Bridging the Divide: Reclaiming Community in the Path of I-270

The report argues that expanding I-270 will not solve long-term congestion due to induced demand and will further burden marginalized communities. It proposes a shift toward a 'Garden City' model featuring green buffers, freight-prioritized corridors with smart technology, expanded transit, and robust anti-displacement strategies. The authors criticize CDOT's current public engagement as insufficient and recommend a more deliberative, data-driven approach to rebuild community trust.

• Roadway capacity projects do not alleviate congestion in the long term because they induce more travel; in Colorado, each new urban lane-mile is estimated to add 400 cars and SUVs annually, generating carbon pollution equal to approximately 200,000 gallons of gasoline.
• The project area, specifically the 80216-zip code including Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, and parts of Commerce City, is one of the most polluted in the U.S., with significant health disparities including a life expectancy in Globeville of only 72.8 years compared to 85.9 years in Hilltop.
• CDOT's public engagement for the I-270 project is qualitatively and quantitatively insufficient, with nearly 200 activities yielding only 'hundreds of comment cards' for a population of 50,000 residents and 100,000 daily drivers.
• To manage congestion without adding lanes, the report suggests designating I-270 as a freight, transit, and emergency priority corridor using automated differential tolling to reduce passenger vehicle volume by at least 25 percent.
• The report recommends a 'Garden City' transition, utilizing green buffers and vegetative strips to separate residential areas from industrial operations and the highway to filter pollutants and reduce noise.
• The I-270 corridor is described as a 'transit desert' with high potential for regional BRT or express bus services, noting that current service is limited to one RTD bus route (FF5) that only serves weekday commuters.
• To prevent the displacement of long-time residents and small businesses caused by infrastructure-led land speculation, the report proposes establishing a Corridor Land Trust Consortium and adopting anti-displacement zoning overlays.
• The report suggests the creation of a Community Advisory Board for the Suncor refinery to address deep mistrust and lack of accountability, citing similar industry models used in Canada and other U.S. states.

APA

Earthjustice (2025). Bridging the Divide: Reclaiming Community in the Path of I-270. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/co-dat-report-11.09.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Bridging the Divide: Reclaiming Community in the Path of I-270. 2025. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/co-dat-report-11.09.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Bridging the Divide: Reclaiming Community in the Path of I-270 |date=September 2025 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/co-dat-report-11.09.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2025bridging, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Bridging the Divide: Reclaiming Community in the Path of I-270}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/co-dat-report-11.09.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }