FAQs

1. Aging Infrastructure

Much of Englewood’s water, sewer, and stormwater pipes were built in the 1950s and need upgrade and replacement. On Old Hampden, from approximately South Broadway to Clarkson Street, there is a 36-inch corrugated steel stormwater pipe that is partially blocked by concrete and other debris, making flooding events more frequent.

The nature of the blockage and the age of the pipe require replacement and upgrade to improve reliability and reduce flooding. Water pipelines are also in need of upgrade and replacement, as water main breaks are occurring more frequently and causing major disruptions to water supply. The Little Dry Creek and Hampden Collector Sanitary Sewer was also identified as being at risk for failure. To help reduce costs, Public Works (stormwater) and Utilities (water and sanitary sewer) have partnered to replace all three utility lines at the same time. This will also mitigate construction impacts, with one project being complete over a limited period rather than three separate projects over several years.

2. Improve safety, accessibility, and multimodal options

Old Hampden currently serves vehicles very well but is not easy or safe for people on foot, bicycle, wheelchair, or other modes of transportation. By producing a 20% streetscape design and applying for federal funding to pay for the improvements, we can envision a street that works better for everyone.  

Stormwater Improvements

• Design improvements for 2,300 feet of stormwater pipeline on Old Hampden Avenue between S. Clarkson Street and S. Broadway Street (replacement and related construction in 2023)
• Design improvements for 400 feet of stormwater pipeline along Lincoln Street south of Old Hampden Avenue to the outfall on Little Dry Creek (replacement and related construction in 2023)

Water and Sanitary Sewer Improvements

• Design improvements for 2,800 feet of water and sewer lines along Old Hampden Avenue between S. Clarkson Street and S. Broadway Street (replacement and related construction in 2023)
• Design improvements and upgrades to the aging Clarkson and Hampden pump station (replacement and related construction in 2023)

Preliminary Streetscape Design

• Produce 20% design for an updated Complete Streets streetscape for Old Hampden
• Submit 20% design for potential federal funding to finalize design and construct improvements (to be submitted in late May/early June 2022)

According to Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition, Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to prioritize safety, comfort, and access to destinations for all people who use the street, of all ages and abilities, especially those who cannot afford or do not have access to a car. While Complete Streets vary based on a community’s needs, they all make it easy (and safer!) to cross the street, walk to shops, restaurants, jobs, and schools, bicycle to work, and move actively with assistive devices such as wheelchairs.

This is particularly salient in the City’s Wellness District, where many of our neighbors and visitors are elderly, disabled, or seeking medical care. A more welcoming main street can also create a thriving downtown atmosphere by making the area more conducive to outdoor restaurant seating, socializing, taking walks, and other community-friendly activities. It’s also not new to Colorado – in 2020, the City and County of Denver released Complete Streets Design Guidelines as “guiding principles for the city's public right of way” and there have been successful streetscape projects, such as on Brighton Boulevard in Five Points.

Learn more about Complete Streets:

Smart Growth America – National Complete Streets Coalition

U.S. Department of Transportation

Yes. If the federal funding application is successful, there will be more updates to Complete Streets designs and requests for feedback on Old Hampden. In the meantime, please take the e-survey on this page to give our planners and engineers information on how and when you currently use Old Hampden so that we can be sensitive to those factors in the planning process.