On July 16 we received notice that work resumes this week on Leetsdale Drive, as crews begin resurfacing Leetsdale Drive between Mississippi Avenue and Colorado Boulevard with nighttime lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Please refer to this CDOT Fact Sheet for a detailed description of the project and its expected travel impacts: Leetsdale Dr. Resurfacing Night Work Flyer
Crews will begin resurfacing westbound Leetsdale Drive and traffic will shift into the eastbound lanes. One lane will remain open in each direction. Please see Leetsdale Resurfacing Lane Closure Report6.14.20 for more information.
On June 3 we received notice that the Noise Variance Request meeting described below has been rescheduled to June 11. Please read this notice for further details: 2020 RNO Notification II Leetsdale Dr Redevelopment Project
On April 7 a notice of an Application for a Noise Variance was sent to several RNOs and our Council District office from the Denver Dept of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE). The board of DDPHE will meet on Thursday, May 14, 2020 to discuss and then approve/deny the request. This concerns milling and paving work on Leetsdale from Colorado Blvd to Mississippi Ave from May thru September.
Councilwoman Sawyer reached out to the RNOs along this section of Leetsdale, including our Association, to ask for feedback and to let us know they would be conducting further inquiry on the potential impact on our neighborhoods. In addition, our Assn communicated with DDPHE representatives to learn more about the project.
Our concerns, are as follows:
- – With the C-19 virus and orders to stay at home, being able to peacefully enjoy our homes at all hours, especially while trying to sleep or conduct business, will be essential this summer.
- – With the reduced traffic during stay at home orders, we hope daytime construction can happen faster. This may allow the demolition phase to be completed during daylight hours.
On 4/20, we received the following message from Councilwoman Sawyer’s office. It contains more detail about the project, its potential impact & remedies, and how to submit public comment. We will post the complaint hotline number as soon as it becomes available.
Dear Cranmer Park – Hilltop Civic Association,
Thank you for your patience as our office looked into specifics regarding the noise variance request for nighttime work on Leetsdale from Colorado Blvd. to Mississippi Ave. We have a bit more information to share:
- – Most of the project work is going to be done during the day. However, there are certain things that must be done at night (milling and paving). This is because the equipment is 12 ft wide, and the lanes are 11 ft. wide. The contractor is only allowed to close one lane in each direction during the day to ensure better traffic flow, and the wider equipment requires that two lanes be closed. This is why this work needs to be done at night.
- – Additionally, the nighttime work allows the project to be completed as quickly as possible. They intend to begin as soon as they can, assuming they receive the waiver at their scheduled hearing in mid-May.
- – The milling and paving should cause an estimated total of eight hours of nighttime disruption on each stretch of the road. Again, that is the TOTAL estimated nighttime disruption for each stretch of road for the entire four month project. While this estimate seems very low, I think their point is that the disruption should be relatively minimal, and the contractor has committed to working hard to ensure that this is the case.
- – The request for a variance is very difficult to receive and there are ELEVEN separate requirements the contractor will need to meet in order to receive and maintain the variance. The two most important requirements for our residents are:
- 1. The contractor will be required to offer impacted residents hotel room vouchers for the nights that their homes will be impacted.
- 2. The contract will be required to set up and monitor a complaint hotline, which can be tracked by the City on the back end so that if the contractor is not following the eleven required behaviors, the variance can be revoked.
- – The variance, if granted, cannot be extended without an additional hearing, so the work must be completed by the September deadline.
- – The request for the variance is likely to be granted by the City because Leetsdale desperately needs to be repaved. Leetsdale, as you probably know, is a state highway. We have been told that it is likely, give the estimated $3 billion state budget shortfall resulting from the COVID crisis, that if the variance is not granted, the state will abandon the project altogether.
While we recognize that this is certainly not ideal, based on the information we have been given our office is comfortable with the project moving forward. That said, our Public Health Investigator, Paul Riedesel, would be more than happy to speak with you and answer any questions you may have about the project as well. Paul can be reached at 720-865-5410 or paul.riedesel@denvergov.org.
Additionally, if you would like to comment on the project before the Board of Public Health and Environment, the best way to do that given the current social distancing guidelines is to email your comments to Board.EnvHealth@denvergov.org. Thank you for your advocacy and commitment to our neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Logan Fry • Council Aide
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer • District 5
Phone 720-337-5555
Denvergov.org/CouncilDistrict5
Here are the Rules for the Variance Process. (see Page 11) If you have comments regarding the project please send to Board.EnvHealth@denvergov.org.
The post Update – Noise Variance Notification – Nighttime Roadwork on Leetsdale appeared first on Cranmer Park/Hilltop Civic Association.
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