Located in the heart of Denver, York & Josephine Streets from 47th to Colfax Avenues traverses through, and notably serves as a border and barrier of several historically significant neighborhoods - almost half identified as federally disadvantaged - and serves as a critical North/South arterial connection for people living, working, and recreating in the area. Throughout the corridor, there are a series of significant barriers to access that include intersections with freight rail lines, commuter rail lines, and other one-way streets. On either end of the corridor, York St. and Josephine St. exist as separate, one-way streets referred to as “couplets.”  Additionally, there are eleven bike facilities that cross the corridor that lack safe crossings. This corridor has also been identified as part of Denver’s Vision Zero High Injury Network – among those corridors with the highest density of fatal and severe injury crashes in the city.

Recognizing the various challenges, constraints, and considerations that this roadway requires, the York/ Josephine Corridor Study and Design project aimed to leverage community input, previous planning efforts, and industry expertise to deliver 1) a long-term vision for the corridor and 2) short-term design plans that advances the city’s goal of Vision Zero.

To address these changing needs and achieve Denver’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030, the City and County of Denver contracted with Y2K Engineering to enhance and re-envision this corridor.

Y2K developed an existing conditions report, conducted a mini road safety audit to identify safety improvements, facilitated a four-phase hybrid public involvement process, conducted a corridor-wide alternatives analysis, which concluded with a long-term corridor vision plan. The long-term corridor vision plan includes conversion of two one-way streets into two two-way streets and a 4 to 3 roadway conversion.

The short-term design improvement was accomplished through roadway repaving in September 2024, on York Street between 18th and 40th Avenues. A variety of temporary/quick-install safety improvements were evaluated and installed through repaving that was a context sensitive design that included:

• Removing a vehicle travel lane in each direction

• Addition of left turns on east/west streets that were prohibited before

• Reducing pedestrian crossing distances

• ADA curb ramp improvements,

• Changes to signal and intersection operations

• Traffic-calming measures

• On street parking at select locations