Denver will continue to operate its Shared Streets program through the winter season, giving residents more space for outdoor recreation while adhering to social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These shared streets are closed to through traffic and provide space to walk and bike, while still allowing residents and their visitors to drive and park on the closed streets.

Over the next few weeks, the city will begin introducing new configurations and materials along the Shared Streets to improve safety and help withstand winter weather.

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Officials will first replace existing barricades with heavier, water-filled barriers and treatments that plows can maneuver around at the Shared Street locations on East 11th Avenue, East 16th Avenue, Bayaud Avenue and 30th Street.

They will permanently remove the barricades on a portion of East 11th Avenue, from Race Street to Colorado Boulevard, where vehicle volumes are low.

The Shared Street locations around Sloan’s Lake and on Marion Parkway will receive the new winter materials in the second round of improvements in early 2021.

Denver is also looking to find two new locations for Shared Streets to replace two existing locations on Franklin Street and Irving Street that have not been well-utilized.

Denver began closing segments of roads for the Shared Streets program in early April.

In the first 11 days of the Shared Streets program, an average of 1,026 people daily traveled down the East 16th Avenue location on foot or by bike, according to Denver Streets Partnership.

City officials will assess continuing the Shared Streets program again when spring approaches, taking into consideration the city’s current developments with COVID-19.

The current list of Denver’s shared streets is available at denvergov.org.