From now through early December, almost every busy night in University Park depends on University Boulevard and Buchtel Boulevard. That is where people park for DU hockey, where traffic heads to the Newman Center, and it is close to Chamberlin Observatory's free monthly open house. It is also where Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is pouring concrete this week.
This weekend, all of it lands on one day. Saturday, Nov. 14 is the last day of the full Buchtel closure, a 6 p.m. hockey game against Lindenwood, and the Denver Astronomical Society's free open house on the Chamberlin lawn. If you live here, the best way to plan the next five weeks is to know which side of that intersection is open, and when.
This Week's Closure, and the Switch Coming Next
The work belongs to the city's Buchtel Boulevard & Evans Intersection Improvements project, part of the University Safer Streets Program. It started in July 2026 and is expected to take about 18 months. It covers two miles of Buchtel, from west of University to Colorado Center Drive at Birch Street, east of Colorado Boulevard. Crews will add protected bike lanes, sidewalks and crossings along that stretch and rebuild five intersections: Buchtel at University, St. Paul and Colorado, plus Evans at University and Colorado.
Here is what is in place through Saturday, Nov. 14, according to the city's weekly update:
- Buchtel is fully closed to through traffic between University and St. Paul, 24 hours a day, with detours posted to Evans Avenue.
- The left turn from southbound University onto eastbound Buchtel is closed.
- The right northbound lane of University is closed from East Jewell Avenue to the southbound I-25 on-ramp, so traffic shifts into a single lane. The on-ramp stays open.
- The city says access to driveways and businesses will be kept open.
Crews are working on the east side of the University and Buchtel intersection this week. That means mast arm poles, curb ramps, sidewalk, concrete pavement and median covers, plus striping on Buchtel.
The city expects the next phase to start around mid-November. Buchtel reopens from University to St. Paul, and the stretch from St. Paul to Monroe Street closes. Work at University and Buchtel moves to the west side, with right lane closures on southbound University. DOTI says it will send a separate notice once dates are confirmed. Check the project page before you drive, since it is updated week by week.
Saturday, Nov. 14 Puts Three Things in the Same Few Blocks
The Pioneers host Lindenwood at Magness Arena on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. DOTI's project page warns of extra congestion on the detour routes during DU hockey events and heavy foot traffic to and from Lot 108, the athletics lot next to the construction.
On that same Saturday at dusk, the Denver Astronomical Society holds its monthly open house on the south lawn of Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Ave. It is free and needs no tickets or reservations. Weather permitting, visitors can look through the observatory's 20-inch Alvan Clark-Saegmuller refractor and through members' telescopes set up on the park lawn. Lawn viewing starts at dusk, and building tours start after dark. If you got a telescope and never figured out how to use it, bring it early. Members help people with their own scopes while they set up before dark.
With a dusk start and a 6 p.m. puck drop, observatory visitors and hockey fans will be on the move during the same early-evening window. That evening is also the last scheduled night of the Buchtel closure. If you are heading to Observatory Park, staying off University near Buchtel around game time is the simplest plan.
How to Reach Lot 108 Now
DU Athletics posted an Oct. 8 parking and construction advisory that changes the route anyone used to before this season. Direct access to Lot 108 from University Boulevard is closed while Buchtel is under construction, which the advisory says runs until late 2027. To get to the lot from University:
- Turn east on Asbury Avenue.
- Turn north on South Josephine Street.
- Enter Lot 108 from Josephine.
The same advisory has other changes too. DU now uses license plate readers in every campus lot, so you scan a QR code and enter your plate number when you pay, and game-night enforcement goes by plate. Lot 108 costs $7 per vehicle, compared with $12 at Lots 311, C and L. Lot 108 is also the only game-day lot that takes cash. You can buy parking for Lots C, L and 108 ahead of time, and DU suggests taking RTD to the University of Denver Station instead.
The Calendar Through Dec. 17
Hockey Friday and Saturday nights show up in three separate weekends, and two of them land next to holiday events on campus and at the observatory.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13 | DU hockey vs. Lindenwood | Magness Arena | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | DU hockey vs. Lindenwood | Magness Arena | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Denver Astronomical Society open house, free | Chamberlin Observatory south lawn | Dusk |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Astronomy Night, ticketed | Chamberlin Observatory | 7:30 to 11 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Lindsay Lou | Newman Center | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | DU hockey vs. St. Thomas | Magness Arena | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | DU hockey vs. St. Thomas | Magness Arena | 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | A Celtic Christmas | Newman Center | See calendar |
| Sat. and Sun., Nov. 28 and 29 | Belliston Ballet's Nutcracker | Newman Center | See calendar |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | DU hockey vs. North Dakota | Magness Arena | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | DU hockey vs. North Dakota | Magness Arena | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Symphony of the Rockies' Holly Jolly Holiday Concert | Newman Center | See calendar |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Sing n' Sleigh Bells | Chamberlin Observatory | 3 to 5 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Christmas Dreaming with Stella Cole | Newman Center | 7:30 p.m. |
The busiest weekend is Dec. 5 and 6. North Dakota is in town for a 6 p.m. Saturday game, and Symphony of the Rockies plays the Newman Center the same day. Times for the Newman Center shows marked "See calendar" are on DU's Newman Center calendar, and the Newman Center Presents season page has the 7:30 p.m. Lindsay Lou and Stella Cole shows. On Sunday afternoon, the University Park Community Council holds Sing n' Sleigh Bells at Chamberlin Observatory from 3 to 5 p.m., with wagon rides, a cookie potluck, Santa and observatory tours. The council says more details are still to come.
The Nov. 17 Astronomy Night needs a ticket, unlike the free open house three days earlier. Tickets for these monthly nights usually go on sale about two months out, so if you don't have one yet, the open house is the night you can still go.
On Foot, the Route Has Moved Too
People walking across University at Buchtel this week use a new pedestrian detour. It sits at the southeast corner of the intersection, crosses east to west at the south crosswalk, and runs north to south from Lot 108. The city says it is fully ADA-compliant, with ramps at both ends, and that it adds 1 to 2 minutes to the walk. Other sidewalks within the project area are still closed, and bike access is restricted behind barriers.
That detour comes with an end date. DOTI says the hockey-night detours will stay until the east side of the intersection reopens and work moves west. So the walk you take to the Lindenwood games will probably be different from the walk to the St. Thomas games a week later.
A smaller change on Evans is already finished. A separate 2026 city crossing project added a HAWK signal, a concrete pedestrian refuge island and new signs at the alley between South Marion and South Lafayette streets. For anyone walking to the Evans storefronts west of University, it is a signal-controlled crossing at a spot that didn't have one before.
What the Cones Are Building Toward
According to the project page, the Buchtel corridor will end up with protected bike lanes and continuous sidewalks, realigned lanes and new signals to cut down on turning conflicts at all five intersections, new crosswalks next to RTD's Colorado Station, and new lighting and wayfinding signs. The city expects to finish in late 2027, so next fall's hockey season will open with work still going.
On Evans, Post Oak Barbecue is building its second Denver location at 1737 E. Evans Ave., in the old Sawa space. The Denver Post reported in May that the plans included a patio, about 100 seats and a new brisket burger. The restaurant's Evans page lists a grand opening in December 2026 and is hiring for that location. If it opens on that schedule, it will open while crews are still working at Evans and University, one of the five intersections in the project.
When I talk with neighbors about selling or buying around DU, construction calendars like this one come up more than you'd expect, because they affect showing schedules, open houses and how a street feels on a Saturday. If you're thinking about a move and want to know how this phase of the Buchtel work lines up with your timing, contact me at Chriss Bond.
