Two city construction projects are tearing up Santa Fe Drive through the end of 2026. Everyone agrees the corridor needs the work. Nobody is counting what it costs the people who have to stay open through it. So we are counting.
Every week, participating businesses report one number: this week's revenue as a percentage of the same week last year. Percentages only. No business publishes its books. I go first with my own shop.
Denver Water is replacing 2,800 feet of 136-year-old water main between 7th and 12th. The voter-approved Santa Fe Streetscape project is planned to start in September.
Full closure during working hours, Mon-Fri 9am-9pm.
Open. Crews advance north in one to two block increments.
Open. Scheduled later in 2026.
Denver Water crews advance north from 7th in one to two block increments. Detour: east on 6th to Speer, north to 13th, back west. Denver Water does not work during First Friday Art Walks.
In Numbers
We are collecting the first round of numbers from Santa Fe businesses now. If you own or run a business on the corridor, add yours below. The more blocks reporting, the harder this is to wave away at City Hall.
Each number comes from the business itself: this week measured against the same week last year, as a percentage. Nobody hands over their books. Every business is confirmed as a real Santa Fe business before its figures count, and each one chooses whether it shows by name, by block, or only inside the totals. I report my own shop first.
These businesses are open behind the barricades. Hours, side-street access and parking notes included. Use it whether or not you ever vote for me.
910 Santa Fe Dr, Unit 6
8am–3pm daily
Enter from the alley or W 9th when the front is barricaded. Petition at the counter.
DirectionsWe will list you here with your hours, access notes and links. Free, and you do not have to report a single number to be listed.
One number a week, two minutes. You choose separately whether to be listed as open and whether your numbers carry your name. They are different decisions and we treat them that way.
Every week we publish what the construction is costing Santa Fe businesses: median revenue, median customers, block by block. No spin, no press release, just the figures the businesses reported.
Campaign news is a separate box on purpose. The Ledger is a service, and it should be possible to want it without wanting anything to do with an election.
Denver already built the fix. The city ran a construction-impact grant program on East Colfax for BRT: $7,500 to $15,000 per business, roughly 125 businesses, about $1.6 million through the Business Impact Opportunity Fund. It worked. It has never been extended to Santa Fe.
Denver did this for Colfax. Do it for Santa Fe.
To be clear about where I stand: I am not against fixing Santa Fe Drive. The corridor needs the work and voters approved it. I am against fixing it in a way that bankrupts the people who waited years for it.
Two separate projects are tearing up the same street, run by two different agencies, and neither one tells you about the other. These are the primary sources. We link them so you do not have to take our summary for it.
Denver Water, replacing a 136-year-old main from 7th north to 12th in one to two block increments. This is the project closing the street right now. Posted hours are 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and the notice also allows some weekend work, typically 8am to 5pm.
Project page and update sign-upThe city's $29 million rebuild from 6th to 13th: wider sidewalks, drainage, lighting, trees. Voters approved it in November 2025. Sidewalk and mobility work starts after the water main, and the whole thing runs to the end of 2028.
Project page and update sign-upDenver's own construction-impact grant program, up to $15,000 plus one-on-one help, for businesses disrupted by city-funded construction. This is the program that was run for Colfax. Check the current round's eligibility yourself rather than assuming Santa Fe is covered.
Eligibility and how to applyThe Santa Fe Business Improvement District and the Art District on Santa Fe both track the streetscape work and both have a direct line to the contractors. If you are not talking to them yet, start.
The 58-acre rail yard one block west of Santa Fe runs 6th to 13th, the same blocks being dug up now, and it is the preferred site for the Broncos stadium and a mixed-use redevelopment targeting 2031. Rezoning, the small area plan and the infrastructure agreements are all still open, which means the decisions that will shape traffic, parking and rents on this corridor for the next decade are being made in meetings that are open to you right now.
Burnham Yard community planning