Millennium Bridge

16th St. at Chestnut St., Denver

Upon its 2003 opening, the Millennium Bridge became an instant landmark in Denver [1] and an important part of the redevelopment of the Central Platte Valley.

The 16th Street Pedestrian Mall used to end at Wynkoop Street, where railroad tracks from behind Union Station [2] dominated the landscape. Now 16th Street has extended beyond its old boundary in LoDo and the Millennium Bridge brings people up and over the railroad tracks into the Platte Valley and the bustling Riverfront Park development area and Commons Park [3].

Up out of the flat prairie floor rises a 200-foot white mast held in place on a wide deck by multiple steel cables. The bridge has stairs on either side as well as elevators and is the most scenic walk from downtown to parks and the South Platte River.

Additional bridges on the other side of Commons Park lead to restaurants and shops on Platte Street and then to the eastern edge of the Highlands neighborhood, which has a growing number of popular restaurants.

With the dramatic backdrop of the city’s skyline and the distinctive architecture of the bridge, it has become a favorite spot for fashion shoots. In 2007, the inaugural Riverfront Fashion Series was held at the base of the bridge. As coal trains rattle under the bridge night and day, there are typically tourists and art students taking in the view from the bridge and trying get a good shot of the mast.