Agenda Date: 04/15/2025
Subject:
Title
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Key Projects Overview
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: |
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Kimberly Dall, Assistant City Engineer |
PURPOSE:
Staff will present an overview of key capital improvement projects planned for construction in 2025.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Safe Community; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
The City of Littleton created its first comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in 2024. This plan provides a strategic framework to administer and implement projects and equipment acquisitions across the organization. The CIP identifies over 175 projects in the 5-year horizon of the plan, with $300 million in identified funding and another $158 million in needs without an identifiable funding source. Coordination with agency partners and others occurs to support comprehensive improvements in the community.
The trend of annual spending has increased. Budgets from 2019 to 2024 averaged $33.3M; the 2025-2029 budget average is 35% higher at $44.8M. The following provides highlights to several trail, transportation, traffic, and bridge projects to be constructed this year.
BACKGROUND:
Capital improvements are the infrastructure, equipment, and vehicles that support the activities and quality of life of the community. Littleton’s capital improvements cover many categories, including:
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Bridges |
Buildings |
Debt Service |
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Environmental Sustainability |
Equipment |
Information Technology |
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Hardware |
Landscaping/Irrigation |
Leases |
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Overhead |
Parks/Open Space |
Pavement Management |
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Sanitary Sewer |
Software |
Storm Sewer Drainage |
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Trails |
Transportation/Traffic |
Vehicles |
In 2025, big things are happening in Littleton. The city’s Public Works team has geared up for a busy year of large-scale capital road and infrastructure upgrades, powered by voter support of the 2021 Ballot Issue 3A, which raises funds for an increased pace of capital projects paving the way for transportation improvements, economic growth, and innovation. Whether it is bike and pedestrian upgrades, roadway, intersection reconstruction, high speed connectivity, structural improvements, or storm and sanitary improvements, this year brings more projects to the community with the additional revenue from 3A and grant funds awarded.
The annual capital budget varies from year to year based on revenues and projects planned to be completed. The city created its first comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in 2024. This plan provides a strategic framework to administer and implement projects and equipment acquisitions across the organization.
The trend of annual spending has increased, the following chart shows the annual capital budget and a three-year trendline in millions of dollars. Budgets from 2019 to 2024 averaged $33.3M; the 2025-2029 budget average is 35% higher at $44.8M,
Capital projects require coordination with stakeholders and community partners. Denver Water, Xcel, Littleton Public Schools, and other partners also perform capital work within the city. City staff coordinate the project work type and timing, sometimes years in advance. This prevents newly paved roadways from being cut for waterline replacement projects, allows utilities to be relocated in advance to eliminate conflicts during construction, and provides opportunity to partner up with improvements to create a greater impact.
The following provides a brief overview of transportation, traffic, trail, bridges, and bridges activities that will be under construction in 2025.
The Santa Fe and Mineral Improvement Project will begin construction late spring and will reduce congestion and improve safety with a realignment known as a quadrant roadway. This project will remove left-turn movements from the intersection, allowing for more “green time” at the traffic signal. This project will provide new traffic signals, lane configurations, signal re-timing and mobility improvements at this intersection and surrounding areas. This is the largest scale construction project within the city in the past several decades; construction will extend through 2026 and potentially into 2027.
The Platte Canyon Road Intersections Improvements Project focuses on the intersections of Platte Canyon Road with Mineral Avenue and Bowles Avenue. The project will enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety with new crossings, resolve traffic conflicts with expanded turn lanes, improve bus stop access with pedestrian ramps, and upgrade signal equipment. The project is currently underway.
The Euclid Avenue Reconstruction Project will bring “complete street design” components to Euclid Avenue between Elati Street and the High Line Canal as part of the Safer Streets Littleton initiative. Design elements include a 12-foot-wide shared-use path along the north side of the corridor, widened sidewalks along the south side, three raised pedestrian crossings, curb extensions at intersections, and other traffic-calming elements.
Euclid Avenue between Gallup Street and Windermere Street and several adjacent streets will be reconstructed this summer to create a new pavement surface. A complete reconstruction provides a strong, smooth driving surface. This project will also create safe and accessible route on the northern side of Euclid Avenue, as well as connecting sidewalk gaps on several streets running north to south. This project will begin in mid-summer.
Nearly 5 centerline-miles of neighborhood streets are slated for repair and a new top layer of asphalt this summer as part of the pavement preservation program.
The Prince and Church Intersection Reconstruction project will upgrade infrastructure and accessibility at the intersection of Prince Street and Church Avenue with improvements to sidewalks, ramps, and pedestrian and vehicular signals. Additionally, the work will remove and replace concrete and asphalt through the intersection, repair guardrails, and improve landscaped shoulders. Project activities are scheduled to start in summer of 2025.
The Mineral Mobility East Improvements Project will begin this spring, to provide safety and mobility upgrades along Jackass Hill Road, Mineral Avenue, and the Mineral Avenue Trail. The project includes upgrading existing bike lanes to buffered bike lanes, providing and paving designated space for pedestrians and bicyclists along the Mineral Avenue Trail, and improvements to two of the High Line Canal Trail crossings in the area. The work is anticipated to be completed this fall.
The Lee Gulch at Broadway project will replace an aging metal culvert beneath Broadway just north of Jamison Avenue. Replacing the culvert will require digging a 30-foot trench to remove the old, damaged material and replace it with a more durable concrete pipe. While digging into a thoroughfare as heavily traveled as Broadway is rare, it also provides an opportunity to tackle a long-desired project: adding 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.
Prior Actions or Discussions
The draft 2025 - 2029 Capital Improvement Plan was presented to Council at a budget retreat on September 7, 2024.
The 2025 - 2029 Capital Improvement Plan was incorporated into 2025 Budget adopted on November 19, 2024.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Over $60 million in construction contracts are planned to be executed in 2025. Some projects will be completed by the end of the year, while several larger projects will extend into 2026.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
Proposed Motion