Denver has approved a no-cost intergovernmental agreement with two metropolitan districts for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Speer Boulevard.

The Denver City Council resolution, approved Monday, allows Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Metropolitan Districts No. 2 and No. 3 to finance and build the Wynkoop Crossing, a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Speer Boulevard.

The structure, which is anticipated to be complete on or around April 29, 2029, will connect Lower Downtown to Ball Arena, providing the backbone for Kroenke’s massive redevelopment planned near Ball Arena.

The districts, not the city, will own and maintain the structure and plan to use a regional mill levy approved as part of the broader Ball Arena redevelopment plan in November 2024 charged to property owners within the district.

The bridge would land in Lower Downtown near Manny’s Bridge and the Downtown Children’s Playground, cross Speer Boulevard and touch down on the arena side at Chopper Circle, the front door of Ball Arena. 

Architect Andy Rockmore, from Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects, said in an interview with 9NEWS last fall that the bridge is designed for universal access without elevators, using a looping ramp on the Lower Downtown side.

Kroenke Sports and Entertainment received approval in 2024 to develop 55 acres around Ball Arena to support the larger River Mile development project encompassing the land in and around Elitch Gardens.

The first phase will be the “entertainment district” around Ball Arena.

The entertainment district is expected to include a hotel, a potential new performance venue and multifamily housing.

The new pedestrian bridge will connect the sports venue with the rest of downtown.

The Ball Arena project is set to create a new city park, about 6,000 units of housing (with 18% being designated as affordable), and an entertainment district with new restaurants and retail.

The entire project is expected to be completed around 2050.

Denver Gazette reporter Bernadette Berdychowski and The Denver Gazette news partner 9NEWS contributed to this story.