The City of Denver evolved from five mining settlements situated near the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, in what is today the Central Platte Valley. The land, originally used as a hunting camp by the Arapaho Indians, was sheltered by bluffs to the west and rolling hills to the east. This was the most habitable area in this high prarie environment. As the city evolved, this valley was abandoned primarily because of seasonal flooding.

For a century the city continued to grow in all directions away from the Platte Valley. This left a large pocket of land practically abandoned and undeveloped, a large void in the urban fabric of the city. Industrial users moved in with most of the land dominated by a large rail yard.

As redevelopment of nearby historic districts and the recovery from wholesale “urban renewal” began to revive downtown and the adjacent neighborhoods, an initiative to unite the city across the valley grew. One third of the valley was recently purchased for redevelopment from the railroad and a majority of the tracks removed. Designated the Consolidated Main Line (CML), the three remaining railroad tracks were placed in a narrow zone bisecting the new valley development.

The re-connection of the city across the valley will occur along the 16th street corridor of which 14 blocks through downtown have become Denver’s most important urban space. The 16th Street Mall, designed by I. M. Pei in 1982, is a tidy, granite paved and tree lined street exclusively used by a shuttle bus system. With the reclamation of the Central Platte Valley, the extension of this street becomes the key link to the west building upon the existing energy and momentum that has taken root along the existing mall in the last 16 years.

To accelerate the linkage the City, in partnership with the valley land developer, has begun construction of the required infrastructure across the valley. This work includes a new 30 acre urban park and redevelopment of the South Platte River. A key component of the overall infrastructure development is the Denver Millennium Bridge.

Why "Millennium" Bridge
Instead of a person, a development or a place the name should reflect an idea. Denver as a city has been remaking itself; coming into its own in the last several years. This coincides with the millennium year. As the term millennium implies a milestone in time, and in a positive sense, looking to the future, the name is appropriate.