Blending a Roundabout into an Art District in Lakewood, Colorado

The City of Lakewood is making improvements to the intersection of West 14 th Avenue and Lamar Street to improve intersection safety and to provide pedestrian and bicycle connections between West Colfax Avenue to the north and the new walk-up light rail station on Lamar Street one block to the south of the intersection. This new station provided an opportunity for the city to look at redevelopment in the area in support of several historic plans and to consider the development of an art district to encompass the surrounding area of the Lamar Light Rail Station, the expanding campus of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design at Lamar Street and West Colfax Avenue, and connect a number of neighborhood city parks. This plan was called the 40 West Arts District and included a signature intersection at West 14th Avenue and Lamar Street. This paper provides the background and research leading to improvements at the West 14 th Avenue and Lamar Street intersection, reviews the existing conditions at the subject intersection, describes the intersection configuration selection and funding process, and reviews the roundabout design improvements.