Amy Ford, executive director of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure speaks at a community forum.

“We screwed it up,” admitted Amy Ford, executive director of the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. She was talking about the project to transform 13th and 14th avenues from one way to two way in the East Colfax neighborhood.

Ford was invited to speak at the Northeast Denver Neighborhoods Community Forum on Feb. 24 on the Mosaic Community Campus. She had spent time in a two-hour meeting with her team earlier in the day, she said, to talk about what went wrong with the DOTI work.

DOTI converted the 16-block stretch of East 13th and 14th avenues from one way to two way between Quebec and Yosemite streets on Feb.18 and 19 to the surprise of drivers and residents, many of whom complained they weren’t notified when the change was happening. The project is designed to slow traffic in the area.

“What we failed to do was additional outreach and communication with the neighborhood. It’s too late now, but we just didn’t do a fabulous job of it. It’s lessons learned for us. And frankly, we were sorry,” Ford said.

Traffic changes at 14th Ave. and Quebec St. Photo courtesy: Monique Helstrom

A failure to alert the community “caused issues,” she said. Also, signs put up to alert drivers about the change were at the edges of the neighborhood, but there were no signs within it.

Ford, who was out of town the week of Feb. 16, said she drove to the area on Feb. 22 to “watch and monitor.” She said things had settled down a bit, but she had a cyclist waving her down to tell her she was on the wrong side of the road.

“We’re continuing to monitor to make sure that we have signage at every intersection and that flags are up,” she said, adding that electronic signs are still in place to alert motorists about the two-way changes.

A neighbor in the audience asked about the lack of information being placed on the DOTI website. That information was being updated, Ford said.

The work was part of a 2022 bond, but Monique Helstrom, president of the East Colfax Neighborhood Association (ECNA), said, “we were never notified” of the timing of the conversion. “When a long-anticipated infrastructure shift is finally implemented, coordinated communication is, and should be, the standard protocol,” Helstrom added.

DOTI also identified a future two-way conversion project included in the Vibrant Denver Bond, stating in a new release that there will be an analysis of the East 13th and 14th corridors from Quebec St. to Colorado Blvd.

Ford also offered updates to a sidewalk-installation in the area and the issue of water pooling at 17th Ave. and Quebec St. since the work was completed. She said a sand water filtration system has been added underground.

There were tables at the meeting where residents could get more information about the sidewalk project and fees, scooters, and trash pickup.

Also on the agenda were policy updates from Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis, whose District 8 includes the four registered neighborhood organizations represented at the community forum: ECNA, Greater Park Hill Community, Montbello 2020, and the Central Park United Neighbors. Those organizations hold individual monthly meetings in their areas.

Lewis presented an update on the city council effort to pass a ban on the wearing of masks by law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The measure is expected to get final approval on March 2 and would go into effect immediately once passed.

Click here to stay connected with District 8 and sign up for newsletters.