DOTTI outlines Alameda Avenue lane‑repurposing demo, proposes working group and nine‑month pilot

DOTTI staff briefed Denver’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 18 about a proposed Alameda Avenue lane‑repurposing demonstration and the creation of a working group to define success metrics and community feedback.

Molly Lanfier and Elena McWhorter described plans for a live demonstration that would implement a full lane reduction (one travel lane each direction with left‑turn pockets) on a shorter segment of Alameda Avenue — roughly Emerson to Franklin — as a test of the design before any permanent changes are made. “The demonstration would be a full lane reduction, for a section from Emerson to Franklin,” Lanfier said, describing in‑field deployment and live data collection and saying DOTTI aims for procurement and construction planning in March–April and deployment this summer. Staff described a nine‑month target window for the demonstration to collect both hard traffic/crash metrics and community perception data via surveys.

DOTTI said some safety improvements will be put in permanently regardless of the demo outcome — staff listed a rectangular rapid‑flashing beacon at Franklin and Alameda and improvements at Virginia and Downing as items expected to be contracted out — while other adjustments would be tested in the demonstration and adapted based on evidence and community feedback.

Committee members raised several concerns. Multiple councilmembers questioned working‑group composition, saying the list appeared to give disproportionate representation to Maury Hill Homeowners Association (which DOTTI said contributed a petition of roughly 300 signatories). Council members pressed DOTTI to ensure the working group is representative of the corridor’s neighborhoods and to provide transparent selection criteria and equity targets. "If we're going to do a test, we should do the full test," said one councilmember urging a robust evaluation tied to Vision 0 goals; others argued resources and signal work make a full‑corridor test more complicated and that a smaller segment allows timely data collection.

Members also asked for more detail on what will be sent to procurement. DOTTI said the procurement package will be the demonstration deployment but acknowledged that key elements — exact survey questions, final segment length, demo cost and detailed procurement specs — were still being worked out with the working group and would be circulated to the committee. Staff committed to a recorded public meeting and to posting summaries and deliverables from the working group.

Council members recommended DOTTI provide: a clearer description of the working‑group charge, equity and proximity criteria for members, the demonstration cost estimate, a plan for enforcement coordination (DPD involvement or other measures) and the data collection plan including side‑street diversion monitoring (Virginia Avenue was cited as a concern). DOTTI agreed to return with those details and to do broader public engagement after the working group meets.

DOTTI said recommendations and next steps would likely be presented in spring 2027 after data collection and assessment; in the meantime, the working group meeting scheduled for the following day will be used to refine metrics and community outreach plans.