Tag: 16th Street
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Downtown Denver recovers but faces new challenges
In 2025, as the city finished 16th Street’s overhaul, downtown Denver started to see hopeful signs of a nearly full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But the ongoing downtown recovery will face new challenges in 2026. The city’s urban core saw downtown visits recover by 90% in 2025 compared to before the pandemic. The best…
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Denver’s top business stories of 2025: 16th Street, Burnham Yard and some wonder if they’ll survive Colfax construction
SPORTS DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The banks of the South Platte River have become a hotbed for new developments — thanks to local sports teams. The Denver Broncos announced they plan to relocate their stadium to the historic Burnham Yard, which could potentially bring the city two new neighborhoods, as Mayor Mike Johnston also aims to…
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Denver’s 16th Street FreeRide ridership surges amid holiday light rail expansion
Ridership on the 16th Street FreeRide shuttle climbed in 2025 after the Regional Transportation District restored full service along the route in October. The no-cost bus service had more than 1.2 million boardings from January through July and is poised to surpass 2024 totals. July produced more than 200,000 boardings, the highest monthly figure since…
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Icy and dicey: 16th Street less slippery now but not invincible
The iconic diamondback-pattern pavers of 16th Street were more than just stone cold on Thursday morning – they were also slick with ice. In typical Colorado fashion, the shaded parts were dicier, while sections exposed to sunlight quickly dried following Denver’s first major snowstorm of the season and the first since the downtown destination fully…
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A key metric for downtown Denver’s recovery had its best month yet
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors who came to downtown Denver tanked. Slowly and surely, the city has seen gains in the recovery of the office workers, tourists and residents who come downtown but has hovered around 85% of what it used to be. Yet in September, downtown was the closest it’s…
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Pedestrian struck, killed by billboard after man drove onto 16th Street sidewalk
A man drove through a parking garage, struck another another car and then drove up on to a sidewalk near 16th Street striking a billboard which then hit and killed a pedestrian, according to court documents obtained by 9NEWS. After the crash, witnesses reported that driver walked away from the scene. The crash was reported…
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RTD soliciting rider input on transit changes as free MallRide returns
The Regional Transportation District is asking the public for comments on proposed service changes that would take effect in January 2026. The plan is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to improve reliability and match service levels to current travel patterns, according to a news release. The agency has also restored the free MallRide —…
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Can Denver’s 16th Street be saved?
On a recent weekend, I ventured down to the new and improved 16th Street — not to be confused with the old 16th Street Mall — to see the revamped area. With various parts of the pedestrian mall being closed for construction and repairs over the past few years, I was excited to see the…
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Denver celebrates full reopening of 16th Street
After Mayor Mike Johnston exited the elevator onto the second level of the downtown Daniels & Fisher Tower just after 2 p.m. Saturday, he took a moment to walk over to the window and gaze at the plaza below. Dressed in a white t-shirt and khaki pants, Johnston surveyed the landscape before him: a fully-reconstructed…
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RTD 16th Street free shuttle ride back to normal operations next month – but when exactly?
Denver’s 16th Street free shuttle ride service is set to make its full-service return, without all the detours around reconstruction. After more than three years of detours around 16th Street reconstruction, formerly 16th Street Mall, the 16th Street no-cost bus shuttle service will return to full-service next month after reconstruction is completed. Formerly known as…