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How Bad is Denver Traffic?

Moving to a large metro city definitely has its list of perks including amenities, night life, events, and more. Denver, in specific, also boasts the added benefit of being in close proximity the beautiful and captivating Rocky Mountains. A short drive takes you away from concrete life and into quaint mountain living. But there are downsides to every metro city in American, but the most notable is traffic. So, how bad is Denver traffic? Below is some information on Denver traffic patterns, ways to avoid traffic, and projections for traffic over the next few years.

Denver has long had traffic problems. The Denver News Channel reported that Denver traffic is one of the twenty-one worst American cities in which to drive according to the traffic analytics firm INRIX. A study showed that it ranks number twenty-five of the worst American gridlocked locations.

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Recent Traffic Trends

Denver Business Journal surveys revealed that, during 2020, Denver drivers averaged thirty-six hours in traffic jams. A World Bank study calculated a fuel loss of almost $1200.00 per vehicle. Gas costs for Denver drivers directly attributable to traffic congestion were well over a billion dollars.

How bad is Denver traffic? While Denver residents averaged thirty-six hours in traffic jams, similar-sized cities like Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Raleigh saw no stop and start traffic. Colorado Concern, a transportation focus group, has assessed Denver traffic and anticipates it getting progressively worse every year.

Denver Regional Council of Governments predict that, by 2040, the thirty-six hours that Denver drivers now spend in stopped traffic will have skyrocketed to fifty-six hours.

Factors Causing this Trend

The population is growing in the Denver area. Denver Transportation Planning and Operations predicts that there will be another million people living in Denver in the next two decades. During the past five years, Denver’s population has grown by 8%. It is expected to go from 3 ¼ million in 2020 to over 4 1/3 million by 2040. That’s a 33% increase.

More vehicles are on the road in the metro Denver area. Transportation innovations haven’t kept up with population growth. The result has been increased gridlock. Although the traffic woes have existed for decades, Denver planners are just getting around to rethinking strategies for how to move people around the city efficiently.

New Road Construction

The Denver Post has outlined information on new construction projects. Between 2010 and 2020, metropolitan Denver has improved the transportation infrastructure with things like the beltway and toll roads including C-470, E-470, and the Northwest Parkway. Three-quarters of the beltway around Metro Denver has been completed.

A $1.67 billion T-REX Transportation Expansion Project aims at expanding its highway system to move traffic more efficiently. T-REX is the country’s largest multimodel project. It adds almost twenty miles of light rail as well as improving seventeen miles of highways and bridges. This ambitious project connects Denver Tech Center and Denver’s Central Business District.

In addition, ailways including Union Pacific and BNSF Railway are working together with the Colorado Department of Transportation to improve rail services. Passenger services within Metro Denver are now available on Amtrak. Connections take riders to Chicago and San Francisco from Denver Union Station. The station is in redevelopment aimed at making it a regional transportation hub. Combining rail, light rail, and buses will make it easier for Denver residents to travel both within Denver and to other cities without cars.

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How are Denver Residents Trying to Alleviate Traffic Woes?

Even before the pandemic, many people were working from home. Increased technology and COVID-19 have increased the number of employees who are working from home.

Aside from recent events, Denverites are doing their best to mitigate time spent in traffic. A variety of housing options in and near downtown Denver has prompted residents to locate closer to their jobs. More people who work in downtown Denver have opted to live along transit lines than ever before.

Within central Denver, there has been a marked increase in the construction of apartments. This makes it easier and more appealing for Denver residents to live and work in the area without facing the frustration of a lengthy commute.

Denver area residents are making increased use of Uber and Lyft. Many have opted to give up owning a car altogether. Because they are cheaper to own and operate, residents of Denver suburbs have begun to use motorcycles, scooters, and bikes to get around.

In the short-term, the introduction of 5G wireless technology will also have a huge impact on managing the smooth flow of traffic. Faster technology will increase traffic flow by installing sensors of traffic lights. When traffic is snarled, 5G wireless will enable much quicker recovery times. The possibilities with 5G speed include things like smart cars, smart traffic systems and even smart city transportation systems.

Within the next twenty years, Denver area residents will increase their purchase of self-driving vehicles. These cars of the future will be able to travel safely at highway speeds within six inches of each other. This will greatly cut traffic congestion. Moreover, self-driving vehicles will have the technology to reroute, avoiding traffic jams. Today’s automotive technology already has lane assist and automatic braking reducing accidents on heavily trafficked roads.

Online shopping and ride-sharing services are already being used by Denver residents to combat congestion.

Why Live in Denver Suburbs?

Denver suburbs provide people of all ages with housing variations including apartments with many amenities, spacious condos, and houses of all sizes and styles.

Denver suburban locations offer good schools, healthcare facilities, and shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences. Suburban homes are located an easy drive or public transit ride to more numerous downtown Denver opportunities.

denver traffic information

Positives to Locating in Glendale

Niche magazine describes the many reasons to live in Glendale, Colorado.

With a population of just over five thousand, Glendale offers urban amenities combined with small-town safety and friendliness. Schools in Glendale are highly rated. Rent is reasonable and there are many, varied, available housing options. Glendale has lovely parks as well as lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars.

Home to young families, retirees, and professionals, Glendale is a city where its many recreational choices give residents a chance to make new friends quickly.

Urban Phenix Properties

Urban Phenix offers easy-to-access rental properties in the Glendale area. Our  company offers housing options that are well maintained, efficiently run, and include luxury services. Urban Phenix is committed to offering tenants house, condo, and apartment living conditions that will make you glad you relocated to beautiful Glendale.

Whether you are a young professional, a retired couple, or a family of four, Urban Phenix has a housing development that is affordable and just right for your needs and wants. All their rental properties are pet-friendly. Take the virtual tour of Urban Phenix Glendale properties on our website.