Why South Hilltop's Side Streets Keep Closing, and Where the Trench Goes Next

The barricades on East Cedar Avenue between South Glencoe and South Fairfax streets went up October 21 and are scheduled to stay until November 11. A block east and south, South Glencoe Street is closed from Cedar down to Alameda and from Alameda on to East Dakota Avenue. If you have lived in South Hilltop since last winter, Cedar may feel like it has been closed a few times already. You'd be right about that.

Every one of these closures is part of the same project. Xcel Energy is replacing the six-mile Leetsdale-Monroe-Elati 230-kilovolt underground transmission line, which runs through central and southeast Denver. The new cable is going in along a route that passes through the residential side of Hilltop, and the work moves one block at a time on a schedule that runs through spring 2027.

Why the cable left Leetsdale Drive

The old line runs mostly under Leetsdale Drive and Speer Boulevard. According to Xcel's project page, it can't be rebuilt where it sits for three reasons: crews would face safety risks in heavy traffic, the existing line has to stay energized during construction, and there isn't enough room underground for a larger replacement. The utility says the new route "avoids collector and aerial roadways."

Xcel's November 2025 open house boards list the factors behind the route. They include traffic, residential and business parking, transit, existing underground utilities, soil and tree impacts, and long-term maintenance access. The aim was to keep the line in the public right-of-way and away from major collector and arterial streets. In practice, that pushed the cable onto low-traffic residential blocks. In Xcel's November 2025 virtual open house Q&A, the Phase 1 streets facing temporary closures are East Ellsworth Avenue, South Birch Street, East Cedar Avenue, South Glencoe Street, East Dakota Avenue, South Ivy Street, East Virginia Avenue and South Jersey Street.

Phase 1 starts at the Leetsdale substation, at the project's southeastern corner, and heads toward the Monroe substation. The Hilltop Neighborhood Association put it plainly when the project was announced: the work "directly effects residents who live in South Hilltop."

Cedar, then Birch and Bayaud, then Cedar again

The neighborhood association's newsletters show the trench working its way across South Hilltop since early this year.

In February, the association described the Cedar closure between Elm and Dahlia as the only active closure in the neighborhood. By spring, the impact had spread enough that it came up at a city meeting. At the April 7, 2026 District 5 community cabinet meeting, an Xcel representative said the primary impact in the district so far had been "in Hilltop along Cedar." Councilwoman Sawyer asked when Holly would reopen, and the estimate given was about three weeks. One attendee called Xcel's email notices "useful, timely and accurate," according to the meeting minutes. The East Bayaud closure from Clermont to Bellaire that showed up in the May update ended October 29.

The blocks closed this week

This is Xcel's Phase 1 closure list as updated October 29. Several of these windows are still open on Thursday, November 5.

Phase 2 is underway west of Hilltop. Monroe Street is closed from East 1st Avenue to East 3rd Avenue through November 16. East 4th Avenue between Fillmore and Clayton, including the Detroit intersection, is scheduled to reopen after November 6. East 1st Avenue between Cook and Harrison is closed November 2 through 6. Xcel says any of these dates can shift because of weather, material availability or underground obstacles found during digging.

What a closure looks like from your driveway

1. The street closes in both directions, one block at a time. Xcel's Q&A says a typical closure lasts one to three weeks, and some blocks can take up to four. The length depends on how deep the trench has to go and whether crews hit utility conflicts nobody knew about.
2. Crews cut the pavement and dig. The open-trench method means removing the street surface, then installing precast vaults, duct banks, conduit and cable.
3. You can usually get in and out after hours. Xcel plans to let residents reach their properties outside working hours. Driveway access may be limited during the workday. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with occasional evening, night or Sunday work.
4. Milling and paving close the street again, briefly. During milling, one lane stays open and flaggers direct traffic. Paving requires a hard closure while the new asphalt cools, and driveways stay blocked until crews say it's safe. Xcel asks residents not to drive, walk, bike or set trash bins on fresh asphalt until then.
5. The street is restored. Xcel commits to returning streets to "preconstruction conditions." In an August 2026 plan-review comment report, Denver Public Works asked for final restoration within 14 calendar days of the first cut on residential streets and alleys. The same comment says driveway closures must be coordinated and building access kept open.

Trash day, street parking and a home EV charger

Three details matter most to households on an active block.

Trash and recycling should keep running as usual. Xcel says it is working with Denver Waste Collection so pickup days aren't disrupted, and crews may roll bins to one side of the street and bring them back afterward.

Street parking comes and goes. The project page lists temporary closures of street parking along with equipment and material staging in and along work zones. It also mentions pruning, trimming or vegetation removal.

Xcel has a fix for home EV charging. If construction blocks the spot where you normally charge, you may qualify for a mobile EV charging pilot. Xcel asks for seven days' notice when possible, and you'll need to sign a participation waiver before using the unit. Requests go to the project team at 303-716-8990 or [email protected]. Calling as soon as a closure appears on your block's schedule gives the most lead time.

Spring 2027 for Hilltop, 2028 for the line

On Xcel's project page, Phase 1, the Leetsdale-to-Monroe stretch that runs through South Hilltop, is scheduled for November 2025 to spring 2027. Phase 2, from Monroe to Elati, started in August 2026 and runs through spring 2028. The new line is expected to go into service in 2028. For South Hilltop, that means a few more months of moving barricades before construction shifts entirely to the Phase 2 route west of Colorado Boulevard. The Cherry Creek East Association has told its residents to expect street and driveway impacts through 2028.

Xcel updates its closure list every week. The project page has an interactive map and current closures. To get the weekly construction notices by email, write to [email protected] and ask to be added to the list. The same address and phone number take questions and comments. Mailed comments go to Xcel Energy Leetsdale-Monroe-Elati Transmission Line Replacement, c/o WSP, 3900 S Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80235.

Planning a move around a closed street takes the same timing work as planning it around a hospital start date. If you're buying or selling a home on one of these blocks, or scheduling movers on one, Doctor Relocation can line up closings, inspections and moving trucks with Xcel's weekly schedule so no one shows up to a barricade. Contact Us when you're ready to talk through your timeline.