DENVER — It’s a frustration many drivers know well. Congestion on Peña Boulevard heading to and from Denver International Airport (DIA).
Airport leaders say the road has changed very little in the more than 30 years since it was built, but traffic has.
As DIA continues to break passenger records and nearby areas — like the nearby Green Valley Ranch neighborhood — continue to grow, officials say congestion has become more common, travel times are less reliable, and crashes happen more often.
It’s something the Scripps News Group has been following for some time.
“It gets congested. Part of it is because it’s not wide enough. There is a lot of land for them to widen the road. I think when people to get to merging, there could be lots of reasons why it gets backed up,” Green Valley Ranch resident Michael Handy told Denver7 back in November.
Now, they are asking for feedback on possible ways to improve the corridor.
"At this time, there are two primary roadway concepts being evaluated," a DIA spokesperson told Denver7.
The first proposal is managed lanes. Those lanes could be used by buses, airport shuttles, carpools, or drivers willing to pay a toll, depending on the final design.
Airport leaders say the goal of adding two managed lanes in each direction is to improve travel times while creating more reliable options.
The second option is what officials call collector-distributor roads. The idea is to separate drivers headed to the airport from local traffic entering and exiting nearby neighborhoods along the corridor.
Leaders say this option, which would add lanes alongside Peña Boulevard, would reduce merging conflicts and improve traffic flow, while also leaving room for future transit improvements.
It’s important to note that no decisions have been made at this time, but public feedback will help shape the final plan.
"As the project moves through the evaluation process, the concepts will continue to be refined. It is possible that elements from each concept could ultimately be combined into a preferred alternative if the analysis shows that doing so best meets the project's purpose and needs," a DIA spokesperson told Denver7.
An in-person open house will be held on July 23 at the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. where people can learn more about the proposals, ask questions, and share their input before an option is selected.
If you can’t make it in person, there is an online open house version here. The online version will be up until July 31.
