Peña Boulevard

Federico Peña Boulevard, named for former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, is an 11.1-mile-long (17.9 km) freeway located in Adams County and the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The freeway, which opened in 1993, provides the primary vehicular access into Denver International Airport which opened at the same time. Peña Boulevard begins as an extension of Airport Boulevard in Aurora at an interchange with Interstate 70 (I-70) and travels north, then east to end at the airport, with an intermediate interchange with the E-470 tollway.

Federico Peña Boulevard
DEN Access Freeway
Looking north from just south of Green Valley Ranch Boulevard
Peña Boulevard highlighted in red
Maintained byCity and County of Denver
Length11.1 mi (17.9 km)[1]
West end I-70 in Aurora
Major
junctions		 E-470 in Denver
East end Denver International Airport
Construction
Completion1993

Route description

Peña Boulevard begins at an interchange with I-70 in Aurora as a northern continuation of Airport Boulevard. The first freeway interchange is at East 40th Avenue, which also provides traffic access to and from to Aurora's Airport Boulevard running to the south. Travelers leaving the airport use this exit for access to eastbound I-70 through the adjacent Airport Boulevard/I-70 interchange. Travelers inbound to the airport from I-70 East do not have access to the first interchange. Continuing north, the freeway leaves Aurora and passes into the Denver Gateway[2][3] area, Aurora's Gateway Park development is adjacent. An interchange with Green Valley Ranch Boulevard provides access to the neighborhood of the same name. The East 56th Avenue interchange is the final exit along Peña Boulevard before it turns east near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and reaches the interchange with Tower Road, which serves several airport hotels.[1]

The only intermediate freeway interchange on Peña Boulevard is a full cloverleaf interchange with the tolled E-470, which provides an alternate north–south route to I-25 for travelers wishing to bypass on the eastern side of Metropolitan Denver area. E-470 also intersects I-70 and has a ten-mile-per-hour (16 km/h) higher speed limit than Peña Boulevard. The interchange with E-470 is the easternmost exit before entering Denver International Airport. Once inside airport grounds, the freeway intersects the car rental return area, and connects to the parking garages and terminal access roads.[1]

The segment of the freeway between I-70 and E-470 is listed on the National Highway System (NHS), a system of roads that are important to the nation's economy, defense and mobility. The portion between E-470 and the airport is listed as a MAP-21 NHS Principal Arterial.[4]

History

Construction of the $18 million (equivalent to $30.9 million in 2021)[5] freeway, which opened in 1995,[6] was halted for six weeks during summer 1992 due to a family of burrowing owls living in the right-of-way near the interchange at 56th Avenue.[7] Ten thousand people were employed during the construction of the airport and the connecting freeway.[8] Originally the toll booths that served the parking lots were located 3.5 mi (5.6 km) from the entrance to the airport causing delays for persons just dropping off people at the airport.[9] The toll booth was removed in 2000, and new booths were installed at the exits of the airport parking garages.[10] Peña Boulevard was named for Federico Peña[11] because he was very influential in bringing about the construction of Denver International Airport. In October 2018, a missing ramp at Tower Road and Peña Blvd. was finally added and opened to the public in October 2018, completing the interchange.[12]

Future

The Denver City Council has approved an expansion of the freeway; the project will add lanes, modify interchanges, add new signage, and modify many areas along the route at a cost of $93 million. The Jackson Gap interchange will become a Diverging diamond interchange, with a Texas U-turn style ramp between the westbound Peña off-ramp and eastbound Peña onramp for traffic to return to the terminal.[13] The project is expected to begin in January 2020, and last around two-and-a-half years.[14]

Exit list
CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
AdamsAurora0.00.0—


 I-70 west (US 36) to I-225 south – Denver, Colorado Springs		Exit 284 on I-70
City and County of Denver0.71.11A

 40th Avenue / Airport Boulevard to I-70 east – Aurora		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
1.42.31BGreen Valley Ranch Boulevard
2.54.0256th Avenue
5.28.45Tower RoadRamp from southbound Tower Road to westbound Peña Boulevard completed and opened in 2018[15]
6.510.56
 E-470 to I-70 – Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins		Signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north); exit 28 on E-470
7.612.2— 75th Avenue – Rental Car Return, Cell Phone LotEastbound exit and westbound entrance
9.415.1— Jackson Gap Road – Rental Car Return, Air Cargo, General Aviation
11.117.9— Terminal West / Terminal EastRoadway divides for parking and terminals
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. Google (December 26, 2010). "Peña Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  2. "The Gateway Concept Plan, August 1990" (PDF). City and County of Denver. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  3. Taylor, Mike. "Ready for Takeoff: Gateway Plan Bolstered by Visions of DIA 'Aerotropolis'". confluence-denver.com. Confluence Denver. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  4. National Highway System: Denver–Aurora CO (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. August 22, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  5. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  6. Flynn, Kevin (February 4, 1995). "Webb Opens New Airport's 1st Concourse". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  7. Accola, John (October 8, 1992). "Owls Move Out". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  8. Thurston, Scott (October 7, 1993). "Airport: Wisest or Dumbest Thing in Denver History". Austin American-Statesman. p. F2. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  9. Hodges; Kirksey, Jim (August 11, 1995). "20 DIA Cashiers Overcome by Fumes Toll Booth Closed". Denver Post. p. B1. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  10. Leib, Jeffrey (April 11, 2000). "DIA Tollbooths Moving Closer to Terminal". Denver Post. p. B1. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  11. "It's Pena Boulevard". Rocky Mountain News. September 4, 1992. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  12. CBS Denver. "Drivers Welcome New Ramp at Tower Road". CBS Denver. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  13. Denver International Airport (June 2019). "Peña Boulevard Phase 1 (Jackson Gap to Terminal)" (PDF). Denver International Airport. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  14. CBS Denver (July 15, 2019). "New City Council Approves Peña Boulevard Expansion Project". CBS Denver. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  15. "Tower Road on-ramp to Peña Boulevard opens to traffic". Commerce City. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
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