After years of hurry-up-and-wait, Denver is finally moving ahead with a one-mile "road diet" on Mississippi Avenue, trimming the busy corridor between S. Eliot Street and S. Quivas Street in a bid to slow drivers and protect people on foot. The city plans to remove one travel lane in each direction and add raised medians, curb extensions, and signal changes that are designed to calm traffic and shorten pedestrian crossings. Following delays tied to financing and procurement hurdles, crews are expected to begin re-striping and staging work in the months ahead.
What the project will do
The plan will convert the current five-lane layout, two lanes each way plus a center turn lane, into a three-lane roadway, and will install raised medians that limit unsafe left turns, add curb extensions, and replace ADA ramps while modifying signals to shorten crosswalks, according to Denver DOTI. The project materials state that the changes are expected to reduce speeds and crashes without increasing delays by tightening lane geometry and improving pedestrian refuges. Work will be phased so that businesses and driveways stay accessible during construction.
Why it stalled
The road-diet concept has been on the books since 2022, but it was slowed by financing steps and right-of-way work that had to happen first. In 2023, the Denver City Council authorized the acquisition of property interests and temporary easements needed along the corridor, according to the Denver City Council. Those property and legal moves were central to clearing the way for construction.
Bids, contractors and cost
The city initially requested construction bids in 2025 but did not receive any responses. DOTI later identified a contractor in November 2025, according to Denverite. Local procurement trackers and construction listings put the expected construction cost at roughly $3.3 million to $3.8 million, covering medians, signal work, curb extensions, and drainage adjustments. Those market estimates track with the scope described in project documents and RFP summaries.
Council sign-off and local reaction
City Council is set to approve a construction contract for the Mississippi Avenue safety project, a step that DOTI officials say will officially move the corridor into construction. District 7 Councilmember Flor Alvidrez told Denverite, “trust is built through follow-through,” and said she has not heard of organized opposition to the plan in her district.
Why DOTI says the changes matter
DOTI has tagged this segment of Mississippi Avenue as part of Denver’s High Injury Network, noting that a relatively small portion of streets accounts for a disproportionate share of serious crashes and deaths, which is a primary rationale for the project. The department’s project page also lists final design as completed in February 2024 and shows an anticipated construction window from late spring 2026 through late spring 2027. Engineers say medians, shorter crossings, and narrower lanes reduce conflict points that often lead to severe collisions.
What drivers and neighbors should expect
Drivers can expect staged work, temporary lane shifts, and occasional intersection closures while crews install medians, curb extensions, and ADA ramps. The city says phasing is designed to preserve access to businesses, and procurement listings and construction trackers indicate the project budget includes traffic control and drainage work to support those phases. DOTI plans to publish a detailed traffic-control and construction schedule once the contractor files its plans.
The Mississippi Avenue road diet is one of several corridor projects aimed at slowing speeds and making walking, biking, and driving safer across the city. If the City Council signs off on the construction contract as expected, crews will start reshaping the roadway geometry later this year. Neighbors who want official updates can follow the latest construction timelines and contacts through DOTI project materials and city procurement notices.
