Denver committee advances $5.33 million package for Broadway Station pedestrian bridge

Denver’s South Platte River Committee voted 5-0 Aug. 12 to advance for filing a $5.33 million grant package and an amendment related to a pedestrian bridge connecting Broadway Station with the planned Denver Summit stadium and Santa Fe Yards redevelopment. Two members were absent, and the measures still require City Council action.

The committee minutes identify the measures as Council Resolution 26-1166, accepting a Colorado Department of Local Affairs grant, and Council Bill 26-1163, amending a 2025 agreement with Broadway Station Metropolitan District No. 1. Approval for filing allows the measures to proceed to the full council; it was not final council approval.

The package includes $4 million in state funding and about $1.3 million in city matching funds from construction savings on the Bettie Cram Bridge at the National Western Center. The agreement would provide $5,333,333 in contract capacity through Dec. 31, 2029, according to the Aug. 12 project presentation.

Officials estimated the bridge’s total design and construction cost at $22 million to $23 million. The grant would support design, engineering documents, site work and foundations, along with potentially eligible elements such as decking, railings, elevators, ADA ramps, finishes and signage.

Design is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Construction could be completed in 2029 or 2030, depending on additional funding. Denver plans to seek state and federal grants and could use regional mill-levy revenue associated with the metropolitan district. Those revenues were projected at roughly $14 million through 2047. The city has said it would prioritize outside funding over its Capital Improvement Program and use local capital funds only as a last resort.

The records do not identify a bridge-specific construction budget or quantify the remaining amount to be raised. A broader Santa Fe Yards agreement authorizes up to $70 million in public investment, but that amount covers multiple redevelopment needs and is not bridge-specific funding.

Under the proposed second IGA amendment, Denver would be responsible for bridge costs, subject to annual appropriations and budget approval. Construction management remains unresolved: Denver could manage the work, or provide funding for the metropolitan district to do so under terms established in the agreement. Additional council action would be required before construction or a transfer of funds to the district.

The metropolitan district would own and maintain the bridge after completion, including its repairs and replacement. The precise ownership-transfer mechanism and construction manager have not been determined.

The bridge would carry pedestrians over railroad and RTD facilities between the station and the stadium-area redevelopment. The Santa Fe Yards plan envisions the former Gates manufacturing site near I-25 and Broadway as a transit-accessible community hub with a public park. RTD’s Broadway North Pedestrian Bridge investment summary lists engineering review and coordination as a 2026 milestone and describes the bridge as supporting development west of Broadway, including the soccer stadium.

The project presentation anticipates utility relocation in September 2026 and says design work continues on Vanderbilt Park East, whose opening is planned to coincide with the stadium. The bridge schedule remains contingent on future funding and final City Council action.