Denver Mall Renovation Cost Blowup | Denver News

Denver’s 16th Street Mall renovation hit a major snag when crews unearthed century-old, unmapped brick sewers—adding $18 million and nearly a year to the timeline. The city initially blamed contractors, but ultimately paid the bill without City Council approval, calling it a “change order” not a contract amendment. The auditor warns this lack of transparency leaves council members in the dark on critical projects. While the transportation department insists they followed protocol, the auditor argues the rules themselves are flawed. Costs ballooned from $149M to $175M, yet project management overall is deemed effective—with improvements already underway. The final result? Awards and pride, despite the chaos. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d467bf66ebf7337a