Planning may begin later this year on up to 60 individual capital projects in Denver, all of which will be funded via the Vibrant Denver bond program passed by city voters last fall.
The projects include everything from road and bridge upgrades to park improvements and are scheduled to be completed within a six-year time frame.
Just days ago, three major credit agencies gave the Mile High City a triple A rating regarding its ability to pay back all dollars to bond shoppers interested in funding the projects.
Denver will pay the bondholders back using revenue from property taxes, with the first round of funding equaling $218 million.
In a landslide vote, Denver voters approved five separate bond ballot questions worth a total of nearly $1 billion. The questions were categorized as projects related to transportation and mobility, parks and recreation, health and human services, city facilities, and housing.
Among some of the larger projects to be funded through Vibrant Denver bonds are the reworking and partial teardown of the city’s 8th Avenue viaduct at $89 million; a new police training center at $75 million; and a West 38th Avenue multimodal center at $55 million.
The project list for the bond program came about after months of sometimes contentious public input meetings.
At the time of Vibrant Denver’s passage, Mayor Mike Johnston, the most visible proponent of the proposal, said the election result meant that “we’re building a stronger, more connected, and more vibrant city for generations to come.”
February 13, 2026
By Garry Boulard
