In May, Colorado governor Jared Polis and state officials shared visuals of the Colorado 150 Pedestrian Walkway, an elevated pathway designed by Studio Gang that would splay out on the lawn and cross the road in front of the state capitol building. After the renderings were released and cost estimates shared, opposition to the project mounted. Now following a public survey, the bridge is no longer part of the city’s 150th anniversary plans.
For over 100 years Denver’s Civic Center has been an epicenter for cultural programming, hosting community festivals and a stage for protests. In 2022 the city shared its vision Civic Center Next 100. Studio Gang was tapped to lead Phase 1 of the project in 2023, as reported by AN. The proposed walkway was a component of this master plan. The walkway’s construction would also coincide with the state of Colorado’s 150th anniversary of its founding and the country’s 250th.
At 11,000 square feet, the elevated walkway was designed to improve accessibility between the Colorado State Capitol and Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park. Today the capitol building and Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park are separated by a four-lane road. Studio Gang’s design was influenced by Colorado’s rivers and geological formations, in addition to the park’s historic crescent-shaped paths.
Studio Gang declined to comment on the decision to abandon the pedestrian walkway and on its continued involvement in the project.
“We designed the walkway to make this part of Civic Center more welcoming to pedestrians and to celebrate Colorado’s rich history and exciting next 150 years,” Gang said when the visuals and design concept were shared in May.
Governor Polis’s office initially estimated it would cost between $18–20 million to design and construct the bridge. Polis hoped half of the project would be funded by public money and half would come from private fundraising efforts. The project cost increased to $28.5 million amid intensifying public opposition to the project.
John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation, called the bridge “completely unnecessary” and criticized the design for not conforming with the architecture of the Civic Center Historic District. The public shared its views of the bridge in an Instagram post published by the governor’s office; many users called it a waste of money.
In response to the public backlash, the governor’s office released a survey asking if the state should proceed with the proposed bridge and also polled Denverites on what they would like to see to commemorate the anniversaries instead. Over 80,000 responses were received. An overwhelming majority, nearly 94 percent, said they aren’t interested in seeing the bridge proposal realized. And as for what the public would like to see instead of the bridge: 33,112 said yes to small-scale projects recognizing the state’s history and 48,082 said no to an anniversary project altogether.
“Coloradans were clear, and I will stop the pedestrian walkway proposal in its tracks,” Polis said in a statement. “If needed, I will chain myself to the Capitol plaza to prevent it from being built and will personally intervene to ensure we listen to Coloradans’ feedback. Coloradans have made our voices heard that the proposed pedestrian walkway is not how we want to celebrate our 150th anniversary.”
It’s now up to Governor Polis’s office and the 250/150 commission to go back to the drawing board for ideas on how to honor and celebrate Colorado and America’s upcoming anniversaries.
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