ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A new regional corridor study is bringing together leaders from Arapahoe County, Denver and Aurora to address long-standing safety concerns on Florida Avenue. Community input is at the center of the effort.
The Florida Avenue corridor stretches across multiple jurisdictions, and residents say the feel of the street shifts dramatically from block to block — along with their sense of safety.
Safety concerns have frustrated homeowners along the corridor for years. Neighbors describe hearing reckless drivers at all hours.
"We'll frequently hear folks doing donuts in the middle of the night," Aurora resident Gergana Kostadinova Law said. "Folks speeding up and down Florida, where the speed limit is supposed to be 25 miles per hour."
Now regional leaders are teaming up to find a solution. The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), in partnership with Arapahoe County, is developing a plan to enhance mobility and connectivity along the corridor. The Florida Avenue Corridor Study aims to bring long-term relief from the Cherry Creek Trail in Denver to the Florida Light Rail Station in Aurora by looking at potential improvements for better pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit access.
Steven Buckley, the Arapahoe County project manager for the Florida Avenue Corridor Study, said the road serves a vital role for the community.
"For people who live around here, it's an everyday part of their travel, and it continues to be an important way for people to get around," Buckley said.
After conducting a public engagement initiative last December as part of the Arapahoe County Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, Buckley said leaders noticed a clear trend.
"The Parker and Florida intersection actually stood out in our study as the number one location for severe crashes in unincorporated Arapahoe County," Buckley said.
Now residents like Kostadinova Law are getting a chance to create change.
"When my husband saw the flyer in the mail, he said, 'You won't believe what what they're doing,' and I said, 'Oh my gosh! Okay, I have to be there" she said.
At the first of several planned public input sessions, she shared specific ideas for her stretch of the corridor.
"The input I gave specifically for the stretch of Florida by our house are suggestions for either roundabout or speed bumps or more stop signs right by Peoria Hills Park, so that that can be a much safer intersection," she said.
Buckley said hearing directly from residents is the priority right now.
"Right now, the important thing is... understand the perspective of the everyday residents on what they experience on this corridor," Buckley said.
For residents like Gergana, the regional attention on Florida Avenue is long overdue.
"It's really validating that it is being noticed," she said.
The next public feedback session will happen on Saturday, August 15th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Long's Pine Grove Park.
If you are unable to attend, you can also submit your comments online.
The study is expected to be completed in February 2027.
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