The Denver City Council on Monday unanimously approved a $5.3 million grant agreement to design a pedestrian bridge that will help connect the future Summit FC stadium with a neighboring community and a nearby light rail stop.
The grant will pay for design and preconstruction work for the bridge in the Baker neighborhood. It will allow people on foot to travel from the Regional Transportation District’s I-25 and Broadway station over the railroad lines and into the stadium district.
During Monday’s meeting, Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said the bridge was needed in that community long before the stadium plan.
“This pedestrian bridge is essential to making Santa Fe Yards a truly transit-oriented, community-serving development,” she said. “It will connect the Broadway Station directly to the stadium, housing, businesses, parks and the South Platte River while safely crossing the rail lines that divide this area.”
The funding comes from a transit-oriented communities grant in the state’s Department of Local Affairs. Officials expect to complete construction of the bridge by 2030. The city plans to pursue additional grants and use property tax dollars for the construction itself.
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The council approved the deal to build the stadium — and bring the women’s soccer team to Denver — in December.
Under the deal, city officials agreed to spend $70 million to purchase the land and the team said it would spend about $200 million on the stadium itself. The controlling owner of Summit FC, Rob Cohen, said the team making Denver its home was contingent on the city agreeing to the plan for a dedicated stadium.
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