Merrick partnered with the City and County of Denver to design the 27th Street Storm Interceptor, a major stormwater infrastructure upgrade serving Denver’s ultra-urban, rapidly developing Five Points, Curtis Park, and RiNo neighborhoods. Aging, undersized storm sewers in this highly developed corridor caused frequent flooding that disrupted homes, businesses, and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail operations. The new large-diameter interceptor relieves pressure on the overburdened 36th Street outfall by redirecting flows to an underutilized 108-inch storm drain near Coors Field.

Through updated hydrologic modeling, strategic alignment selection, and innovative use of tunneling and construction phasing, Merrick increased the proposed system capacity from a 5-year to a 100-year storm event without increasing the overall budget. Construction was delivered in three carefully sequenced phases to minimize disruption in an ultra-urban setting—maintaining access to businesses, transit, emergency services, and major events, including Rockies games and the beloved Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade.