39th Avenue Greenway

In Brief:

This $78 million design-build project adds vital drainage infrastructure to the Cole neighborhood, one of Denver’s most historic communities, while also providing a new 12-acre recreational greenway located along 39th Avenue between Franklin and Steele Streets.

The historic Montclair basin is the largest drainage basin in Denver with no natural drainage, requiring floodwater to run through neighborhood streets. In addition, neighborhood access to goods and services was restricted due to lack of connections.

The new greenway provides over a mile-long multiuse path through the project, including nature play areas, plazas and public art features, as well as twelve acres of irrigated park space with new trees and lawn areas. The first shared street in Denver was designed as a part of this project, and FHU worked closely with Denver and the community to set the new standard for this multimodal experience.

Completion of this project brings resilience to this historic urban corridor by providing safe, adequate stormwater conveyance, improving water quality in the neighborhood, and adding redundancy in connectivity for all modes of travel to surrounding transit stations and businesses.