Regional Transporation District Newsletter: Volume 7 Number 8

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VOL. VII, NO. 8
Regional Transportation District
DECEMBER 1977
Special Transitway/Mall Edition
Major Improvements to Serve Denver Region
A downtown transitway/mall along
16th Street between the Civic Center and Larimer Street, closing the street
to conventional motor vehicle traffic
and substituting free public transportation on small, electrically-powered
transit vehicles, has been proposed by
RTD. The vehicles would operate between transfer facilities to be constructed at either end of the transitway/
mall, RTD Board Chairman John Crowley said.
The two transfer facilities will serve
as the end points for express bus
routes coming into downtown Denver.
Passengers arriving by express bus
may transfer to a transitway vehicle,
or they may walk to their destinations.
Passengers may also transfer to local
service at either transit center or at
California and Stout Streets.
The proposal has been developed in
response to a need to reduce bus congestion along 16th and 1 7th Streets,
and to improve the production of transportation services throughout the six
county district, according to Crowley.
"Even with exclusive bus lanes in use
during peak hours, congestion is now
so severe that buses move more slowly than the average person walks," he
said. With the implementation of the
transitway, and the accompanying efficiency in routing of express buses,
more buses will be available for use in
productive service, he pointed out.
"The street itself will be visually transformed. The entire surface will be paved
Sketch Courtesy The Denver Post
with colorful paving blocks, and a double
row of honey locust trees will be planted
down the center of the street. Special
lighting will be used in keeping with the
various activities that will take place
along the mall. Street furniture, such as
benches, planters, mailboxes and trash
receptacles, will be integrated into the
design for a pleasing and attractive environment."
Time requirements for building the
entire project are estimated at one-
and-a-half to two years. Design could
be completed during 1978. If all the
requisite approvals are obtained in a
timely way, construction could begin
early in 1979, he said.
A public hearing on the proposed project is scheduled for February, 1 978.