Big changes are coming to downtown Littleton, Colorado, and Denver Water is helping get things started.

Littleton City Council voted in November 2024 to adopt the a Project Downtown plan. The plan will guide investment decisions aimed at improving multimodal connectivity, parking, pedestrian safety, wayfinding, green infrastructure and streetscapes in downtown Littleton.

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But before the Project Downtown initiatives begin, Denver Water and the City of Littleton have determined the timing is right to replace more than 3,300 feet of aging water pipes underneath downtown roads. This proactive effort begins in February 2025 and, while not directly linked to Project Downtown, the pipe replacement work will upgrade Littleton’s water infrastructure now to avoid having to do so later, after above-ground improvements are complete.

Get more information and sign up to receive email updates on Denver Water's downtown Littleton pipe replacement project.

Denver Water anticipates the entire project will be complete before summer 2025.

“Upgrading this infrastructure now will ensure the system is reliable for many years to come,” said Austin Steckler, water distribution manager for Denver Water. “When we learned about the plans for the major upgrades in downtown Littleton, we decided to replace these pipes now to avoid having to dig up recently renovated areas of the city in the future.”

Learn more about the many communities outside of Denver, like City of Littleton, that Denver Water serves.

This project is part of the utility’s proactive pipe replacement program, which aims to replace about 90,000 feet of water distribution pipes annually. Denver Water replaces these pipes for various reasons, including repairing or reducing the chances of breaks, replacing corroded pipes, preventing water quality concerns, increasing available hydrant flow and improving area water delivery.

Business impacts and traffic management

Construction in a vibrant area like downtown Littleton can be disruptive to businesses and traffic. To minimize impacts as much as possible, as well as to reduce the overall construction timeline, Denver Water's work will typically occur at night, Sunday through Thursday, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Work on other days and at other times may be required.

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Denver Water is also working with the City of Littleton, the Littleton Downtown Development Authority and other local business leaders to ensure work goes as smoothly as possible. Learn more about many of the businesses in downtown Littleton by visiting DowntownLittleton.com and VisitLittleton.org.

The first phase of the project will take place along Main Street, from South Sycamore Street to Rapp Street, and is expected to last about two months.

Crews will then work along portions of Rapp Street, West Alamo Avenue, South Curtice Street, South Nevada Street and South Prince Street. (Click here to find Denver Water's project map.)

Work will occur in two-block increments at a time and involves site preparation, installing and connecting customers to the new pipe, testing the pipe to make sure there are no leaks and that it meets water quality standards, and repaving the street.

Denver Water will also replace any lead service lines encountered during this project. Investigations are ongoing to determine if any service lines in this area contain lead. For more information about Denver Water’s Lead Reduction Program, visit denverwater.org/Lead. 

Importance of coordinating with other projects

Denver Water has some of the oldest infrastructure in the metro area, as much of its network of pipes was installed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As new projects are constructed in its service area, Denver Water will coordinate with partner agencies if the utility decides it needs to proactively upgrade its pipeline network before the new project begins. 

“We work with partner agencies across our service area to make sure we’re aware of upcoming projects near our infrastructure, so we’re not digging up a recently updated part of the street,” Steckler said.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing with the downtown Littleton pipe replacement project.”

Project communications

Denver Water knows construction is impactful and is committed to communicating about impacts with residents and businesses.

“We are coordinating closely with the city and the community, and we’re going to do everything we can to minimize impacts of construction,” said Auria Alvarado, a community relations lead at Denver Water.

“We will get this work done as quickly and safely as possible, but we realize construction can be trying. We want everyone to know businesses are open during this project and we ask for patience as our crews complete this important work.”

Denver Water will provide updates throughout the project via email and the social media platform, Nextdoor.

Get more information and sign up to receive email updates on Denver Water's downtown Littleton pipe replacement project.

Residents and businesses in the construction zone will receive additional notifications with information about specific impacts they may experience.

“Communication is key for us,” said Alvarado. “We alert residents, businesses, city partners and other agencies before, during and after the work is done so they’re aware of what’s happening. Construction work can also have unexpected delays, so we do our best to get the word out when things change.”

Denver Water and City of Littleton each have webpages dedicated to this project.