Road That Borders Civic Center Park Shuts Down For 5 Weeks
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver city officials are testing out closing off a block of Bannock Street downtown.
Starting Friday, the section next to Civic Center Park between Colfax Avenue and 14th Avenue in front of the City & County Building will be closed to traffic until Oct 1.
Several events such as A Taste of Colorado bring massive crowds to the area, and city streets will usually close to accommodate them. This year, to avoid repeated closings of Bannock, the city has just closed it for five weeks straight.
City officials hope it will alleviate some confusion and make everyone's commute a little smoother.
Denver Public Works plans to study this section of Bannock with the possibility of it becoming a pedestrian-friendly downtown plaza in the future.
City officials say during the closure, they'll look at the different ways people navigate around Civic Center with a prime focus on pedestrians. They want to make sure they're doing everything they can to make this area safe for all types of commuters, which could mean shutting the stretch of Bannock down permanently.
"We know it closes a lot anyway for different festivals and events that happen throughout the summer," said Denver Public Works spokeswoman Nancy Kuhn. "Gathering data is usually the first thing we always do. ... There would probably be more studying and more community outreach before any decision like that is made."
Bikes will not be allowed on Bannock during selected times through the closure, including during A Taste of Colorado on Labor Day Weekend.
