A great article on the late-60s proposal to vastly increase the freeway system across the Denver metro area, including a brand-new “Skyline Freeway” that would have cut through the heart of Lower Downtown and wiped out what are today some of the most successful revitalized areas.
While Denver did a lot of building demolition in the 60s-70s (which folk now deeply regret), this proposal, at least, never went beyond initial voter approval. Which is a good thing, as I seriously doubt it would have helped traffic much, but would have made Denver a lesser city at the same time.
Path of destruction: See the downtown Denver highway that almost happened – Denverite
If the plan had been enacted, the freeway would have swept from I-25 to I-70, charging through Lower Downtown between Blake and Larimer streets.
