Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), along with the University of Denver, dropped the speed limit near a pedestrian-filled area in an attempt to lower the number of accidents there.

The speed limit on the nearly one-third-of-a-mile stretch of East Evans Avenue between University Boulevard and High Street — directly outside of the University of Denver — has been dropped from 30 mph to 25 mph as DOTI implements its new “slow zone” pilot, according to a news release from the department. 

Rumble strips have been added to the edges of the slow zone, as well as new “Slow Zone” signage and speed limit markings on the pavement.

The speed limit change comes after a crash in April in which three students were injured at a signalized pedestrian crossing just east of High Street, according to DOTI. Many students and faculty walk in the area to reach the north and south sides of the campus.

“We’re excited to partner with DOTI on these technologies and are pleased at the speed at which we were able to work together to implement a series of safety treatments that we hope will raise awareness of students and staff crossing in this area and prevent future crashes from occurring,” Julia Richman, senior vice chancellor of Operations and Strategy at DU, said in the release.

“DOTI will study and compare driving speeds during the summer months and in the fall when school is back in session to see if the new treatments have proven effective in reducing speeds at this location,” the department said.

The changes piggyback off of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and DOTI Executive Director Amy Ford’s newly announced SPEED program.

The program, rolled out in June, intends to test whether modifying intersections and adding roadway speed indicators would reduce traffic crashes over the next 18 months. 

While the SPEED program looks to focus on Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, the Evans Avenue changes will test the “effectiveness of treatments,” officials said in the release.