Agenda Date: 02/17/2026
Subject:
Title
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) update: Supporting 2-3 Year Initiatives
Body
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Brent Thompson, City Engineer |
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Kimberly Dall, Assistant City Engineer |
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Presentations: |
Kimberly Dall, Assistant City Engineer |
PURPOSE:
To provide an update on projects and activities planned in 2026 and the correlation to advancing the council’s strategic initiatives.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Vibrant Community with Rich Culture; Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty; Robust and Resilient Economy; Safe Community; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
Council’s strategic plan, Horizon 2027, outlines a comprehensive roadmap for achieving long-term outcomes aimed at fostering a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient community. The plan prioritizes initiatives to be delivered over the next couple of years, setting a clear direction for the next evolution of the city. The strategic plan was informed by resident aspirations outlined in 2019’s Envision Littleton Comprehensive Plan, city council, and city staff. All city departments contribute to progressing the 30 initiatives and supporting annual programs or support services. Public Works Engineering delivers transportation, water resources, and other capital infrastructure projects. The capital project activities undertaken by Engineering directly support eight strategic initiatives as well as annual programs and support services, nearly half of the activities support two or more initiatives. This is an overview of the projects and activities planned in 2026 and the correlation with council’s strategic initiatives.
BACKGROUND:
Horizon 2027 was established to provide a comprehensive roadmap for achieving long-term outcomes aimed at fostering a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient community. The plan prioritizes initiatives to be delivered into 2027, setting a clear direction for the next evolution of the city.
Strategic Plan Outcomes include:
• Vibrant Community with Rich Culture
• Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty
• Robust and Resilient Economy
• Safe Community
• High-Quality Governance
Annual programs and support services are also critical components identified in meeting the needs of the community. The Strategic Plan Outcomes have specific initiatives identified to support each outcome. All city departments contribute to progressing the 30 initiatives and supporting outcomes, annual programs or support services.
Public Works Engineering Division houses the Capital Improvement Program that organizes the delivery of certain roadway, transportation, utility, communication, and drainage projects for Littleton. These projects include maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and expansions of, or analysis for future maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and expansions of existing public utility and transportation infrastructure.
More than 200 distinct built projects, designs, programs, and activities will be undertaken in 2026 and 2027. These efforts are not all-inclusive of the tasks and areas of focus assigned to the Engineering Division and represent directly impactful projects to the community. Some projects have multiple, distinct activities to represent the necessary phases for progression to implementation or construction.
The activities of Public Works Engineering planned for 2026 and 2027 support eight strategic initiatives as well as the annual programs and support services that provide core services to residents. The outcomes (bulleted) and strategic initiatives [correlating initiative reference number] supported include:
• Vibrant Community with a Rich Culture
• Integrate Downtown Mobility & Streetscape Improvement Plan results into long-term capital planning and funding for construction downtown [1]
• Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty
• Improve the overall condition of our drainage infrastructure [6]
• Robust and Resilient Economy
• Develop Littleton Blvd. Economic/ Redevelopment Plan [13]
• Safe Community
• Complete pedestrian and bicycle safety strategy and implement results [16]
• Design and construct city-wide safety improvements in alignment with goals and objectives identified in the Transportation Master Plan [17]
• Raise overall pavement condition by implementing a strategic pavement management program [18]
• Design and construct grant-funded projects focused on improvements to transportation infrastructure [22]
• High-Quality Governance
• Utilize developed asset inventory to assess risk and long-term capital planning for city infrastructure [28]
• Annual Programs + Support Services
• Everyday Work [APSS]
Each of the Engineering activities planned are focused on progressing the community; the more than 200 activities planned for 2026 and 2027 are tied to a strategic initiative and nearly half of the activities support two or more initiatives. This underscores the alignment between the tasks and priorities taken on with the strategic initiatives.
Some multi-strategic projects may be familiar to the community, such as the Santa Fe and Mineral Operational Improvements with the new quadrant roadway. This project is under construction and supports improvements to the drainage infrastructure, bicycle and pedestrian safety, completing grant-funded projects, and constructing safety improvements in alignment with the Transportation Master Plan. In contrast, the 2026 slurry seal project may be recognized for raising the overall pavement condition through pavement preservation but not readily associated with advancing pedestrian and bicycle safety strategies e.g. buffered or protected bike lanes, which also may advance constructing safety improvements in alignment with the Transportation Master Plan.
Other multi-initiative advances will include:
• Euclid Neighborhood Street Reconstruction and Improvements
• Lee Gulch at Broadway Storm Sewer Improvements and Pedestrian Underpass
• Bowles Avenue Corridor Study
• Windermere Bridge at Highline Canal Replacement
The engineering division has fully committed time and resources in 2026 to advancing the initiatives through the design, and construction of projects. Most of the twenty-plus construction projects planned are considered annual programs that tie directly to maintenance and repair of roads and utilities as well as stormwater management. Examples include the Nevada Street pedestrian bridge replacement, lift station rehabilitation, and storm sewer rehabilitation. The pedestrian bridge will be a noticeable change to the pedestrian connectivity downtown, whereas the rehabilitation may not be noticed outside of the work zone traffic control.
Much of the resources in 2026 are allocated to advancing designs and studies. A large majority of those projects support pedestrian and bicycle safety strategies or are grant-funded projects focused on improvements to transportation infrastructure. The Santa Fe Drive Regional Trail Connection and Broadway at Mineral Ave intersection design are grant-funded, safety is the primary purpose of the intersection improvements. Safer Streets activities comprise a large volume of the transportation workload and advance safety throughout the community.
The Engineering work program demonstrates strong alignment with City Council’s Horizon 2027 Strategic Plan and reflects a coordinated, outcomes-driven approach to delivering critical infrastructure investments for the Littleton community. Through more than 200 studies, designs, and construction activities, the Engineering Division is advancing eight strategic initiatives while sustaining the annual programs and support services that residents rely on every day. Nearly half of these efforts advance multiple initiatives simultaneously, underscoring the efficiency and integrated nature of the program.
Collectively, these projects strengthen safety, support economic vitality, protect natural resources, and enhance governance through data-informed asset management and long-term capital planning.
Additional information on Public Works projects can be found in the adopted capital improvement budget, the city website, or by reaching out to Public Works directly; some projects are discussed in greater detail below.
Ketring Lake, a central amenity in Ketring Park, provides significant recreational and ecological value but faces chronic water deficits driven by evaporation, seepage through an aging liner, and insufficient supply from Arapahoe Well #1. Historic deliveries from the High Line Canal are no longer viable. Potable water is constrained under Denver Water’s Service Agreement and is not a sustainable long-term solution.
The water demand and supply for the lake are not in balance. Consequently, the lake experiences annual water shortages, which were exacerbated by the dry conditions we experienced in 2025. Improvements to Ketring Lake support the initiative Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty.
Options to align the lake with available water supplies include resizing the lake (with or without conversion to a wetland) to match production from Arapahoe Well #1, offering the most sustainable and drought-resilient approach. Other options include developing new or supplemental water sources such as a Denver Basin well, City Ditch contract water, or limited McClellan Reservoir supplies; however, each carries high costs and/or uncertainty. Replacement of the existing lake liner is not viable without a reliable water source, and rehabilitation of Arapahoe Well #1 has not yielded sufficient capacity.
Ketring Lake is an early phase of the Ketring Gallup Master Plan. The lake has served as an important amenity to the community for many years and has become unsightly. The future condition of needs to be pursued timely as the condition of the lake will continue to deteriorate seasonally.
Bridge fence replacements for Prince Street, Alamo Avenue, and Main Street bridges over the rail lines are nearly complete. The project replaced the rusted and failing fences with new galvanized fencing and includes mountain stencil work along the length of the Main Street and Alamo Avenue bridge fences, advancing safety of the structure Vibrant Community with Rich Culture within our annual programs and support services.
Santa Fe and Mineral Improvements project involves construction of a quadrant roadway, signal modifications and more, to improve safety and alleviate congestion at the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue. Supporting Safe Community, this graft-funded project identified in the Transportation Master Plan is under construction. Traffic alignments will be shifted along Mineral Avenue and along Santa Fe throughout the two-year construction period.
The Broadway at Lee Gulch Culvert Repair and Pedestrian Underpass will replace a deteriorating 66” Corrugated Metal Pipe under Broadway to prevent road failure and flooding concerns. This culvert lies 30 feet below roadway surface and will require full replacement. The project adds a pedestrian underpass beneath Broadway to connect the east and west sections of the Lee Gulch Trail, offering residents on the east side of Broadway safer access to the High Line Canal Trail on the west side.
Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists traveling along the Lee Gulch Trail must detour 800 feet to cross Broadway at the high-traffic intersection with Jamison Avenue, and cross an access route to the hospital, risking conflicts with vehicles. A pedestrian underpass at this location has been identified for decades as a goal in numerous local planning efforts, including the public-led Broadway Corridor Study and the Littleton Linkages Trail Study; the storm replacement project provided an opportunity to include the underpass in the construction.
This multi-outcome project supports Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty and Safe Community. Construction is in the first phase on the west side of Broadway. The second phase will construct the east side of the improvements. The project began last July and is scheduled for completion in October 2026.
The traffic signal improvements at Bowles Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, as well as Mineral Avenue and Platte Canyon Road, will improve the safety for all modes of travel at both intersections with grant funding. Utility conflicts, relocations, and investigations have lengthened the project schedule; work is now expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.
Shadycroft Acres sanitary sewer extension project advances Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty by extending sewer service to homes with septic systems. The project was delayed with a temporary reduction in staffing and is scheduled to advertise February 2026 for construction.
The new Nevada Street pedestrian bridge will provide pedestrian and cycle access across Little’s Creek between Alamo Avenue and Church Avenue. The bridge has been out of commission for several years. Fabrication of the new bridge is scheduled to begin in March and installed when completed, expected early fall of 2026.
Euclid Neighborhood Street Reconstruction and Improvements between Gallup Street and Windermere Street will improve pedestrian access and improve roadway conditions with full reconstruction of Euclid Avenue and portions of Arapahoe Road, Datura Street, and Cedar Street. The project design has been completed, and construction is scheduled for summer 2026. Adjacent streets will also see pavement preservation in the form of slurry seal.
Prior Actions or Discussions
Updates to City Council are provided annually or as requested.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The budget expenditures for these projects are included in the adopted budget for 2026.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A