From Eyesore... to Sight for Sore Eyes

From Eyesore... to Sight for Sore Eyes

Published on October 23, 2025

DENVER - A 60-year-old section of concrete culvert built to carry stormwater in the Montbello neighborhood has received a major upgrade that is reducing flood risks, providing a new natural space for residents to enjoy, and improving overall safety in the area from a travel perspective.

Tomorrow, representatives of Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), the Mile High Flood District (MHFD), and construction partners CEI Constructors and Muller Engineering Company will celebrate completion of a new open channel and other enhancements made to Uvalda Street between E 56^th Avenue and Maxwell Place.

Specifically, the project made roadway improvements along a five-block-long section of Uvalda Street and replaced about a half-mile of unattractive, high maintenance concrete channels with a more natural open channel with native plantings, areas for gathering and reflection, and a sidewalk that leads to a new trailhead at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge (see photos below).

The improvements will help reduce street flooding, enhance safety for pedestrians and people biking and driving, give previously unusable space back to the community, and provide Montbello community members with direct connectivity from their neighborhood to the new wildlife refuge trailhead on E. 56^th Ave.

Total project cost was approximately $20M with funding provided by DOTI and the MHFD. In spring, more public engagement is planned as Denver/MHFD work toward continuing the channel improvements further down Uvalda St.

Before Channel Improvements:

During Construction of Channel Improvements

• Press release
• Transportation and Infrastructure