Denver council authorizes property acquisitions for Quebec-Airlawn bridge project
Denver’s City Council authorized negotiated purchases or condemnation for two partial commercial acquisitions totaling 20,519 square feet for a bridge and roadway redesign near Quebec Street. The city’s capital plan lists a preliminary $35 million estimate.
Denver City Council on July 21 authorized the city to acquire property and property rights for the planned replacement of the Quebec Street bridge over Airlawn Road. The project has a preliminary $35 million estimate in the city’s capital plan.
Council Bill 26-1043 allows Denver to acquire fee-simple property, easements and other interests through negotiated purchases or condemnation if necessary for the Quebec & Airlawn Bridge Project in Council District 8.
The project is planned for Quebec Street between Sandown Road and Interstate 70, extending south toward East 40th Avenue. The existing bridge was built in 1961 and rehabilitated in 2012. Denver’s transportation department cites safety concerns, including poor sight distance. The redesign would replace the bridge with a berm-supported roadway, lower about 600 feet of Quebec Street and add sidewalks and a trail connection toward the Sand Creek regional trail, the city says.
The ordinance identifies two partial commercial acquisitions owned by CBM Two Hotels LP, which operates the Courtyard by Marriott: 9,733 square feet at 4200 N. Quebec St. and 10,786 square feet at 7415 E. 41st Ave., for a total of 20,519 square feet.
The city says hotel access from 41st Avenue will remain. West of the hotel, the route under Quebec Street is planned to become a pedestrian-only path. The property authority does not transfer ownership or begin construction; it gives Denver a mechanism to obtain the interests if voluntary negotiations do not secure them.
Denver’s 2025-2030 Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan calls the $35 million figure a preliminary estimate. A 2022 presentation projected construction from late 2024 to late 2025, but the transportation department now labels those materials outdated because the project scope has changed. As of July 22, 2026, the city’s public project information gives no newer construction schedule.
The timing of property closings, any condemnation cases and construction remains unresolved in the public records reviewed.