The City of Denver wants its own department of transportation, but it'll take some time to create it.
Over the summer, Mayor Michael Hancock announced the city was working to create the new department.
The original plans were supposed to go before voters this November.
A new cabinet-level department requires voters to sign off on a change to the city charter, allowing it to be created.
Officials said having a department focused on mobility would help improve transportation in the city and build stronger relationships between transportation partners like the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
However, this week, officials announced the plans would be moving much slower.
Results of a six-week study that was done from the end of April to early June were released Wednesday.
During the study, city officials heard from other cities across the U.S. that already have created their own departments of transportation (DOT).
Denver's Chief Performance Officer, David Edinger, said officials with many of those cities indicated that perhaps they should have moved more slowly in creating their DOTs because moving quickly negatively impacted other city operations.
Denver will be internally restructuring its Department of Public Works which officials expect to take 12 to 24 months.
Part of it will focus on public works operations while the other focuses on transportation.
The first step in the process is hiring a new executive director.
When the restructuring is complete, the new DOT will then be put before voters for the charter change.
If approved, the city will move forward in creating the new DOT which would take an additional 12 months.
If it doesn't pass, the department will remain restructured.
