The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is seeking public comment on a variety of transportation projects up for potential funding, including two from Arapahoe County that would make vast improvements to the High Line Canal Trail. 

The public can weigh in on the 19 proposed projects through Feb. 22 on the DRCOG website: Public Comments: DRCOG TIP Data Hub

Projects under consideration through the DRCOG Transportation Improvement Program, which is funded by federal and state transportation money, have been submitted by Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld counties, City and County of Denver and Broomfield. 

The projects submitted by Arapahoe County seek to construct underpasses along the High Line Canal Trail at Broadway and at Quebec Street.

The Broadway underpass price tag is $16 million. The proposed underpass would be built 200 feet south of Arapahoe Road and replace the current bridge where the trail currently intersects with Broadway. The County is seeking $12.9 million in funding from DRCOG.

Currently, pedestrians and cyclists must pass four lanes of busy traffic on Broadway, which has limited the use of the underpass. More than 30,000 vehicles travel through the area, making it difficult to cross. 

The county is seeking $1.7 million in funding for the Quebec Street project, which would create a right-of-way for an underpass just south of Iliff Avenue. Like the Broadway crossing, safety and traffic are the top concerns. Pedestrians and cyclists crossing Quebec Street must also navigate four-lanes of traffic in an area where more than 20,000 vehicles travel each day.

Along with improving safety, both underpasses would increase trail access for surrounding neighborhoods. DRCOG funding would account for 80 percent of each project cost. The County and its partners of neighboring cities would pay the remaining 20 percent.