I-25 & Broadway Station is becoming a focal point of a new transit-oriented development on the site of the old Gates Rubber Company factory, just south, east, and west of the station.
History
When the system was first opened in 1994, I-25 & Broadway was the southern terminus of the light rail system, at the time being served by just one route to 30th & Downing.[5] On July 14, 2000, the station began seeing southbound service with the opening of the Southwest Corridor. The station became a major transfer point on November 17, 2006 with the completion of the T-REX project, upon which the station began seeing service to the southeast on the E, F, and H Lines.[7] Service to the station by the F Line was suspended on October 20, 2020 due to the COVID-19 related service cuts. The C Line was then suspended on January 10, 2021, with both lines being permanently eliminated on January 8, 2023.[8]
In 2023, the City of Denver approved plans to construct a pedestrian bridge from the I-25 & Broadway station to the west, in order to provide pedestrian access to a future development adjacent to the station as well as the South Platte River Trail. The bridge will be 375 feet upon its completion, with the 220 foot center section being the longest unsupported single span truss in the state of Colorado.[9][10]
I-25 & Broadway station includes three tracks in order to accommodate the southeast and southwest corridors, which split from one another immediately south of the station. To access the island platforms in the station, the northbound, and possibly southeast bound, tracks must be crossed at-grade. The station can be accessed from the east on W Kentucky Ave and E Ohio Ave. Currently, I-25 & Broadway is inaccessible from the west, however construction is underway to install a pedestrian bridge in that direction. The station has parking lots around the entrance, with a bus bay sitting between them and the train platforms.
Tracks in this station are laid out in a wye. Trains originating at the yard south of Evans Station and bound for the Southeast Line bypass I-25 & Broadway platforms, but operate in service from Evans Station. Trains returning to the yard do not operate in service. I-25 & Broadway is the southernmost transfer station for all lines leading north toward the 10th & Osage station.[6]
Public art
I-25 & Broadway station features three granite sculptures titled The Welcoming Committee, as a part of RTD's Art-n-Transit program. The art piece, created by Elaine Calzolari, was installed in 1997 within the station's bus loop. The sculptures are made up primarily of salvaged materials from demolished buildings, an old mausoleum, and granite quarries.[11][12]
Gallery
I-25 & Broadway Station
I-25 & Broadway Station
Signage at the I-25 & Broadway Station (2006-2018)
