Old San Rafael Neighborhood Organization

Parade Route for Democratic National Convention

Jun 16, 2008

City of Denver Announces Designated Parade Route for Use During the Democratic National Convention



(DENVER) The City and County of Denver announced Thursday details of the Designated Parade Route to be available during the Democratic National Convention in late August for groups seeking to march toward the Pepsi Center. Details of additional transportation impacts are still being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks, but City officials underscore that downtown will be accessible and inconveniences to local residents, employees and businesses will be minimized.



?“In recognition of the value our community places on free speech, this Designated Parade Route is designed to provide diverse organizations access to a safe and visible Convention parade route in an approach and timeframe that minimizes mobility impacts on downtown businesses, residents and visitors,?” said Mayor John Hickenlooper. ?“Both the parade route and its hours of operation respect the desire of demonstrators to be seen and heard ?– as well as the needs of downtown residents and commuters to get to and from work before and after the parades take place.?”



As an expression of support for the rights of people to express their views safely and in a manner that respects the rights of others along with local, state and federal laws, the City and County of Denver announced in February its intention to provide a Designated Parade Route and waive its standard fees, making it available free-of-charge to groups wishing to conduct parades during the week of the Convention.



Denver?’s Designated Parade Route will be available all four days of the Convention (August 25-28, 2008) between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Over the next week, the City will work with the organizations that requested use of the Designated Parade Route to accommodate as many groups as possible in a fair and transparent manner.



PARADE STAGING AREA



On each day from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, requesting groups will be able to gather on Bannock Street between 14th Avenue and Colfax Avenue (adjacent to Civic Center Park) at 10:00 a.m. Since parking options are limited, those participating in the parades are encouraged to use public transportation or other alternatives to get to the staging area.



PARADE ROUTE



The Designated Parade Route will begin at 11:00 a.m. on the north side of Colfax Avenue in the westbound traffic lanes at Bannock Street and proceed west toward Speer Boulevard, where marchers will proceed north on the southbound lanes of Speer Boulevard to Larimer Street. The parade route will end within walking distance of the 50,000+ square-foot demonstration zone located in Pepsi Center parking lot A. Details of the route from Speer Boulevard and Larimer Street to the route terminus within walking distance of the public demonstration zone are still being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks. As is standard safety protocol for parade routes, prominent signage designating the route and traffic management/safety personnel along the route will be provided.



Related Street Closures: Bannock Street between 14th Avenue and Colfax Avenue will be closed August 25-28 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. During that time, the westbound lanes of Colfax Avenue from Bannock Street to Speer Boulevard will be closed, as will the southbound lanes of Speer Boulevard from Colfax Avenue to Larimer Street. The eastbound lanes of Colfax Avenue and the northbound lanes of Speer will remain open, but some slowdown in traffic flow is expected. (While details of the route from Speer Boulevard and Larimer Street to the route terminus within walking distance of the public viewing area/demonstration zone in the Pepsi Center?’s Lot A are still being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks, a map of the current parade route is attached).



NO PARADE IMPACT ON LIGHT RAIL



The RTD light rail line which crosses Speer Boulevard at Stout Street will remain open at all times, including the time allocated for parades. Additional security provided by RTD will supplement law enforcement officials to ensure the safety of marchers when the light rail trains cross the parade route.



PARADE TIMES: 11 a.m. ?– 3 p.m.



Permitted groups will be able to gather on Bannock Street between 14th Avenue and Colfax Avenue (adjacent to Civic Center Park) each day at 10:00 a.m. Each day, the first parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. Groups will continue with staggered start times, based on the crowd estimates they provided, with the final group crossing the start of the parade at the intersection of Bannock Street and Colfax Avenue by 2:30 p.m. each day to arrive at the route terminus by 3:00 p.m. From 2:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., City crews will follow the last group to clean the streets on the parade route. Traffic barricades that were provided for the safety of the marchers will be removed. Because the parades will take place during non-rush hours, downtown business commuters and residents will have the opportunity to get to and from work with minimized inconvenience.



NEXT STEPS



The City will work with the four separate entities that submitted parade requests by the initial March 14th deadline to reserve slots on the Designated Parade Route by June 19th. If capacity allows, subsequent requests will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. More details of the process, including parade request and application forms, are available on www.denvergov.org/DNC2008. Additional questions can be addressed to Kevin Scott at DNC2008permits@denvergov.org or 720-865-4330.



PUBLIC VIEWING AREA/DEMONSTRATION ZONE



The public demonstration zone will be a 50,000+ square foot area located in Lot A of the Pepsi Center, within sight and sound of the delegates entering the facility. It will be open to all members of the public, whether they choose to participate in any of the marches or not. All activities within the public demonstration zone remain subject to local, state and federal laws.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES:



The City continues to work with law enforcement officials to finalize plans regarding mobility and access during the Convention. Additional details will be announced as they become available. We continue to underscore that while there will be some additional screening procedures and security measures in some locations, all downtown residents will be able to access their homes and parking garages, and downtown businesses will be able to remain open with access for both their employees and customers.



Ongoing updates will be disseminated widely and made available through a variety of sources, including www.DenverGov.org , www.DowntownDenver.com , www.DenverConvention.com , 3-1-1 and more.