DENVER — Residents are expressing their concerns about an elevator outage in downtown Denver on the 18th Street pedestrian bridge, also known as the Union Gateway Bridge.
This is not the first time Denver7 has heard concerns regarding this bridge. Denver7 spoke with a former Olympian back in 2022, who fought to keep the elevators operating 24/7.
Recently, viewer Ryan Litherland sent Denver7 the following email.
"18th street pedestrian bridge over the train tracks, connecting Basset St to Chestnut St, in downtown Denver, has an elevator that has been out of service for nearly a year. I count on this bridge, and my elderly parents have been restricted to one side, unable to go to the grocery store across the bridge. I chose to live in this apartment because of the elevator access to Union station. Any idea when the city will decide it’s worth fixing?"
The concerns are pretty consistent across the board.
“Anytime I go downtown, I'm usually coming over this bridge,” Niels Nielsen, an area resident, said. “With these being down for a while, I'll see people oftentimes at the bottoms, and they'll be stuck down there with their wheelchairs."
Nielsen emphasized this is a very pedestrian friendly area, and these elevators being out of service, kind of defeats the purpose.
Another resident Itcel Sclopis, also lives near the bridge and moved to the area in July. Sclopis said the stairs are pretty steep.
”It's a good exercise, but the elevator is needed,” Sclopis said. “Every time that I come, I have seen some people doing some work, and I have asked them, 'when do you think the elevator is going to be available again?' And they say, ‘Oh, well, we're working on it. We don't know.’”
Sclopis said she uses the bridge every day.
“I have the park over there, and I have downtown right here, and I want to be able to walk,” Sclopis asid.
With the elevators being out of serve, Sclopis runs into issues when sh'es trying to travel to the airport with her luggage.
“I want to take the sometimes to train to go to the airport. I am not able to do so because the elevator is not working,” Sclopis said.
The Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District's (CPVMD) website said the elvator closed for upgrades back in June, with that closure expected to last four to five weeks.
So, the elevator should have reopened in July. When Denver7 asked what's causing the delay, this was CPVMD's response:
“The modernization project for the 18th Street Bridge elevators is its final stages, awaiting final inspection and approval from the city. We appreciate the community’s understanding as we work to enhance the functionality and long-term service of the Union Gateway Bridge elevators."
Denver7 did see maintenance workers attending to the elevator just before 7 a.m. Monday.
But until they get it back up and running, there are signs posted next to the elevators directing people to use the 15th Street, 20th Street, or the 16th Street bridges when the elevators are out of service.
But some still think that is an inconvenience.
“They have signs that say, ‘Go, use the 16th Street Bridge’, but it's like an extra, you know, four blocks out of your way to go down there and come back,” Nielson said. “You know, somebody's already have mobility problems. It's kind of hard to tell them that."
Updates to the project, and where the elevators stand, will be posted online by the district.
