A panel of Denver councilmembers advanced a proposal for a $15 million contract for consulting services, which airport officials hope would fund a significant study of Denver’s Peña Boulevard to find ways to alleviate the congested thoroughfare.  

The proposal’s next stop is the full City Council.  

The proposed five-year contract taps Lakewood-based Peak Consulting Group, LLC to perform National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and partial design services of Peña Boulevard between I-70 and E-470 at Denver International Airport.

Funding for the project would come from two sources: the DEN Enterprise Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and a Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG).

DIA officials have long pondered ways to alleviate the traffic snarls along the 11.1-mile stretch of highway, especially as plane passenger numbers continue to grow, surpassing 80 million last year.

That number is expected to grow to 100 million by 2032.

Average daily traffic along Peña Boulevard has soared from 75,000 in 1995 to more than 136,000 in 2023, an increase of 80%, according to airport officials, who have been looking at options. 

Between 2016 and 2023, Peña Boulevard saw 1,250 crashes, 45% of which were rear-end collisions that are typically the result of traffic congestion.

The study, if ultimately approved and funded, would examine ways to reduce congestion and delays, deliver preliminary design work and shepherd any proposed ideas through the NEPA framework, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental consequences — including safety impacts — of all federally funded transportation projects and provide opportunities for the public to weigh in and influence outcomes.

Airport officials insist that to manage growth, maintain supply chain reliability, and continue to boost the local and regional economy, they must tackle pavement and infrastructure deficiencies with Peña Boulevard.

In its Peña Boulevard Transportation and Master Plan released early last year, airport planners identified five possible options, including adding a frontage road, a bus-only lane specifically for RTD, mountain shuttles, other transit vehicles, a special distributor road to separate different types of airport traffic and a managed lane for car pools.

Then there’s the option to do nothing at all.

Phil Washington, the CEO of DIA, said more options could arise from the NEPA study.

District 11 Councilmember Stacie Gilmore supports the study, noting the city should be poised to embrace future technologies and infrastructure.

“What I’m concerned about is, if we don’t study this corridor, we’re not going to be ready for a right of way or an easement that might need to be in place for EV infrastructure expansion, air taxis, vacuum tube transit, smart highways and self-driving transit,” Gilmore said.

Some opponents insisted that the city should not fund the study — arguing it might lead to more highway expansion and, thereby, more cars traffic. That perspective often views individual cars as anathema to progress, preferring mass transit and other forms of transportation.        

“Do not fund the Pena Blvd NEPA study until DEN reinstates their ‘multimodal and equity’ alternative for a full analysis,” opponents write in an open letter to the city published by the blog Denver Urbanism. “This will allow DEN to consider investments such as dedicated park-n-rides, train station lengthening to accommodate more cars, double tracking to allow higher maximum frequency, expanded feeder bus routes, and operational funding to increase existing frequency and lower fares without the need to expand Peña Blvd.”

Peak Consulting Group specializes in transportation and environmental planning services to federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private sector clients, according to the company’s website. 

Among its clients, the company lists the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Denver International Airport.

Peak has also contributed to passenger rail development in Colorado for the past decade and are leading the pre-NEPA service development planning to integrate passenger rail into Colorado’s transportation network. 

DIA generates $36 billion a year for the region and employs more than 40,000 people.