Pressure is building for another big change to Denver’s transportation department

Mayor Mike Johnston is open to discussing major changes to the city s transportation department; he signaled in a recent letter to the Denver City Council. The Denver City Council has been waving the red flag about the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure s performance and effectiveness, with some members saying its duties have sprawled too far. “It’s a jack of many trades, master of none kind of issue,” Councilmember Flor Alvidrez told Denverite in an interview. “We’re not doing trash well. We’re not doing streets well.” On Friday, Johnston responded to those concerns with an invitation. “To the extent restructuring is required, we invite City Council to partner with the administration in collaboration to ensure any changes are for the long-term interests of the city and its constituents,” he wrote in a public letter, which was discussing the city’s budget more broadly. DOTI oversees everything from potholes and trash pickup to trying to reduce traffic deat