Bike path detour alert: Alameda at the South Platte Trail (Local Tips & Reviews)

Starting Saturday, South Platte Trail cyclists, walkers, boarders, and jaunters will have to take a detour to get past Alameda Avenue.

Colorado’s Department of Transportation is spending $22 million to replace the Alameda bridge over the river. The bridge was originally constructed in 1911 and, according to CDOT, is the oldest bridge in the state’s highway system. The project to replace it is supposed to include an “on-street two-way cycle track” between Lipan and Kalamath streets, help with flood capacity and renovate the trail beneath it.

Trail users will have to hike up the riverbank and cross Alameda. CDOT says the project will last until Dec. 2024, though we haven’t confirmed with Denver Parks and Rec that the trail will be closed quite that long. (We’ll update this when we find out!)

At least one Denverite has wondered on Twitter if people may be in danger crossing Alameda there. City data says there have been at least 29 crashes at that spot since 2017, though, ostensibly, construction will also slow car traffic. While it’s not as scary as Federal Boulevard, Alameda as a whole has the dubious distinction of being one of Denver’s most dangerous roadways.

Regular South Platte River Trail users should be used to detours. Some messed-up timber caused a very lengthy reroute around Vanderbilt Park, just south of Alameda, in 2020.