14th Street Protected Bikeway

Denver, CO

Project Summary

Running straight through the heart of Denver’s downtown entertainment district, 14th Street is one of the Mile High City’s most important thoroughfares. The City wanted to upgrade an existing painted bike lane along the route into a fully separated facility that makes cycling a more appealing option. Using the latest research and cutting-edge best practices culled from national resources, Toole Design developed a new design that provides curb protection for people on bikes while also accommodating existing curb extensions and maintaining access for street sweeping and snow removal equipment. The new 14th Street bike facilities were the first curb-separated bike lanes in Denver.

Expertise Applied

The 14th Street Protected Bikeway project converted a standard bike lane into an enhanced curbside lane, separated by parking and concrete curbs.
The first of their kind in Denver, the precast concrete curbs help create a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing bikeway - what one bicyclist called the "red carpet treatment."
The alignment follows the existing curbline, including intersection bulb-outs, to avoid costly reconstruction and disturbance to this high-quality streetscape.

 

 

 

 

As Denver’s “Ambassador Street,” 14th Street is home to the Colorado Convention Center, the beloved “big blue bear” statue, the Denver Performing Arts Center, a University of Colorado Denver branch, and now, the 14th Street Protected Bikeway.

Related Projects and News