Living in Colorado

The construction zone on Brighton Boulevard will disappear in one month.

Well, part of it, anyway.

But even as it wraps up, a series of major private and public projects are gearing up.

June 21 will be opening day for 11 blocks of the newly rebuilt road, according to city and district officials. Brighton is one of the main drags in the River North redevelopment zone, and the project should significantly improve walking and biking in the area.

The $29 million Brighton project covers 29th to 40th streets. It includes new sidewalks, bike paths, 400 new trees, more than 100 new benches, new bike racks, and new lighting. It also comes with some fun extras, like color-changing lights.

The road will be restored to its previous four-lane layout. The city doesn’t anticipate any major disruptions or closures between now and opening day.

The opening celebration will end 19 months of construction. Meanwhile, countless ‘grams have been insta’ed. Town-homes have been bought and sold again, children have grown old, and my book remains unwritten. Maybe some RiNo transplants have figured out that they actually live in Five Points, too. And the murals, of course, have multiplied.

The reopening of the road will be a significant moment for the development district, turning some of those cheesy computer renderings into reality — but Jamie Licko, the president of the River North Art District, cautions that the transformation’s far from complete.

“It kills me when we see these posts online, in social media, that RiNo is ‘done,'” she said.

For example, construction on the RiNo Park is set to get underway this year, along with a five blocks of the riverside RiNo Promenade. And the city already is working on a second phase of the Brighton project, beyond 40th Street.

To read the whole story and for more information on the plans to redesign 35th street and new developments percolating to the area visit The Denverite