top of page
bollards denver.jpg
“I live in West Wash Park and I am concerned about this project.”

Adam C.

Project Status (Hint: It's Complicated)

ALAMEDA updated.png

  • 2020 – DOTI held a "virtual open house" for the public about safety on Alameda*

  • 2020-2024 – DOTI "worked with consultant to come up with Alameda design"*

  • 2024 – DOTI held a "public meeting proposing Full Lane Reduction with 50 people in attendance"*

  • April 2025 – "Businesses & Residents along Alameda were left a flyer regarding upcoming summer [2025] construction"*

  • June 2025 ​– A group of concerned Denverites walked the project corridor with DOTI staff to better understand the planned project

  • July 2025 – Act for Alameda launches this website and submits 300+ signatures on our letter of concern to the city*

  • August 2025 – A separate site and petition launches and submits 175+ signatures demanding the full Alameda lane reduction move forward* 

  • September 2025 – Signatures on the Act for Alameda letter grow to over 800!

  • November 2025 – DOTI announces a compromise, adjusting "its design to repurpose a travel lane in the westbound direction only... while maintaining two travel lanes eastbound"** 

  • February 2026 – DOTI announced it will "demonstrate" the reduction of two lanes for six months, adding "left-turn pockets." During the temporary reconfiguration, DOTI will collect data to "inform a final, permanent design."

​​​​

* Source

Timeline:

February 2026 Update:

We appreciate DOTI’s engagement with residents and businesses. The November 2025 design compromise showed they listened to community feedback. This kind of collaboration builds trust and leads to better outcomes for everyone along Alameda.

​

It’s not too late to sign our letter — we need your voice. Our goal aligns with DOTI’s: a safe, efficient Alameda that supports local businesses and preserves neighborhood access. With continued transparency and communication, we can achieve that together.

​

As the demonstration moves forward, we’re asking DOTI to share clear before-and-after metrics, including safety (crashes and injuries), congestion (peak travel times and queue lengths), and diversion to nearby streets.

Key Concerns

Traffic Concerns

  • Reducing road capacity will worsen existing congestion

  • New left-turn lanes will overflow during rush hour, blocking other lanes.

  • Using only past traffic data ignores Denver’s rapid growth

    • Major developments like Cherry Creek West and Cherry Lane are already in progress

Risk to Park Areas

  • Turning Virginia Ave into a busy, dangerous road near Wash Park is short-sighted

  • Past DOTI changes made Virginia & Marion a key park access point — adding more traffic here makes no sense

Neighborhood Safety & Livability

  • Making it harder for residents to access their homes from Alameda creates unnecessary challenges

  • More traffic on residential streets lowers quality of life and can hurt property values

Harm to Local Businesses

  • More congestion and confusion will drive customers away and reduce foot traffic

  • Most businesses here are small and locally owned

Driver Behavior & Safety Concerns

  • More drivers may cut through nearby neighborhoods, putting kids, pedestrians, and cyclists at greater risk

  • Other areas with “traffic calming” have seen drivers speed through narrow residential streets

  • Pushing traffic onto streets not built for it will lead to safety issues and future costs for the city

Lack of Supporting Data

  • A major redesign may not be needed to meet DOTI’s goals

  • This stretch of Alameda has fewer safety issues compared to other parts of the High Injury Network

Need for More Inclusive Planning

  • Only two public meetings — one during COVID — isn’t enough

    • An attendee at the Lincoln Elementary meeting described the tone of the meeting as “checking a box,” with no opportunities for public comment 

  • Residents and drivers most affected haven’t had their voices heard

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DOTI?

More about the city agency responsible for the project

Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) has been planning the Alameda Lanes Repurposing Project, which will significantly and unnecessarily modify E Alameda Avenue between S Grant and S Franklin Streets—affecting residents in the Wash Park neighborhoods as well as many commuters.

​​

Click here to view DOTI's webpage about the project.  Our coalition has met in-person with DOTI staff to better understand the specifics.

How will Virginia Ave. be impacted?

Those who access Wash Park as pedestrians or cyclists should be concerned

The city's public information about the Alameda project says that, after changes are implemented, about 490 cars per day will re-route on to Virginia Avenue. This is one of our committee's major concerns. Virginia Ave is a quiet, residential street that runs along the north edge of Wash Park. Diverting traffic onto Virginia Avenue will push vehicles into areas heavily used by cyclists and pedestrians to access the park and their homes. 

 

Additionally, we believe that the city's estimate of diverted cars (490/day) is unrealistically low. One of the unique characteristics of this stretch of E Alameda Ave is that there are limited east-west through streets to take as an alternative to Alameda Ave. (Just north of Alameda is the Denver Country club and to the south is the park.) That means that Virginia Ave is one of the only options for diverting off Alameda when traffic grinds to a halt.

I signed the letter. How else can I help?

More ways to make your voice heard

If you are interested in joining the volunteer committee organizing the letter to the Mayor, use our Contact form to get in touch with us.

​

Please send this website (ActForAlameda.com) around to others you know who might share our concerns. Ask them to sign the letter ASAP.

​

Lastly, you can also contact DOTI's staff and decision makers directly to express your perspective. Consider reaching out to:

Who's behind "Act for Alameda"?

More about the neighbors and businesses organizing pushback

In spring 2025, a small group of concerned neighbors, business owners, and commuters formed an informal committee called Act for Alameda. We are:

  • Jill Anschutz – lives in the construction zone (District 6)

  • Rye Austin – represents regular Alameda commuters

  • Kim Kolesar – lives in the zone and owns a Wash Park business

  • Nanci Ricks – nearby neighbor in District 7

 

We’re volunteers—not part of any organization—who live, work, and travel Alameda daily. We've seen other recent Denver street changes cause confusion and raise safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, children, and pets. Our goal is to build a community coalition to improve real safety issues while avoiding unintended consequences.

​​

In late June 2025, our committee met in person with DOTI staff and gained much more clarity about the plans. After that meeting, we felt it was urgent to inform our neighbors.

​

We outlined seven main concerns in a letter to Mayor Johnston and launched this website to invite others who share those concerns to join us.

bottom of page