The City's largest capital improvement project, the seven-mile long, $110 million Riverside Parkway, opened to traffic on August 15, 2008.

Since that time, the Parkway has already succeeded at one of its major goals-to reduce traffic congestion at First and Grand and along I-70B toward the mall. Within the first month of operation, traffic counts on First Street south of White Avenue showed a 35% reduction in average daily trips, from an average of 32,209 vehicles to a post-Parkway average of 20,708 vehicles.  The most recent traffic count in August of 2009 shows 19,900 vehicles at the same location. At the Rimrock Avenue and I-70B intersection, the average fell 30% from 40,655 vehicles per day to 28,107 vehicles per day within the first month.

Phase I - 9th Street and Struthers Avenue and continues east across Las Colonias Park, north to D Road then east to 29 Road. Mesa County contracted with the City to include the portion of 29 Road from D Road south to the Colorado River Bridge. This segment also included sewer line work on D Road from 15th Street to 29 Road and under-grounding of overhead utilities.

Construction of the four mile first phase was completed November 2006, and completion of the 29 Road segment coincided with Mesa County's Colorado river bridge opening in July 2006. Completion of the 29 Road portion allows Orchard Mesa residents to utilize the 29 Road corridor to get to the 30 Road underpass as an alternative to 5th Street.

Phase 2 - River Road from 24 Road to 4th Street consists of the reconstruction of River Road from 24 Road to Broadway, 25 Road overpass, and a new road on the east side of the Riverside neighborhood.

Phase 3 - 5th Street interchange -two bridges over the Union Pacific Railroad, the Riverside Parkway bridge over 5th Street, and widening of the existing 5th Street bridges over the Colorado River.

The $110 million dollar, seven mile project financed in part by the $80 million dollar 2003 bond issue passed by the voters and provides motorists an alternative to the Highway 6 and 50 corridor, and is part of a "loop" that will eventually connect with Interstate 70 at the interchange at 29 Road. Follow the construction progress on the 29 Road and I-70B Interchange project.

The contractor for all three phases of the Riverside Parkway project was SEMA Construction.