Colorado: Alameda Bridge Replacement

Century-Old Bridge Finally Gets Replacement 

Challenge: Anytime you reach the ripe old age of 112, things start to fall apart, your looks deteriorate, and it is time to call it a career. That is why the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is retiring the Alameda Avenue Bridge that crosses the South Platte River in Denver. Built in 1911, it is the oldest bridge on the state system and was widened once in 1966 after a flood. Other than standard maintenance, not much else has been done. CDOT has been worried about its deteriorating condition for years as it is the primary route for businesses and residents alike to cross the river in south-central Denver. 

Solution: Beginning in January 2023, CDOT began demolishing the old Alameda Bridge, rerouting traffic to the other half of the structure, allowing traffic to continue using the bridge while the new one is being constructed. Traffic will then be moved to the newly constructed part of the bridge while the remaining half is built. The $22.8 million project calls for building a multi-modal corridor by modifying the West Alameda Avenue intersection at South Santa Fe Drive, removing South Platte River Drive between Alameda and Cedar Street, and diverting traffic to a widened South Lipan Street, north of Alameda. Other new features of the new span will be a two-way protected bike lane, a water quality pond, and improved sidewalks on the north and south side of the new structure. 

What they’re saying: “We love historic bridges, we don’t want them to be historic while we’re driving on them,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew told an August 2023 press conference. “We have a lot to do to update to make Alameda Avenue work for people for the next one hundred years.”