There will be no cuts to solid waste collection or snow removal, and active funded projects will keep moving forward, Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Director Amy Ford told the City Council on Friday as she laid out her 2026 budget.

However, Ford said, with citywide budget cuts and staff reductions underway, residents will see some impact on less critical core services such as right-of-way inspections.

Specifically, Ford said, DOTI is “going to pull back a little bit” on Saturday horizontal inspections, meaning those related to roadways and transportation, as well as evening and emergency inspections, excluding wastewater cases.

Residents may also experience longer response times for some types of 311 calls, especially those like a new stop sign that may require review by engineers and a work order to implement.

The city’s 72-hour abandoned vehicle enforcement will also be formalized.

Some new transportation and citywide infrastructure projects could be moved to a backlog list to focus on bond priorities.

“We did not lay off project delivery personnel; we did not lay off program managers; we did not lay off construction managers,” Ford said, adding that the department is employing a “cradle to grave” mindset where specific employees see a project through from beginning to end and minimize the number of “pass-offs” between team members.

DOTI reduced its staff by 102 vacant positions and 31 filled positions, among the highest in the city.

Those cuts to people and positions resulted in a savings of $16 million.

Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure by the numbers

General Fund: $115.1 million (decrease of 15.1% from 2025)
Transportation and Mobility: $12.8 million
Volume-Based Pricing: $37.9 million
Wastewater Enterprise Fund: $170.1 million
Sidewalk Enterprise Fund: $2.1 million
Grants: $67.8 million
Asphalt Plant ISF: $9.6 million

TOTAL 2026 Budget: $426.1 million

Additional efforts to manage the impact of departmental reductions may arise in the future as city officials explore modernizing regulations, such as those related to wastewater.

The department aims to complete current bond projects allocated to it by 2027 and be ready to start new projects in 2026.

Among the department’s 2026 goals is to start the construction of six critical transportation, infrastructure and wastewater projects, with 16 projects open to the public, including the first ones associated with the Colfax BRT, Weir Gulch, and I-25 and Broadway.

Additionally, DOTI plans to implement elements of the SPEED Program, which includes the installation of cameras to reduce fatalities along Federal and Alameda boulevards by the end of 2026, and along Colorado Boulevard by the end of 2027.