Denver approves $4 million federal grant for Sanderson Gulch flood project
The Ruby Hill project will replace two culverts, add trail underpasses and expand Sanderson Gulch’s capacity, with $20.6 million in approved federal and city funding.
Denver City Council approved a $4 million Federal Highway Administration grant Sept. 14 for a Sanderson Gulch project that will expand the channel, replace undersized culverts and improve a regional trail in Ruby Hill.
The project covers about 2,500 feet of the gulch between West Florida and West Arkansas avenues. Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says the work will replace the Florida Avenue and Arkansas Avenue culverts, improve the multiuse path and Arkansas Avenue underpass, and add a new Florida Avenue underpass.
The filed resolution authorizes the grant agreement and requires Denver to provide a $16,607,158 match from its Storm Capital–Southwest program. The federal grant and city match total $20,607,158 in approved eligible project costs.
The grant agreement projects that the work will remove seven properties from the floodplain. It sets a planned substantial-completion and open-to-traffic date of December 2028.
The project remains in design, and the city anticipates construction from spring 2027 through spring 2029. The agreement says construction will span 24 months because floodplain work is limited to the October-through-May low-flow season and the two road crossings may not be completed in one season. The records reviewed do not show that Denver has awarded a construction contract.