Wheat Ridge council backs final design for 1.75-mile 30th Avenue West overhaul; staff to pursue utility undergrounding

The Wheat Ridge City Council on March 3, 2025 gave staff consensus to proceed to final design on a 1.75-mile overhaul of West 30th Avenue between Youngfield Street and Kipling Street that will add continuous sidewalks, buffered on-street bike lanes, three roundabouts and a coordinated stormwater system.

Maria Deandre, the city's director of public works, summarized roughly 18 months of study and outreach and said the project's goals were to "improve the roadway to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists" and to "improv[e] stormwater drainage all along that entire stretch." The consultant cost estimate presented to council showed a construction figure of just over $19 million (including a 30% contingency at this early design stage); staff said burying overhead utilities would add about $7 million more.

Why this matters: 30th Avenue is a key east-west corridor with sidewalk gaps, drainage problems and safety concerns. The proposed design narrows travel lanes to psychological effect, adds buffer zones between vehicles and bike lanes, upgrades bus stops and installs three urban roundabouts at Tabor Court, Parfette Street (an existing signalized intersection) and Miller Street to reduce speeds. City staff said the Parfette roundabout would require acquiring portions of adjacent property and that acquisition would follow the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act (the Uniform Act) with appraisal and offers of fair market value.

Community concerns and outreach: public outreach in July-August 2024 included block-by-block meetings and an open house; staff reported 922 visitors to the project webpage and 13 survey responses in the most recent round (11 said they supported the project). Several nearby residents, particularly from the Cambridge Park homeowners association, raised questions about vehicle turning radii for long vehicles, whether the circle would require any private land, and how queuing to the gated Cambridge Park entrance would operate. Resident Julie Pellegrin said she and her neighbors were concerned about safety and disruption, noting that "There are a hundred and 7 homes in Cambridge Park, and at this point, between 85 and 90 residents have signed on, in opposition to the traffic circle." City staff said they will meet with the HOA to explain how the roundabout would function and ensure the gate would not back traffic into the circle.

Design details and safety trade-offs: Deandre explained the proposed travel lanes would be narrowed to 10 feet where acceptable (the team said this meets national standards) and that the roundabouts would be mountable for large vehicles like fire trucks and buses. She said West Metro Fire had reviewed the design and indicated emergency vehicles could navigate the roundabouts. The Parfette roundabout would remove the existing traffic signal; city staff said roundabouts typically reduce crash severity because they eliminate right-angle collisions and reduce idling time and vehicle emissions compared with a signalized intersection.

Costs and funding: the preliminary construction estimate presented to council was about $19.0 million including design and a 30% contingency; Xcel Energy undergrounding costs were separately estimated at roughly $7.0 million. Deandre said Xcel manages a local "1%" community fund (from customer payments) and the city could request up to three years of that funding in advance; staff said the Xcel account currently held roughly $2.0 million and that annual collections are about $0.5 million per year. Council discussion expressed support for pursuing undergrounding but also concern about depleting the Xcel account.

Schedule and next steps: final design work has been initiated and staff estimated about 12 months for final design and 18 to 24 months for construction, with traffic maintained on 30th in staged construction. Council signaled consensus to move forward with final design as presented and directed staff to explore funding options for undergrounding and to continue detailed coordination with affected property owners and the Cambridge Park HOA.

What to watch: whether the city secures additional funding for undergrounding and how the final 12-month design resolves property-take needs at Parfette and any other constrained locations. Staff will return with final design documents and refined cost estimates prior to seeking construction authorization.