16th Street (Denver)

Pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado, United States 16th Street (disambiguation)16th Street February 2025 February 2022 thumb|upright|16th Street Mall as seen from the Daniels & Fisher Tower 16th Street, formerly the 16th Street Mall, is a 1+1/4 mi on pedestrian and transit mall in downtown Denver, Colorado, opened in 1982 to ease bus congestion and improve pedestrian access. The original portion was designed by architect I. M. Pei, its granite paving forms an intricate pattern inspired by the western diamondback rattlesnake and Navajo weaving. The pedestrian only parts of the street extend from Wynkoop Street to Civic Center Station at Broadway, with the 16th Street FreeRide shuttle bus stopping at every intersection and extending to Union Station. The street hosts hundreds of stores and restaurants, including the Denver Pavilions shopping center. History thumb|16th Street Mall looking northwest past Tremont Place For Denver, 16th Street has long been an important commercial street. In the 1960s it was lined with movie theaters, department stores, banks, and retail outlets.Prendergast Alan A Mall No More: Looking Back at the Real 16th Street https://www.westword.com/news/denver-16th-street-mall-has-a-new-name-same-as-the-old-one-24594220/ June 30, 2026 Westword May 21, 2025 However, by the 1970s, downtown Denver faced severe bus congestion on 16th and 17th streets, more than 600 daily trips, contributing to air pollution and traffic congestion.April 2019 16th Street Mall Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Assessment https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/646/documents/planning/Plans/16th-Street/16thStreetMall_Environmental_Assessment.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20200402062244/https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/646/documents/planning/Plans/16th-Street/16thStreetMall_Environmental_Assessment.pdf April 2, 2020 City of DenverFree MallRide https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/free-mallride October 7, 2021 Regional Transportation District (RTD) enYoung Ricky July 22, 1997 New mall buses on tap 16th Street shuttles will be roomier https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EAF885304331E7F. subscription August 10, 2025 The Denver Post A1 NewsBank The area's design also discouraged pedestrian activity. To address these issues, the downtown business community and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) proposed building bus transfer stations at Market Street and Broadway, connected by a pedestrian mall with a free shuttle bus service. The final design was developed by I. M. Pei & Partners in collaboration with the urban design and landscape architecture firm OLIN. Construction was funded by a 75 million yes grant (equivalent to $USD 75 1980 1million in USD) from Federal Interstate Highway Transfer Funds and the Federal Urban Mass Transit Administration, with RTD providing a local match. The original 12 1 2-block, 4/5 mi on 16th Street Mall is considered a landmark of late-20th-century design, combining post–World War II Modernist geometry and lighting with Postmodern references to western motifs. Its granite paving—19 in cm on square blocks in charcoal gray, light gray, and "Colorado red"—forms a diamond pattern inspired by Navajo blankets and diamondback rattlesnake skin. Other unique elements include distinctive light standards, northern red oaks and honey locust trees in engineered root boxes, fiberglass street furniture, and metal signage. After two years of construction,Levine Allison September 29, 2019 Colorado History: Celebrating the 1982 Grand Opening of Denver's 16th Street Mall https://www.9news.com/article/news/history/colorado-history-celebrating-the-1982-grand-opening-of-denvers-16th-street-mall/73-28bd890b-371d-4386-b172-cfba0cca5c5e 2022-02-26 KUSA (TV) en-US the Mall opened on October 4, 1982, with a ceremony that drew more than 200,000 visitors downtown.Sixteenth Street Mall http://coloradopreservation.org/programs/endangered-places/endangered-places-archives/sixteenth-street-mall/ 2022-02-26 Colorado Preservation, Inc. The Mall initially ran from Market Street Station to Civic Center Station at Broadway. Consolidating shuttle service along the route removed about 870 daily bus trips from surrounding streets, by funneling express and regional commuter buses to the bus stations. The Federal Transit Administration classifies the mall as a "fixed guideway", enabling RTD to receive operating funds under the same formula as a rail line. In 1994, the addition of light rail service on California and Stout streets added a third transit hub to the mall. The improvements on the street were extended three block into Lower Downtown in 1994 reaching Wynkoop Street, which included the demolition of the 16th Street Viaduct.Kenney Andrew The Tattered Cover's second-floor door opens to the ghost of Denver's viaducts https://denverite.com/2017/03/15/tattered-covers-second-floor-door-opens-ghost-denvers-viaducts/ July 1, 2026 Denverite March 15, 2017 en Four more blocks into the Central Platte Valley district were added in 2012 ending at Wewatta Street.16th Street Urban Design Plan https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/646/documents/planning/16th_St_Mall_Urban_Design_Plan_web.pdf City and County of Denver 1 July 2026 2–3, 22–23, 38 November 2010 These extensions feature wide sidewalks and streetscape upgrades but not the older Mall's granite paving, reaching a total length of 1+1/4 mi on and 18 1 2-blocks.Prado Liz Hagg Nicole Pitts Christopher Colorado 2025 Lonely Planet Paris 64 978-1-83758-375-1 5th However, the segment from Wewatta to Wynkoop Streets is partly open to local vehicle traffic. RTD purchased Union Station in 2001 and started the process of redeveloping the historic station along with 19.85 acre of land in LoDo, to create a new transit hub that would replace Market Street Station. To enable the project, the Free MallRide was extended west from Market Street to Wynkoop Street that year and to Union Station in 2002, coinciding with the opening of a new light rail spur. In 2014, RTD opened an underground bus concourse at Union Station and closed Market Street Station. The land was sold to a developer for $11 million, which helped fund the redevelopment of Union Station, and the station site was transformed into a mixed-use building with residential, office, retail and restaurant space.McMurtry Tara March 13, 2019 A Brief History of Market Street Station https://www.rtd-denver.com/news-stop/blogs/brief-history-of-market-street-station October 7, 2021 Regional Transportation District (RTD) en By the 2010s, the granite paving was showing significant deterioration, prompting multiple studies calling for comprehensive reconstruction. In April 2022, work began on a $149 million rebuild, with a planned completion date of fall 2025.2022-03-10 Here's what you need to know about the construction on the 16th Street Mall starting next month https://denverite.com/2022/03/10/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-construction-on-the-16th-street-mall-starting-next-month/ 2023-08-07 Denverite en-US2022-04-14 Denver's 16th Street Mall overhaul is already getting mixed reviews from downtown businesses https://www.denverpost.com/2022/04/14/denver-16th-street-mall-construction-downtown/ 2023-08-07 The Denver Post en-USStoreowners say 16th Street Mall construction is hurting business https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs4Wj4XteL8 2023-08-07 en The project removed the 22 ft -wide mid median "amenity zone" between Arapahoe and Tremont streets—which was considered underutilized due to its isolation—and replaced it with a center-running transitway, with 28 ft -wide mid pedestrian zones on each side, which will provide patios and other amenity areas, while leaving 10 ft mid unobstructed walkways. Of the 199 honey locust trees and 83 northern red oaks of the original mall, only 143 locusts were still alive and the majority of the oaks had died by 2023. The remaining trees were nearing the end of their lifespan and removed and replanted with new honey locusts as well as overcup oaks, swamp white oaks, Kentucky coffeetrees, 'Morton' elms, and 'Morton' Miyabe maples.Neufeld Benjamin 40-Year-Old Trees Disappearing on 16th Street Mall as Denver Celebrates Arbor Day https://www.westword.com/news/denver-16th-street-mall-trees-replaced-arbor-day-16675085/ July 1, 2026 Westword April 26, 2023 The renovation project concluded in 2025 with a cerebration of the reopening on October 4. With the end of the project it was officially renamed as simply 16th Street, dropping mall from the name of the pedestrian portion of the street.Kelty Bennito L. Photos: Denver Celebrates 16th Street Reopening https://www.westword.com/news/photos-denver-celebrates-16th-street-reopening-40789032/ June 30, 2026 Westword October 4, 2025 MallRide FreeRide FreeRide thumb|Third-generation BYD K10MR used on the FreeRide, a battery electric bus The 16th Street FreeRide is a free shuttle bus service operated by the RTD along the length of the 16th Street Mall, with buses stopping at every intersection. The service began in 1982 as the 16th Street MallRide, originally running between Market Street Station and Civic Center Station (16th & Broadway), two major RTD bus hubs at either end of downtown. In 1994, light rail transit service was added at 16th & California and 16th & Stout stations, creating a third transit hub along the mall. In 2011, the route was extended north of the mall on 16th Street to Denver Union Station. In 2014, Market Street Station was closed and replaced by the Union Station Transit Center.Proctor Cathy April 7, 2014 RTD's buses are leaving, so what's next for Market Street Station? http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/earth_to_power/2014/04/rtds-buses-are-leaving-so-whats-next-for-market.html January 4, 2020 Denver Business Journal In 2025, coinciding with the dropping of "Mall" from the 16th Street Mall name, the service was renamed 16th Street FreeRide.2025-06-06 RTD renames Free MallRide service to 16th Street FreeRide in support of city's revitalization effort https://www.rtd-denver.com/community/news/rtd-renames-free-mallride-service-to-16thstreet-freeride-in-support-of-city-s-revitalization-effort 2025-08-10 Regional Transportation District en As of 2026, the route provides connections between the A Line, B Line, C Line, E Line, G Line, N Line, W Line, and the bus hub at Union Station; the H Line and L Line at 16th & California and 16th & Stout stations; and the bus hub at Civic Center Station. In 2018, the route saw an average weekday ridership of 43,971, making it the busiest operated by RTD.Bosselman Andy 2019-03-13 RTD at 50: The 50 Most Fascinating Facts & Stats https://denver.streetsblog.org/2019/03/13/rtd-at-50-the-50-most-fascinating-facts-stats/ 2025-08-12 Streetsblog Denver en-US Buses operate from 5:30 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, with slightly shorter service hours on weekends and holidays. During peak periods, shuttles can run as frequently as every 90 seconds, with service reduced to every 10 minutes in the early morning and late evening.RTD Denver Electrification of the 16th St. Mall Shuttles https://coloradotransit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Electrification-of-the-16th-St-Mall-Shuttles.pptx 19 May 2019 Colorado Association of Transit Agencies pptx Regional Transportation District thumb|Interior of a BYD K10MR FreeRide bus|left Since the service's inception, RTD has used custom-designed right-hand drive buses. This configuration gives operators improved visibility of passengers boarding and alighting from the curb side, as well as pedestrians who often move close to the buses, which travel at speeds up to 12 mph in the open mall setting. The buses also feature a low-floor design with an open interior with minimal seating (currently 18 seats, out of a capacity of 106), and three doors, enabling near-level boarding and accommodating fast passenger flow both inside the bus and during boarding and alighting.Starcic Janna 3 May 2017 Denver 'Charges Up' Fleet for Key Downtown Route https://www.metro-magazine.com/sustainability/article/722159/denver-charges-up-fleet-for-key-downtown-route live https://web.archive.org/web/20171014062829/https://www.metro-magazine.com/sustainability/article/722159/denver-charges-up-fleet-for-key-downtown-route 14 October 2017 20 May 2019 Metro Magazine The first-generation buses, used from 1982 to 1999, were diesel-powered and front-wheel drive. The second-generation "EcoMark" buses, used from 1999 to 2016, were series hybrids with wheel hub motors powered by batteries charged from a 70 hp, 1.6-liter compressed natural gas engine supplied by Ford.Franklin Rod Buses combine natural gas with electrical system https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass-high-tech/2002/08/buses-combine-natural-gas-with-electrical.html Boston Business Journal August 26, 2002 January 4, 2020 The third-generation BYD K10MR buses, introduced in 2016, are fully battery electric.Proctor Cathy New 16th Street Mall shuttles to be all-electric, quiet, less smelly http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/earth_to_power/2015/08/new-16th-street-mall-shuttle-buses-to-be-all.html Denver Business Journal August 25, 2015 January 4, 2020https://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/08/29/electric-buses-coming-to-16th-street-mall Electric Buses Coming To 16th Street Mall CBS 4 Denver August 29, 2016 January 4, 2020 Impact as an urban space thumb|16th Street Mall with Colorado State Capitol in background|left The Project for Public Spaces says of the Mall that it "provides the entire downtown with shuttle bus circulation and high quality pedestrian access to Union Station. However, its success as a place has to do with its edge uses, over 300 shops and 50 restaurants that line the Mall with cafés, window displays, and buskers."Nelson David M. Thinking Beyond the Station https://www.pps.org/reference/thinking-beyond-the-station/ Project for Public Spaces PPS February 9, 2015 In summer 2014, and again in 2015, the Downtown Denver Partnership and Downtown Denver Business Improvement collaborated on several Meet in the Street Sunday events, rerouting the Mall Shuttle to adjacent streets and opening much of the mall to pedestrians and cyclists, and featuring various activities to bring people together.Hendee Caitlin Downtown Denver's Meet in the Street event steps toward urban engagement http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2014/07/21/downtown-denver-event-stepped-towards-new-urban.html Denver Business Journal July 21, 2014 On May 20th, 2025, Denver City Leaders and Mayor Mike Johnston announced that 90% of a $175.4 million renovation had been completed and the area will drop "Mall" from its moniker and be known as simply "16th Street" and will also be referred to as "The Denver Way", the main street of downtown, it is The Denver Way, by which you can make your way through downtown.Denver's 16th Street Mall to be known as "16th Street" after a $175.4 million renovation Gurney Jeff 2025-05-20 https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-16th-street-mall-known-16th-street-after-175-4-million-renovation/ 2025-05-29 KCNC-TV left References External links The Downtown Denver Partnership website on the 16th Street Mall 16th Street Mall Plan for the mall's next 25 years Rocky Mountain News: Don't realign city's spine, panel says, May 30, 2008 Regional Transportation District webpage https://web.archive.org/web/20190520002249/http://www.rtd-denver.com/FREEMallRide.shtml May 20, 2019 , provides Mall Shuttle information including frequency by time of day. 16th street mall an entertaining place SAH Archipedia Building Entry39 44 55 N 104 59 48 W type:landmark title 16th Street Transitway Mall Category:Tourist attractions in Denver Category:Regional Transportation District Category:Transportation in Denver Category:Streets in Colorado Category:Pedestrian malls in the United States Category:Shopping malls in the Denver metropolitan area Category:Shopping malls established in 1982 Category:Buildings and structures in Denver Category:1982 establishments in Colorado Category:Pedestrian infrastructure in Colorado