Denver and Littleton filed suit against Bow Mar on Monday, Nov. 9, asking a judge to block two planned road restrictions that have fueled months of disagreement among the municipalities. The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court, challenges a gate under construction on South Sheridan Boulevard and the proposed closure of West Tufts Avenue at Bow Mar’s boundary.
The two cities argue that state law does not authorize Bow Mar to impose the barriers. Their complaint says the Colorado Department of Transportation classifies the affected roads as major collectors, making them important routes within the regional transportation network. Closing those connections, the cities contend, would transfer traffic and collision risks from Bow Mar to its neighbors.
Bow Mar, an affluent town of 900 residents with homes on large lots, borders both Denver and Littleton. Town officials have said they expect the Sheridan gate to be installed by the end of November and operating by January. Access through the gate would be limited to town residents, emergency services and delivery trucks.
Town leaders say the restrictions are needed to curb cut-through driving, which they say has already caused several collisions and could eventually result in a death. Bow Mar’s figures show that about 1,200 vehicles enter the town daily on Sheridan, 51% more than eight years ago. Police have issued nearly 900 citations for speeding and unsafe driving over the past four years. Residents crowded a town council meeting in June to demand action before a speeding driver kills someone.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a Monday news release that Bow Mar could not determine which roads are public or make driving less safe for residents of neighboring cities. Littleton Mayor Kyle Schlachter emphasized the need for residents of both cities to have equal access to the shared transportation network. Bow Mar spokesman Bill Rigler said Monday that the town had no immediate response to the lawsuit.
The complaint argues that diverting vehicles from a collector road with traffic signals would push drivers onto residential streets, where people reverse out of driveways and enter a busy arterial without signals. Denver and Littleton say that would raise collision risks involving vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and children, including turning collisions at unsignalized intersections on West Quincy Avenue.
The cities also contend that Bow Mar’s receipt of state road funding requires it to maintain public access. According to the complaint, the town received nearly $37,000 in Highway Users Tax Fund money from CDOT in 2025 and nearly $31,000 more through Oct. 20, 2026. The legal action stops short of a response Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn described last month: installing a Denver gate on Sheridan to counter Bow Mar’s barrier.
