Brighton launches Bridge Street circulation study; residents flag safety, sidewalks and transit access

Consultants and regional planners on March 25 opened a yearlong Brighton Core City Circulation Study centered on Bridge Street from the South Platte River to 20th Avenue, laying out safety data and outreach plans and collecting local priorities for walking, biking and transit improvements.

Annie Rice, a planning consultant with Tool Design, opened the steering committee meeting and said the team was “excited to get this kicked off,” describing a study area that covers Bridge Street and roughly a half-mile on either side to capture connections from nearby neighborhoods to downtown.

The study is funded through the Denver Regional Council of Governments(DRCOG) Community-Based Transportation Planning set-aside program. Britney Compton, a multimodal planner with the Denver Regional Council of Governments, told the group, “DRCOG stands for the Denver Regional Council of Governments,” and described the grant as technical assistance aimed at corridors on the region—s high-injury network and at historically underrepresented communities.

Why it matters: the project will produce recommendations only (the team said the work will not include construction); the plan is intended to help the city qualify for future funding and to reduce crashes and improve access where people walk, bike and take transit.

Key findings and local concerns

Presenters and steering committee participants summarized existing conditions and local feedback that the consultants will analyze and prioritize. The consultant team reported roughly 100 crashes a year along the Bridge Street segment between the South Platte River and 20th Avenue, with about 15 of those classified as serious (fatal or serious injury).

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