Peña NEPA & Design

The Peña NEPA & Design Project is evaluating improvements to the Peña corridor. The goal is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient access for passengers, employees, and cargo traveling to and from Denver International Airport (DEN), while also supporting the mobility needs of surrounding communities.

This is a planning and environmental review project, not a construction project. The process will identify improvements that could move forward into detailed design and construction.

The Peña corridor includes Peña Boulevard and the RTD A Line, which provide roadway and rail connections between Denver International Airport (DEN), surrounding communities, and the broader region.

Peña Boulevard opened in 1993 primarily to provide airport access. As the area around DEN has developed, the boulevard has also become an important connection for nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and freight movement. Today, it carries more than 139,000 vehicles on peak days, far exceeding the traffic volumes typically accommodated by a four-lane highway.

The A Line opened in 2016 and carries approximately 17,000 to 18,000 riders daily, with DEN as its busiest station. Trains run every 15 minutes most of the day, dropping to 30-minute frequency in the evenings. Designed to accommodate approximately 37,000 daily riders, the line’s existing tracks, stations, and maintenance facilities can support future ridership growth without major infrastructure expansion.

DEN is a unique regional destination and a major economic engine, generating more than $47 billion in annual economic impact and supporting more than 40,000 on-airport jobs and 260,000 jobs throughout the region.

DEN served more than 82 million passengers in 2025 and is planning for more than 120 million annually by 2045. The Peña corridor is also a major transportation connection for nearby communities, providing access to jobs, services, and destinations throughout the region. Whether commuting to work, catching a flight, conducting business, or making everyday local trips, people depend on safe, reliable transportation. For airport travelers in particular, predictable travel times are essential, whether they travel frequently or occasionally.

Travel demand along the Peña corridor has grown significantly as DEN and surrounding communities have expanded. Increasing traffic volumes, congestion, safety concerns, and aging infrastructure have created challenges for airport access and local travel. Improvements are needed to enhance safety, improve travel-time reliability, address infrastructure needs, accommodate future growth, and expand transportation options.

DEN has completed project scoping, traffic and safety analysis, environmental field work, and several stages of alternatives development and evaluation. As the environmental review advances, DEN will refine the design, complete detailed environmental analyses, and prepare documentation of the environmental findings. The NEPA documentation will be provided for public and agency review and comment before a final federal decision, expected in 2028.

DEN has engaged airport travelers, employees, nearby residents, businesses, and other corridor users through surveys, public open houses, community events, stakeholder interviews, and focused discussions. These activities have provided opportunities for people to learn about the project, share their experiences, and identify transportation needs and priorities.

The project team has also attended events throughout surrounding communities and at DEN to reach people who may not participate in traditional public meetings. Spanish-language materials and interpretation services have helped make participation more accessible.

Public feedback has helped shape the project’s purpose and need, evaluate potential improvements, and focus the environmental review. Engagement will continue throughout environmental review and design.

Visit flydenver.com/pena-nepa-design for project updates, upcoming engagement opportunities, and ways to provide input. You can also email the project team at [email protected] with questions or comments.

DEN is evaluating a combination of roadway, transit, bicycle and pedestrian, safety, and operational improvements to address the Peña corridor’s transportation needs.

Roadway and operational improvements focus on reducing congestion, improving safety, addressing merging and weaving challenges, and upgrading aging infrastructure. Transit and other transportation options focus on improving access, providing more travel choices, and better managing demand on the roadway.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federally required review process that evaluates a project’s potential effects before federal approval is given. It helps agencies understand and disclose impacts, identify ways to avoid or reduce them, and involve the public in decision-making.

For the Peña project, the review will consider transportation, environmental, community, social, and economic effects, including traffic and safety, air quality, noise, water and wetlands, wildlife and natural resources, parks and trails, cultural resources, access to jobs and services, and effects on nearby communities. DEN will also consider environmental justice and climate impacts as part of the project’s broader environmental and community evaluation, though these topics are outside the scope of the current federal NEPA review.

Peña Boulevard between I-70 and E-470 is part of the National Highway System, and federal transportation funding is supporting the planning and environmental review. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the lead federal agency responsible for the NEPA decision, working with DEN and other agency partners.

Public involvement is an important part of the NEPA process. Anyone with an interest in the project can share their experiences, identify concerns, and provide feedback on proposed improvements and potential effects on communities and the environment.

Public input helps inform project decisions, identify issues for further study, and shape measures to avoid or minimize impacts. An important part of the public’s role is reviewing environmental findings and providing comments on potential impacts and proposed mitigation measures for consideration before a final federal decision is made.

It is too early to provide a final cost estimate. Cost estimates will become more detailed as the design advances.

Airport revenue, generated through airport operations, fees, and related sources rather than provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is expected to be the primary funding source for improvements that support airport access. Depending on the specific improvements and the benefits they provide, other funding sources may also be needed. DEN is actively exploring funding strategies as the project advances.

Yes. Federal law generally requires airport revenue to be used for the airport and other allowable airport-related purposes. The FAA is responsible for overseeing compliance with those federal requirements.

Construction could begin as early as 2028, after completion of the NEPA process and other required approvals and once funding is available. The construction schedule and duration will depend on design, funding, and project delivery method.

Specific construction impacts are not yet known because the project is still in the planning and environmental review stage. DEN recognizes the importance of maintaining access to the airport and surrounding communities as the area continues to grow and develop.

As design advances, construction planning will consider traffic management, phasing, detours, and potential impacts on travelers, airport employees, businesses, and nearby neighborhoods. Construction would be phased to maintain access to DEN and surrounding communities.