Driving You Crazy: When will the construction on Old Hampden in Englewood be done?

John from Englewood writes, “What’s driving you crazy? Hi Jayson. What is going on, on Hampden Avenue between Downing & Logan? They’ve been doing construction there for 2 or 3 years making it very difficult to access Swedish & Craig Hospital as well as the medical buildings in that same area. Why is it taking so long to get things done?”

The City of Englewood put it this way, Old Hampden needed some love, both above and below ground. Many of the Englewood’s fresh water and stormwater pipes were built in the 1950s and are nearing the end of their useful life, resulting in what the city says are too numerous water main breaks and stormwater-related flooding events. So after the city identified the replacement and upgrade of the stormwater system along Old Hampden as one of the top critical infrastructure improvements, they moved forward with this project that has been frustrating you.

The workers are still involved with phase one of a two-part project to make those significant upgrades below and above Old Hampden Avenue. Phase one involves improvements to the utility infrastructure running directly through the Wellness District of Downtown Englewood serving Craig Hospital, Swedish Medical Center, nearby businesses and residents. Most of that work has been below ground including work on aging underground water, sanitary sewer and stormwater pipelines but some work has been on the surface as well.

I saw some of that work when I went to check out the status of the project. The majority of the work I saw was between Washington and Clarkson. There were road closed barricades and large fences blocking off some sidewalk access. A few businesses were closed and the few people I talked had nothing good to say about the detours.

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The city said the Clarkson and Hampden Booster Pump Station and Old Hampden water main were identified as being in need of rehabilitation and replacement. The city said to help reduce the cost and limit construction-related disruptions, the Public Works and Utilities Departments partnered to make these improvements at the same time.

The city told me they have dealt with several significant challenges during construction that has led to project being delayed. One of the issues came from the existing 18-inch water main that public works crews reported as very old and fragile, particularly along Logan Street. Workers said when the water line was shut down, the process of closing off that line safely required more time and care than originally anticipated. Crews also encountered utilities in the field, such as sewer laterals, that did not appear on the original plans and had to be relocated before the new storm mains could be installed.

City staff told me all of this utility work, as part of phase one, was originally expected to be wrapped up in late summer. Because of these challenges, the city said phase one is now expected to be mostly finished before the end of December with final completion anticipated in February 2026.

Just when you think all this work is done — all the dump trucks and construction trucks and beeping noise and fences and flashing lights will be gone — when this phase of the Old Hampden Utility Improvement project is complete, the next phase of construction will begin. You will get about a couple months of relief before construction picks up again this Spring or Summer 2026.

I was told this second phase of the project was slightly delayed due to the six-week federal government shutdown. The city said it was moving toward advertising the second part of the work for contract bids but had to wait for approval by the Federal Highway Administration until it reopened.

The city is calling this second phase their Complete Street planning approach to ensure streets work for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and drivers. Staff told me this part of the project will transform Old Hampden from an auto-centric roadway into a “welcoming space conducive to socializing, taking walks, safe crossings, easier access and a variety of other community-friendly activities.” The city’s Complete Street design plans say it will improve the pedestrian and bicyclist experience by providing ADA improvements, upgraded bus stop amenities, enhanced sidewalks and traffic calming features to reduce vehicle and bike/pedestrian conflicts.

The city listed some of its goals for phase two as providing a safer pedestrian environment via shorter, audible and highly visible pedestrian crosswalks, reducing vehicle speeds by narrowing the roadway, promoting multimodal travel with the installation of a wide shared use path, installing additional lighting to improve safety at night and improve bus stop facilities as well as improving connectivity and wayfinding for locals and visitors.

Englewood told me the goal is to start this Complete Streets phase by spring 2026. However, I’m told it might be delayed until closer to summer 2026. This second phase of this project is partially funded through a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) grant. That means the project must follow the CDOT Local Agency project manual, including the “clearance to advertise” process. I was told in late November that city staff was seeking “conditional clearance to advertise,” and as part of that process, they were in contact with affected property owners about temporary easements. Although final agreements are not yet in place, CDOT must coordinate with the Federal Highway Administration to issue conditional clearance,. Because of the six-week federal government shutdown, that process had to be pushed back.

Englewood told me it's prepared to advertise phase two of the project for bid in December 2025 or January 2026. If clearance is delayed beyond that window, the construction start date will shift accordingly.

By the way, during the continued work and for the upcoming phase one work, there will be several closures of RTD bus stops and some routes will be detoured away from the work area. The Englewood Trolley called BERT will also continue to be rerouted until the project is substantially complete. The city said personal vehicle traffic is expected to remain open, but minor disruptions may occur during this phase.

The city said phase two should last about a year with completion scheduled for summer 2027, unless unforeseen delays occur.

Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 25 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his award winning Driving You Crazy podcast on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, or YouTube.