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Study: Denver's RiNo District needs better sidewalks, shuttle to and from Union Station

Posted at 3:55 PM, Oct 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-21 19:48:42-04

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DENVER -- If you've ever walked around Denver's River North Art District, you've seen firsthand that in some places, the sidewalk abruptly stops. The neighborhood has experienced tremendous growth in recent years but the district knows that transit is not keeping up.

"The area has grown at such a rate that brings with it many, many issues, one of which is the infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with the quantity and speed of development. And that’s why you see issues such as discontinuous sidewalks," said John Deffenbaugh, RiNo Art District Projects Director.

The district studied how people get around and came up with an action plan to improve transportation infrastructure. Some of the recommendations include:

  • A shuttle that would connect RiNo to Union Station and help people move around the district
  • Turn Walnut Street into a two-way
  • Add bike lanes along important routes
  • Improve sidewalk network
  • Come up with parking management measures and ways to share parking spots to create more spaces

“The ability of pedestrians to move around the district safely and conveniently is absolutely critical and that’s what we really need to work on," said Deffenbaugh.