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AURORA, Colo. — A new road in Aurora will open to the public Friday. The Stephen D. Hogan Parkway is named after the city’s late mayor and bridges the gap between East Sixth Avenue (State Highway 30) and E-470.

Credit: City of Aurora

Hogan was the mayor of Aurora from 2011 until his death in 2018. The stretch of road is named after him because it was his vision.

“It was his vision to create this roadway so that we would have better access from the northeast area of Aurora all the way into the city,” said Cindy Colip with the city of Aurora.

Colip says the road will save drivers a significant amount of time.

“We are estimating a minimum of 10 to 12 minutes of savings for some people and for others, it will probably be up to 20 minutes,” she said.

According to the Aurora Police Department, the parkway will allow for shorter travel times to and from Buckley Air Force Base. It is also designed to improve access to the growing neighborhoods east of E-470.

The project cost about $20 million and took roughly 13 months to complete.

The former mayor’s widow, Becky Hogan, said a grand opening ceremony on Thursday was bittersweet.

“There are a million things I could say about this because this closes a chapter in my life. His work as a mayor was outstanding, his work as a council member was outstanding, but as a citizen and a resident of Aurora, he loved you the most,” she said.