair Basin, which stretches from City Park to Fairmount Cemetery. This area has been prone to flooding since the early 2000s, and is currently a high-priority area for DOTI, Kuhn said.
Other projects to reduce flood risk have included creating more permeable surfaces that absorb water and constructing a detention area in City Park that can safely fill with stormwater runoff.
“When we look at old geological type maps, there was a history of a past creek there that still wants to flow,” Kuhn said. “Now we’ve developed over it, so we’re basically retrofitting, going back and building a better stormwater system for the area.”
Colfax Avenue construction
Denver Water plans to move west along Colfax Avenue in three block increments, and is currently operating on the section from Columbine Street to Detroit Street, and from Syracuse to Spruce streets. As Denver Water replaces this main pipe, it will also replace lead pipes that connect residences and businesses to the central water system with copper pipes.
As Denver Water progresses down Colfax Avenue, it is publishing online information on its website and the online site Nextdoor, sending out mail notices and going door-to-door to alert people to potential traffic disruptions from lane closures and water shutoffs as they connect the new pipes, Lythe said.
“Our crews are also really great at working to accommodate any access issues, or parking concerns or anything,” Lythe said. “We try to be as accommodating and flexible as possible because we know construction is so impactful and there are so many things that can come up that you don’t expect.”
Olga Lozada, a worker at Ranch House Cafe on Colfax and Syracuse, said that business has been heavily impacted by the construction, and that a water shutoff on Sunday, Feb. 25 made them shut down for an entire business day on what is usually their highest-earning day of the week.
The restaurant staff is also having to find alternative routes to work, as the bus can’t access stops on the south side of Colfax, and drops them off way down the street instead. To try to generate more business, they put signs in their windows to remind customers that they are open, Lozada said.
“It’s bad, (but) that’s all we can do for now,” Lozada added.
Denver Water expects water shutoffs to only last about six to eight hours, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lythe said. To try and help minimize disruptions, Denver Water has dedicated staff to engage with the affected communities, providing information and helping businesses communicate with their employees and customers about detours or alternate routes.
The construction workers who are present every day of construction have been very helpful in answering questions about how long construction will last, said Adrian Madrid, who works at State-Wide Lock and Safe on Colfax and Roslyn Street. But even so, walk-in business is down by at least one-third, and regular customers can’t park in their parking lot anymore, Madrid said.
Madrid has also seen pedestrians, many of whom are elderly, crossing Colfax in dangerous areas because of the impact of construction on sidewalks.
Madrid hopes construction will wrap up soon, but isn’t very concerned about declining business because they were able to prepare before construction began.
“We took precautions, so we should be okay,” Madrid said.
For any lead pipe replacements in the area, residents and businesses have to respond to Denver Water’s outreach, consenting for workers to come into the building, shut off the water temporarily, and put in new pipes. Denver Water suspects that there are about 60 lead service lines in the five-mile area, but tests the water to confirm it is lead before starting the replacement process, Lythe said.
The process typically takes about eight hours to complete, and then water users are encouraged to run their water to flush any debris buildup that could have occurred during replacement or connection to the main pipes, Lythe added. Customers are also encouraged to continue using water filters for up to six months after water line replacement as a precaution.
Exposure to lead causes significant health problems, particularly in children, for whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say are not safe at any level of lead exposure. Lead in drinking water has been found to cause behavioral problems, developmental delays, hearing problems and anemia in children, and cardiovascular issues, kidney problems and reproductive issues in adults, according to the EPA.
Denver Water has been operating its Lead Service Line Replacement Program since 2020, and estimates that between 64,000 and 84,000 properties may use lead service lines, which were commonly installed in the 1950s.
The other construction on Colfax is more preventative to avoid any main breaks by upgrading the infrastructure before it becomes a problem, Lythe said. Denver Water chose to pursue this construction now before construction begins on the East Colfax Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Project.
“Since that’s coming up, we wanted to work with them to get in and get our pipe replaced so that, after that project is done, we don’t have to get back in and dig up the street that they just spent that time replacing,” Lythe said. “We wanted to get in and get out before that comes and that was kind of kind of the onus to get to get this whole stretch done right now.”
The Bus Rapid Transit Project is a major bus project from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Denver Regional Transportation District that will create three sections of bus rapid transit taking riders along East Colfax Avenue from Denver Union Station to Colfax Station in Aurora. It is expected to start construction in 2024 and wrap up in 2027.
Though the construction is disruptive, these investments are positive for the community as it provides more reliable infrastructure and better water quality. Hopefully, communication between Denver Water and the community will help keep major disruption to a minimum, Lythe said.
“This project in particular, it’s a very good example of exactly what we do with the water rates,” Lyhte said. “It’s our water rates at work every day. We’re being as good of partners as we can possibly be in the community and being good stewards of this resource — which is the most important one in the world.”