CDOT holds grand opening in Denver for new and improved Alameda Avenue Bridge over the South Platte River
The Colorado Department of Transportation unveiled a new and improved bridge over the South Platte River on Tuesday. The bridge in Denver connects Alameda Avenue from Santa Fe Drive to Lipan Street. An average of 47,000 vehicles pass over it on a daily basis.
Denver leaders celebrate the grand opening of the Alameda Avenue Bridge on Tuesday.
CBS
"Since Alameda is one of Denver's busiest roadways, it was critical for us to do all we can to improve our infrastructure through this area. As the metro area continues to grow and the resultant traffic that goes along with it, it's imperative we do all we can to serve the needs and improve safety for the various users who travel on the West Alameda Avenue corridor and the surrounding area," said Sally Chafee, CDOT's acting executive director, in a prepared statement.
The improvements include a new segment of the South Platte River Trail that goes under the bridge, wider sidewalks and some adjustments to the traffic flow around the bridge.
The previous bridge was more than 110 years old and was the oldest in the state highway system. Jessica Myklebust, regional transportation director for CDOT Region 1, said it had "uneven terrain, some missing sidewalk gaps, large cracks that were unable to be accommodated with mobility devices and uneven curb ramps."
"And today we're happy to say those issues no longer exist," Myklebust said at a Tuesday news conference.
Pete Piccolo from Bicycle Colorado said the new bridge provides a great experience for non-drivers as well.
"This really prioritizes the movement of all people, and especially pedestrians and bicyclists," he said.
The project was started in 2023 and cost $22.3 million.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
34 minutes ago
- CNN
Residents say Waymo robotaxis are driving them mad
It's nearing midnight as the young man scurries through a dark alley. He wears a mask and overalls and is armed with a roll of duct tape. As he nears his target – a driverless robot taxi – he tears off some tape to disable the futuristic car's sensors. 'We just want the Waymos to stop beeping at night,' he says. 'They're really disturbing us. They're disturbing our neighbors.' The man and others call themselves 'stackers,' and most nights you'll find them, faces masked from security cameras, on a mission. They stand in the way of robotaxis, so the cars are forced to line up in a stack in an alley and can't access two charging lots near downtown Santa Monica that Waymo opened in January, with little fanfare and apparently zero prior public awareness. 'We'll try lasering the next one,' one stacker says to another. 'We're just running some routine experiments to see what it takes to properly stack a Waymo.' Waymo — owned by Google's parent company Alphabet — now has about 300 robotaxis roaming the streets of Los Angeles County. They've become very popular with riders, but very unpopular with some residents who say human beings are kept awake at night by the robots' honking, flashing lights and back-up beeps, as well as the general hubbub generated by the robots' human attendants, who plug them in to charge and vacuum them between rides. 'When they began operating the lots, it was by complete surprise and all of us stopped sleeping,' says the original stacker, who goes by the handle Stacker One. He asked us not to use his real name. 'Beep, beep, beep all night long,' says Stacker One, who says he now hears the back-up noises in his head even when he's far away from his Santa Monica home. 'Like some of the other neighbors reported, I've had like phantom beeps during my drowsy days.' Waymo has tried, and so far failed, to get a restraining order against Stacker One. The stacking continues. Santa Monica officials say the back-up beeping isn't loud enough to violate the city's noise ordinance. But Stacker One points to another local law saying there can be no 'business support operations' between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. within 100 feet of a residence. 'And there's no mention of an exception that says if you get a robot to yell for you, you're allowed to do that at night,' he says. In the face of complaints, Waymo says it has bought quieter vacuums for the humans who clean the robotaxis, limited the speed they drive in the alleys to 10 mph and limited the late-night use of the lot that was drawing the most complaints. The company has also planted some bamboo, hoping to muffle the noise of both the robotaxis and their human attendants. 'We strive to be good neighbors,' a Waymo spokesperson told CNN. 'We are in ongoing conversation with the city's Department of Transportation and are actively working with the agency as we explore and implement mitigations that address neighbors' concerns.' But the lots continue to operate, and the robots continue to beep when they back up. 'They've not done enough,' says Nancy Taylor, a long-time local who likens the nighttime disturbance to a Las Vegas light show. 'In fact, last night it was worse.' She now sleeps with a white noise machine, and behind newly installed blackout drapes. This Waymo war in Santa Monica is an example of how humans are still trying to figure out how to live alongside and legislate technology in this nascent age of artificial intelligence. The first issue: who regulates what when it comes to new, revolutionary inventions like motor vehicles that aren't driven by humans? A spokesperson for Santa Monica told me: 'The city has no jurisdiction to regulate Waymo's operations, as autonomous vehicle/robotaxi services are exclusively permitted in California by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Motor Vehicles.' The Public Utilities Commission say they only handle passenger safety. And the DMV referred us back to Waymo and local law enforcement. The back-up beeping is the main issue for people who live around the lots in Santa Monica. And that is a stipulation of federal law: all autonomous electric vehicles — just like large delivery trucks — must beep when they're backing up for the safety of the pedestrians around them. One exasperated and under-slept local questioned the need: pointing out that robots can see just as clearly when they're going backwards as forwards, that they're not piloted by a human straining to look over their shoulder, and they're programmed not to hit any human who might walk in their way. With driverless cars spreading across the nation, some laws will need to be tweaked. In New York State, for example, the law says a driver must have at least one hand on the steering wheel at all times. An AI algorithm, of course, doesn't have a hand. As we were wrapping up chatting to Stacker One on a recent sunny afternoon in Santa Monica, we saw Waymos gathering, gridlocked around the gate of the already overflowing charging lot. A Santa Monica Police Department parking enforcement officer was frantically printing out parking tickets and slipping them under the robots' windshield wipers. The offence: parked in an alley without a driver behind the wheel. If there were human drivers inside, she couldn't give the cars a parking ticket. She can give them to robots. But a parking ticket is, right now, the only ticket a cop can give to a Waymo. Robots, under current California law, can't get traffic tickets. State legislators are currently mulling a bill that would, among other things, 'Require the individual car violating the law to be assessed fines and points in the same manner as a human driver.' But would a $300 ticket be as strong a disincentive to a corporation that owns a robot as it is to a human driver who is paying out of their own, much smaller pocket? 'The solution is to treat these cars like they're cars,' says Grayson Small, a musician who lives on an alley that leads to the Waymo lots. He's too far away to be bothered by the noise but worries about safety. 'You can watch it even now,' he said, pointing to a Waymo inching into a crosswalk. 'It didn't stop at all at the stop sign! It's rolling!' Helping policymakers and the public understand the challenges that are coming is the job of Hamid Ekbia, director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute and a professor at Syracuse University. 'The public should be involved in conversations before the fact, before these technologies are let loose,' he says. 'All AI technologies should go through this process.' Residents say public consultation has not happened. At least not in Santa Monica, at least not regarding Waymo. 'I asked if I could come to their city council meeting to ask questions,' Taylor tells CNN. 'They said, 'Oh they have a waiver, there's not going to be a city council meeting.'' And there wasn't. 'Many of us have also appealed to each relevant department of the city,' says Stacker One. 'We didn't immediately engage in protests, constitutionally protected activity. That was not our first step.' Ekbia worries that other new AI technologies are not visible, so the public can't stand in front of them to protest. 'This is just the tip of the iceberg,' he says of the Waymo standoffs. 'People could react, respond, because they can see it, and they can hear it. There are going to be systems where the effects, the impacts are not going to be visible. So we better do something before it's too late. Even if it is at the expense of slowing things down. You know, what's the rush?' 'People need to care about people,' says Stacker One. 'Government works for the people … and not for something else.' Small, the musician, says: 'Doing things that we've never been able to do in the past is great.' However, he's anxious he'll get run over by a robot when taking his trash out to the alley. 'But if it comes at the expense of humanity and human happiness and joy and being able to live life and not being inconvenienced constantly: what's the point?'
CNN
43 minutes ago
- CNN
Residents say Waymo robotaxis are driving them mad
It's nearing midnight as the young man scurries through a dark alley. He wears a mask and overalls and is armed with a roll of duct tape. As he nears his target – a driverless robot taxi – he tears off some tape to disable the futuristic car's sensors. 'We just want the Waymos to stop beeping at night,' he says. 'They're really disturbing us. They're disturbing our neighbors.' The man and others call themselves 'stackers,' and most nights you'll find them, faces masked from security cameras, on a mission. They stand in the way of robotaxis, so the cars are forced to line up in a stack in an alley and can't access two charging lots near downtown Santa Monica that Waymo opened in January, with little fanfare and apparently zero prior public awareness. 'We'll try lasering the next one,' one stacker says to another. 'We're just running some routine experiments to see what it takes to properly stack a Waymo.' Waymo — owned by Google's parent company Alphabet — now has about 300 robotaxis roaming the streets of Los Angeles County. They've become very popular with riders, but very unpopular with some residents who say human beings are kept awake at night by the robots' honking, flashing lights and back-up beeps, as well as the general hubbub generated by the robots' human attendants, who plug them in to charge and vacuum them between rides. 'When they began operating the lots, it was by complete surprise and all of us stopped sleeping,' says the original stacker, who goes by the handle Stacker One. He asked us not to use his real name. 'Beep, beep, beep all night long,' says Stacker One, who says he now hears the back-up noises in his head even when he's far away from his Santa Monica home. 'Like some of the other neighbors reported, I've had like phantom beeps during my drowsy days.' Waymo has tried, and so far failed, to get a restraining order against Stacker One. The stacking continues. Santa Monica officials say the back-up beeping isn't loud enough to violate the city's noise ordinance. But Stacker One points to another local law saying there can be no 'business support operations' between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. within 100 feet of a residence. 'And there's no mention of an exception that says if you get a robot to yell for you, you're allowed to do that at night,' he says. In the face of complaints, Waymo says it has bought quieter vacuums for the humans who clean the robotaxis, limited the speed they drive in the alleys to 10 mph and limited the late-night use of the lot that was drawing the most complaints. The company has also planted some bamboo, hoping to muffle the noise of both the robotaxis and their human attendants. 'We strive to be good neighbors,' a Waymo spokesperson told CNN. 'We are in ongoing conversation with the city's Department of Transportation and are actively working with the agency as we explore and implement mitigations that address neighbors' concerns.' But the lots continue to operate, and the robots continue to beep when they back up. 'They've not done enough,' says Nancy Taylor, a long-time local who likens the nighttime disturbance to a Las Vegas light show. 'In fact, last night it was worse.' She now sleeps with a white noise machine, and behind newly installed blackout drapes. This Waymo war in Santa Monica is an example of how humans are still trying to figure out how to live alongside and legislate technology in this nascent age of artificial intelligence. The first issue: who regulates what when it comes to new, revolutionary inventions like motor vehicles that aren't driven by humans? A spokesperson for Santa Monica told me: 'The city has no jurisdiction to regulate Waymo's operations, as autonomous vehicle/robotaxi services are exclusively permitted in California by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Motor Vehicles.' The Public Utilities Commission say they only handle passenger safety. And the DMV referred us back to Waymo and local law enforcement. The back-up beeping is the main issue for people who live around the lots in Santa Monica. And that is a stipulation of federal law: all autonomous electric vehicles — just like large delivery trucks — must beep when they're backing up for the safety of the pedestrians around them. One exasperated and under-slept local questioned the need: pointing out that robots can see just as clearly when they're going backwards as forwards, that they're not piloted by a human straining to look over their shoulder, and they're programmed not to hit any human who might walk in their way. With driverless cars spreading across the nation, some laws will need to be tweaked. In New York State, for example, the law says a driver must have at least one hand on the steering wheel at all times. An AI algorithm, of course, doesn't have a hand. As we were wrapping up chatting to Stacker One on a recent sunny afternoon in Santa Monica, we saw Waymos gathering, gridlocked around the gate of the already overflowing charging lot. A Santa Monica Police Department parking enforcement officer was frantically printing out parking tickets and slipping them under the robots' windshield wipers. The offence: parked in an alley without a driver behind the wheel. If there were human drivers inside, she couldn't give the cars a parking ticket. She can give them to robots. But a parking ticket is, right now, the only ticket a cop can give to a Waymo. Robots, under current California law, can't get traffic tickets. State legislators are currently mulling a bill that would, among other things, 'Require the individual car violating the law to be assessed fines and points in the same manner as a human driver.' But would a $300 ticket be as strong a disincentive to a corporation that owns a robot as it is to a human driver who is paying out of their own, much smaller pocket? 'The solution is to treat these cars like they're cars,' says Grayson Small, a musician who lives on an alley that leads to the Waymo lots. He's too far away to be bothered by the noise but worries about safety. 'You can watch it even now,' he said, pointing to a Waymo inching into a crosswalk. 'It didn't stop at all at the stop sign! It's rolling!' Helping policymakers and the public understand the challenges that are coming is the job of Hamid Ekbia, director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute and a professor at Syracuse University. 'The public should be involved in conversations before the fact, before these technologies are let loose,' he says. 'All AI technologies should go through this process.' Residents say public consultation has not happened. At least not in Santa Monica, at least not regarding Waymo. 'I asked if I could come to their city council meeting to ask questions,' Taylor tells CNN. 'They said, 'Oh they have a waiver, there's not going to be a city council meeting.'' And there wasn't. 'Many of us have also appealed to each relevant department of the city,' says Stacker One. 'We didn't immediately engage in protests, constitutionally protected activity. That was not our first step.' Ekbia worries that other new AI technologies are not visible, so the public can't stand in front of them to protest. 'This is just the tip of the iceberg,' he says of the Waymo standoffs. 'People could react, respond, because they can see it, and they can hear it. There are going to be systems where the effects, the impacts are not going to be visible. So we better do something before it's too late. Even if it is at the expense of slowing things down. You know, what's the rush?' 'People need to care about people,' says Stacker One. 'Government works for the people … and not for something else.' Small, the musician, says: 'Doing things that we've never been able to do in the past is great.' However, he's anxious he'll get run over by a robot when taking his trash out to the alley. 'But if it comes at the expense of humanity and human happiness and joy and being able to live life and not being inconvenienced constantly: what's the point?'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
AI-powered self-driving software is disrupting the trucking industry
Print Close By Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report Published June 25, 2025 Artificial intelligence-powered self-driving trucks are no longer a distant concept. They are quickly becoming a real solution to some of the logistics industry's biggest challenges. As supply chains face growing pressure and the driver shortage deepens across the U.S. and Europe, Plus Automation is stepping up with bold ambitions and powerful AI. Recently, the Santa Clara, California-based startup announced it will go public through a merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX. The combined company will operate as PlusAI, which describes itself as a Physical AI company commercializing AI-based virtual driver software for autonomous trucks. While the SPAC merger is a major milestone, at the heart of this deal is Plus' goal of driving the future of autonomous freight and reshaping the trucking industry, even as concerns around safety, regulation and driver jobs continue to spark debate. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join. DRIVERLESS BIG RIG ROBOTRUCKS ARE NOW ON THE ROAD IN THIS STATE Why Plus is grabbing attention in the trucking world Trucking is a $2 trillion freight market in the U.S. and Europe alone, and it faces some serious headwinds. There is a growing shortage of drivers, rising costs, and relentless demand for faster deliveries. Plus's SuperDrive software is designed to address these pain points by enabling safe, scalable autonomous trucking. The technology is not just theoretical. It has already been tested over five million miles across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, gathering real-world data to make its AI smarter and more reliable with every trip. Founded in Silicon Valley in 2016 by engineers and entrepreneurs with deep roots in AI and machine learning, Plus has always aimed to do things differently. Instead of relying on hand-coded rules, Plus uses advanced AI models to create a "driving intelligence" that learns and adapts from every mile on the road. This AV 2.0 approach helped Plus achieve a major safety milestone in April 2025, when its SuperDrive system successfully completed "driver-out" validation. The truck operated autonomously without a human behind the wheel. Plus is currently running public road tests in Texas and Sweden, with more fleet trials coming soon. HOW TO LOWER YOUR CAR INSURANCE COSTS IN 2025 DRIVERLESS BIG RIG ROBOTRUCKS ARE NOW ON THE ROAD IN THIS STATE The power of partnerships: OEMs and industry leaders One of Plus's biggest strengths is its deep integration with top truck manufacturers, including TRATON GROUP, Hyundai, and IVECO. These companies are working closely with Plus to factory-build, validate, and support autonomous trucks powered by SuperDrive. This OEM-led strategy means that fleet operators will receive autonomous trucks ready for the road, complete with support from trusted manufacturers. Plus is not working in isolation. The company has formed strategic collaborations with industry leaders like DSV, Bosch, and NVIDIA. These partnerships are designed to accelerate the rollout of autonomous capabilities and ensure that the technology is robust, reliable, and ready for real-world deployment. By working together, they are building an ecosystem that supports fleet operators every step of the way. WOULD YOU HOP ON THIS DRIVERLESS ELECTRIC CITY BUS? Financial strength and a smart business model The upcoming merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX is expected to provide Plus with up to $300 million in gross proceeds. This capital will help fund the commercial launch of SuperDrive-enabled, factory-built autonomous trucks in 2027. Plus is entering the public market with a pre-money valuation of $1.2 billion, offering an attractive opportunity for investors interested in the next wave of AI-driven logistics. What sets Plus apart financially is its capital-light, software-focused model. Instead of building trucks from scratch, Plus provides the AI "brain" that powers them, generating recurring revenue through a driver-as-a-service approach. This means high margins, scalable growth, and a clear path to profitability. The company is led by a team of experienced founders and executives, including CEO David Liu, who has a proven track record of building and scaling technology startups. Liu underscores the company's broader mission, stating: "Our long-term vision is to empower fleet operators to run global freight networks with autonomous vehicles that improve safety, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs. We believe the industry is at a critical inflection point, driven by breakthroughs in AI, supportive regulatory momentum, and ecosystem readiness." WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? BIG RIGS DELIVER CARGO WITH NO HUMANS AT THE WHEEL Why autonomous trucking is more relevant than ever The numbers tell a compelling story. The U.S. and Europe together face a shortage of over 300,000 truck drivers every year, and that gap is only expected to widen as the workforce ages. Autonomous trucks offer a real solution by reducing operating costs, increasing truck utilization, and helping fleet operators keep up with demand. Plus's SuperDrive system is purpose-built for these challenges. With ongoing fleet trials and partnerships, the company is well-positioned to deliver a safe, scalable alternative to traditional trucking. 15 BEST FEATURES OF AMAZON PRIME YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT What's next for Plus and the industry? Looking ahead, Plus is targeting the commercial launch of its SuperDrive-enabled trucks in 2027, starting in the U.S. and expanding into Europe. With operations in California, Texas, and Germany, Plus is ready to support customers on both sides of the Atlantic. The company's long-term vision is to empower fleet operators to run global freight networks with autonomous vehicles that improve safety, boost efficiency, and cut costs. Not everyone is onboard: Skepticism and industry pushback While Plus Automation's vision is ambitious, it is not without critics. The autonomous trucking industry continues to face scrutiny from regulators, labor unions, and some logistics professionals who question whether the technology is truly ready for wide-scale deployment. Regulatory uncertainty remains one of the biggest obstacles. Fully autonomous, driver-out operations like Plus is testing raise complex questions about safety, liability, and insurance. Many policymakers are cautious, arguing that current oversight and laws have not yet adapted to the fast-moving landscape of vehicle automation. Labor organizations, particularly the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have voiced strong opposition. They warn that the widespread adoption of autonomous trucks could displace tens of thousands of human drivers and impact job security across the freight industry. These groups are pushing for more transparency, safety assurances, and legal protections for workers as automation expands. In a public statement opposing the rapid rollout of autonomous trucks, Sean M. O'Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said this: "We are not going to sit back and watch as automation threatens the livelihood of millions of truck drivers across America." This quote underscores the growing tension between innovation and labor rights. For many in the workforce, autonomous trucking is seen less as a technological leap forward and more as a potential disruption to long-standing jobs and livelihoods. Even within the logistics industry itself, some operators remain skeptical about the pace of adoption. Questions remain about how autonomous systems will handle unpredictable real-world conditions such as bad weather, complex intersections, and rural roadways where sensor performance can vary. In response, Plus emphasizes its phased approach to automation. Rather than replacing drivers overnight, the company positions its SuperDrive system as a way to augment human capabilities, improve safety, and reduce fatigue. Its deep partnerships with trusted manufacturers and logistics providers are also aimed at easing the transition and building confidence across the industry. As Plus prepares to go public, how it addresses these concerns from regulators, workers, and industry stakeholders will be critical. Earning trust may prove just as important as advancing the technology itself. SUBSCRIBE TO KURT'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR QUICK VIDEO TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES The long road to autonomous safety According to Linda Garner-Bunch, managing editor of The Trucker Media Group : "The idea of developing viable — and safe — autonomous Class 8 trucks has been around since the 1990s, with lots of tech firms tossing their hats in the ring. Many of those firms have failed, often because of a lack of funding. In addition, both the general public and the trucking industry have expressed concerns about the safety of current autonomous technology. After all, an 80,000-pound driverless truck can do a lot more damage than a 6,000-pound passenger car if something goes wrong! To address this, legislation has been introduced requiring that a qualified human operator be present in autonomous heavy-duty trucks to take over manual control as needed. Even so, autonomous tech is becoming increasingly common in both commercial and private vehicles — think anti-lock brakes, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane assist, camera systems … the list goes on and on. Autonomy may be the future of the trucking industry, but it's not ready for full deployment at this time. Adequate funding is needed to ensure that the development and testing of autonomous technology is done properly and safely. The merger between Plus and Churchill Capital Corp IX will help ensure the company has the necessary capital to conduct research, development, and testing while ensuring the safety of everyone on the road." Kurt's key takeaways Autonomous trucking might still sound futuristic to some, but companies like Plus Automation are proving it's already becoming a reality. With real-world testing, major industry partnerships, and a smart approach to scaling, Plus is putting itself in a strong position to lead this next chapter in logistics. That said, the journey won't be without its challenges. From regulatory roadblocks to concerns about the impact on jobs, there's still a lot to figure out. But if Plus can keep building trust and showing that its tech really does make trucking safer and more efficient, it could help reshape how freight moves across the U.S. and beyond. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Are you ready to share the road with autonomous trucks powered by AI instead of human drivers, or do you think there are still hurdles to overcome before this technology should go mainstream? Let us know by writing us at . For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to . Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover . Follow Kurt on his social channels Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Print Close URL
