Mat from Denver writes, “What’s driving you crazy? Would you look into this and see if it could be resolved. Buchtel between University and Colorado was milled over 2 weeks ago. There is an important bike lane there that is now unsafe to ride on. Can you track down when it will be repaved, why the repaving wasn’t done soon after the milling (like the next day), and if it can get repaved asap. Thank you.”
Mat, I took a drive down Buchtel Blvd east of University to see what the problem was first hand. As you can see from the picture I took, the only part of the asphalt that was milled was the bike lanes. The rest of the lane, both ways, was smooth. I asked Denver Public Works (DPW) about it. Communications Specialist Heather Burke tells me, “The bike lane is scheduled to be paved next week, weather permitting. Typically, a roadway is paved a few days after it is milled, but unfortunately, the rain has gotten us a little behind schedule.”
The rain has delayed other road projects around town as well. The reason DPW milled the bike lane is to construct a new, upgraded bike lane with new pavement and a buffer between the bike traffic and vehicle traffic.
MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazy
Until the fresh paving is complete and the work is done Mat, Heather recommended” the sharrow (shared on-street bike lane) on Illiff Avenue, which he can then take to Franklin or Logan Street as an alternate route to Buchtel. Otherwise, please tell him to contact us at PW.Comms@denvergov.org, and we can help him find an alternative bike route that will work for his commute.”
Denver7 traffic anchor Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 20 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his Driving You Crazy podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and Podbean.
