A $15 million contract to study and begin designing a potential widening of Peña Boulevard has put a spotlight on a longstanding fissure among Denver City Council members as they grapple with how to address the often-congested artery to Denver International Airport.

Ahead of a vote Tuesday, some on the council say the study is a necessary step in pursuing an intuitive solution — more lanes — for a worsening traffic problem. Others see the proposal as an expensive, dead-end deal that won’t thoroughly consider improving transit options.

“We don’t know what’s going to come of the study,” said Phil Washington, the CEO for the airport. “The study itself will reveal other alternatives that are possibilities. So all we’re saying is: Let’s do the study.”

If approved, the five-year contract with Lakewood-based Peak Consulting would be paid for out of DIA accounts. It would include an environmental review to meet federal requirements and some design work for the project.

DIA, where over 40,000 people work, has said for years that the city needs to find a way to address the ballooning congestion. The average daily traffic on the road has increased 80% between the airport’s opening in 1995 and 2023, from 75,000 vehicles to more than 136,000. That figure could exceed 186,000 vehicles before 2050, the airport has estimated.

Between 2016 and 2023, roughly 45% of 1,250 crashes along the road were read-end collisions, largely due to congestion, DIA data shows.

“I would ask that we push this through because it protects the safety of my community,” said Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, who represents the communities around Peña Boulevard, during a committee meeting on the proposal. “Otherwise, you’re trapping us.”

DIA and the council are looking primarily at Peña west of E-470. East of the tollway, where it’s largely an airport-access road, DIA has been widening and rebuilding the road on its own in recent years.

Last year, Gilmore and six other council members approved an agreement for a $5 million state grant that, coupled with money from DIA, set aside $18.5 million for environmental studies and design of the widening, plus some other things. Six of the 13 council members, including Councilwoman Sarah Parady, voted against it.

Now the contract for studies and design work is bringing the issue back to the council.

Parady has said she won’t support the proposal unless it explicitly includes research into how to encourage more people to take the A-Line train, which runs from Union Station to DIA’s terminal.

“I feel like I’m in crazyland here, you guys,” Parady said during a March committee meeting. “The train runs along the road. We are dying of climate change. How are we not even going to study that?”

Is A-Line expansion a possibility?

Parady wants to see the airport examine things like safety concerns, public awareness of the train and possible changes to the A-line’s fares, frequency and infrastructure.

Scott Morrissey, the vice president of sustainability for the airport, responded that there wasn’t evidence that a transit-only solution could alleviate traffic.

The A-Line is one of the Regional Transportation District’s most-used rail lines, but it isn’t at capacity. RTD has suggested that it wouldn’t dedicate funding to making improvements on the line until the train cars are full.

“There is not a possibility to expand the A-Line, nor is there a need right now. Until we can fill it up,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn, who represents southwest Denver and supports the road expansion. “This is not the place to wage a war on cars.”

But opponents of the plan have also pointed to past studies, which show that widening roads can alleviate traffic temporarily — but ultimately attracts more people to drive on them, rather than spurring people to consider alternative options, such as transit.

If the airport does decide to widen the road, Morrissey said, it won’t be to add another general-purpose lane.

Last year, the airport released updated master plans for its transportation demand and Peña Boulevard, with the goal of reducing “drive-alone trips” for employees and passengers. The plan laid out possible improvements for the highway. Those options, which would likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, included possibly adding a bus-only lane or a managed toll lane.

The environmental study would be conducted in line with the current federal National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, process. One snag: the way developers comply with NEPA, which has been criticized as an overly onerous and expensive process, may be changing under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The airport vowed to study impacts prioritized at the local level, “even if they might not be in the official federal NEPA documentation,” Morrissey said.

Councilwoman: “We need both” options

Under the proposal from Peak Consulting, the process would include public engagement, scoping, analysis of alternatives, environmental effects and possible mitigation.

During the March meeting, council President Amanda Sandoval asked how the airport arrived at the eye-bulging $15 million price tag for the contract. Morrissey responded that officials looked at similar projects to create that estimate, but the project may not take the full five years allotted.

Peak Consulting didn’t respond to a request for comment on the contract Monday.

The contract would include the amount of design work needed to satisfy the NEPA process, typically to the 30% level. It also includes an option for the firm to design the entire project.

If city officials ultimately decide to widen the road, the airport would likely pay for the majority of the cost and about a third would be paid for by other entities, possibly including the Colorado Department of Transportation, Washington said. The Federal Aviation Administration, though, has said it won’t contribute.

The study contract hit bumps earlier this year when council members’ questions about the proposal went so long in a committee meeting that a vote on it had to be postponed.

Council members said they’ve gotten hundreds of emails on the topic.

In an email to her constituents, many of whom take Peña for non-airport travel, Gilmore urged them to show up to a council general public comment session to support the study. In a suggested script, she encouraged them to focus on the impact for neighbors of the road.

“This shouldn’t be a black and white issue. Our only options shouldn’t be widen a road or build out our train system,” according to her email. “We need both.”

The council will consider the resolution during its regular meeting Tuesday, which begins at 3:30 p.m.

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Standing tall on Zuni Street in the La Alma-Lincoln neighborhood of Denver is one of the city’s old power stations. It might not be so easy on the eyes right now, but Historic Denver CEO John Deffenbaugh sees greatness beyond the graffiti. 

“This building has really been at the heart of this area for 120 years,” he said.

Originally, the building was set to be demolished in 2021 before his organization and the Denver City Council made an appeal to Xcel Energy, the owners of the defunct station and plot of land, to hold the bulldozers.

“It really is going to take a very serious and considered approach,” he explained. “Thirty days to sell a building of this sale is ridiculous.”

This past February, Xcel wrote a letter to the city and various preservation organizations stating that they would open up a 30-day window to try and find a developer who would take on the land and the building. Bids have been sent to Xcel, but no agreements have been reached. That 30-day window has since run out and now the site’s future is even more uncertain. Deffenbaugh believes that the area can be repurposed similar to the old streetcar power station on Platte St. which is now the home of the city’s REI flagship store and anchor of Confluence Park. 

“Just a mile or so down the river, we have this building, and people don’t seem to be connecting the dots,” he said. 

The biggest question seems to be the environmental cleanup required of the area. The power station utilized coal and natural gas over the course of its lifespan and has several pipes that lead out into the Platte River. 

In their February letter, Xcel explained, “Xcel Energy is not a community developer. It is our practice and approach not to undertake redevelopment of existing facilities.”

If the property doesn’t sell, Xcel says, they may need to use the utility infrastructure in a different way to meet Denver’s electricity goals. While they say they aren’t a developer, the letter went on to further state that the company doesn’t seem to believe a building retrofit could be the best course of action for the site. 

But Deffenbaugh sees things differently, hoping to have the ability to lead a coalition that will save the building and anchor it to a growing and quickly changing neighborhood just south of Empower Field at Mile High.

“This is a building which caused pollution through coal fire and energy generation but it’s the same community that were affected by that pollution that want the building to stick around for community benefit,” he concluded. 

The city council and Historic Denver have appealed for a 180-day period to re-open public bidding in efforts to find a developer that will take over the site. 

The Denver Broncos have the 20th pick in the NFL Draft when Round 1 begins April 24 in Green Bay. The Broncos own seven total picks in the seven-round draft.

Broncos’ draft picks

Full draft order

Every pick in the seven-round NFL Draft.

NFL Draft details

• Round 1: April 24, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: April 25, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: April 26, noon ET

All rounds will be televised on ESPN/ABC and NFL Network and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.

About the Broncos

• General manager: George Paton (fifth season with team)
• Head coach: Sean Payton (third season)
• Last year’s record: 10-7

The Broncos in 2024 defied gloomy preseason expectations by reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They did it behind promising rookie Bo Nix, the sixth quarterback taken in last year’s draft, and a young defense that led the NFL in sacks and featured the defensive player of the year in cornerback Pat Surtain II. Denver added to that promising foundation during free agency with three key signings at positions of need — linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and tight end Evan Engram —  and believes it is ready to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs’ stranglehold on the AFC West.

Scouting the decision-makers

Sean Payton has the final say on personnel decisions, but he and general manager George Paton have found a collaborative rhythm in the draft. They were aligned in their pursuit of Nix last season and filled in a draft class behind him that significantly impacted Denver’s playoff season in 2024. Entering their third draft together, it’s the most continuity the Broncos have had between GM and coach since John Elway and John Fox worked together through four straight drafts (2011 to 2014).

• The Broncos’ 2024 NFL Draft class

Broncos’ key free-agent signings

• TE Evan Engram: Two-year, $23 million deal
• LB Dre Greenlaw: Three-year, $35 million deal
• S Talanoa Hufanga: Three-year, $45 million deal
• DT D.J. Jones: Three-year, $39 million deal
• OT Matt Peart: Two-year, $7 million deal

• Broncos’ 2025 free agency tracker

Broncos’ key positions of need

Running back: The Broncos let their leading rusher of the past two seasons, Javonte Williams, walk in free agency and didn’t sign a veteran replacement. None of Denver’s four remaining running backs has ever rushed for 500 yards in a season. The Broncos are clearly in search of an impact player at the position in the draft.

Tight end: Even after signing Engram to a two-year deal, the Broncos could use more pass-catching depth at tight end. They may not be in range to select the draft’s top two targets at the position, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, but this is a deep class of receiving tight ends. Two to keep an eye on with connections to the Broncos: Gunnar Helm of Texas, who played his high school football outside of Denver; and Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson, who caught passes from Nix in college.

Defensive line: The Broncos have long-term decisions to make with Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers. Those two starting ends, plus defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, are all entering the final seasons of their respective contracts in 2025. The Broncos need more young talent up front.

Broncos’ draft analysis

Denver Broncos 2025 NFL Draft big board: Will Sean Payton find more targets for Bo Nix?

Numbers explain Sean Payton’s emphasis on receiving in Broncos’ RB search

Broncos mailbag: The next step for Bo Nix, NFL Draft targets, ‘Hard Knocks’ chances

Broncos roster reset: Is UNC’s Omarion Hampton the RB solution? Extensions on DL?

Broncos 2025 NFL Draft big board: 10 players who fit Sean Payton’s roster ‘musts’

2025 NFL Draft consensus Big Board: Abdul Carter holds at No. 1; Armand Membou rises

The Athletic’s latest mock drafts

March 24: Ben Standig’s mock draft
Another case for picking UNC’s Omarion Hampton

March 21: Beat writer mock draft 2.0
Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart would continue Denver’s defensive infusion

March 10: Nick Baumgardner rounds 1-3 mock draft
More weapons added for Bo Nix

March 7: Broncos mock draft 2.0
A trade back adds picks and help at defensive tackle

March 5: Dane Brugler mock draft
Hampton would offer another “Joker” option

(Photo of North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)