The Issue
Denver City Council is about to put a bond measure, the “Vibrant Denver” General Obligation Bond, on the November ballot to fund major projects in the coming years, but the lack of ambition suggests it more accurately be called ‘Stagnant Denver’. The list of recommended projects is a severe disappointment for those of us who care about transportation safety, choice, and equity. The list fails to address the community input that Mayor Johnston received through the project selection process, and instead suggests we should take out $1 billion of debt to pay for deferred bridge maintenance, street repaving, and a handout to the Broncos.

We urge Denver City Council to replace two projects–the 6th Ave and 8th Ave bridge repairs–with the badly-needed safety improvements for 13th and 14th Avenues and the Broadway bikeway project to finish that transformative downtown bike connection.

Why It’s Important: It would be unfair to pay for projects for the billionaire Walmart heir who owns the Broncos and to ignore transportation projects that the community asked for. The bridges at 6th and 8th Avenues do not present an immediate safety issue and are not a community priority. To address real concerns about safety and connectivity, City Council should prioritize the 13th/14th Ave safety improvements and the Broadway bikeway over the 6th and 8th Ave bridge repairs.

Road safety improvements for 13th and 14th Avenues are critical, and have been advocated for by council members and the community alike for years. 13th and 14th Avenues are incredibly dangerous roads with designs that have resulted in the deaths of numerous Denver residents. Completing the North segment of the Broadway bikeway would solidify Broadway as a safe, convenient route for biking into and out of downtown and enhance connectivity for people walking and taking transit. More high-quality bikeways like this give people viable transportation choices. Astoundingly, NO bike projects are being recommended currently, even though Mayor Johnston promised during his campaign to complete the Denver Moves Everyone bike network, and Mayor Hancock before him had allocated $18 million in the 2017 Bond.

Sign this petition today to voice your support for Denver City Council to substitute two politically-motivated projects on the list for the 2025 “Vibrant Denver” bond measure–the 6th and 8th Ave bridge repairs–with community-prioritized projects: road safety improvements on 13th and 14th Ave and the completion of the Broadway bikeway.