A B757-200 FLC ENCOUNTERS SOME ATC SPONSORED CONFUSION AS TO WHAT THEIR LNDG RWY ASSIGNMENT WAS DURING DSCNT FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 16 AT DEN; CO. A LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED WITH ANOTHER ACFT ON APCH TO THE SAME RWY.

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WE WERE CLRED TO THE DEN ARPT VIA THE LANDR 1 ARR. DURING THE DSCNT; APCH CTL ADVISED US TO EXPECT TO LAND ON RWY 16. AS THE PNF; I PROGRAMMED THE FLT CTL COMPUTER FOR THE ILS TO RWY 16. THE COPLT BRIEFED RWY 16 LNDG. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER APCH CTLR AND GIVEN A VECTOR TO FINAL; AND A DSCNT TO 8000 FT. SHORTLY BEFORE INTERCEPTING RWY 16 FINAL; WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO 'IMMEDIATELY TURN L AND CLB TO 8500 FT.' OUR TCASII THAN GAVE AN RA OF 'DON'T CLB.' APCH CTL THEN INSTRUCTED US TO MAINTAIN 8000 FT; AND TURN L TO ANOTHER HDG. APCH CTL SAID THAT WE WERE PREVIOUSLY CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 17R; AND THAT WE OVERSHOT THE FINAL FOR THAT RWY. WE WERE THEN VECTORED E FOR A L BASE TO RWY 17R; AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. DURING TAXI IN; I WAS ADVISED TO CALL TRACON. I DID SO; AND WAS TOLD THAT A LOSS OF SEPARATION WITH AN ACFT ON FINAL OCCURRED AND A FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATION WAS NECESSARY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: DARKNESS; WITH BLOWING SNOW OBSCURING RWY. HIGH DENSITY TFC IN THE AREA. HVY RADIO TFC ON APCH CTL FREQ. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 423441: ZDV CLRED US TO DSND TO FL190; CROSS LANDR AT 280 KTS; EXPECT RWY 16. LATER; WE WERE TOLD TO DSND TO 13000 FT AND TURN TO A HDG. THIS HDG PUT US DIRECTLY AT JOBOB; WHICH IS ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE AT 15.7 MI FOR RWY 16. WE BOTH STILL ASSUMED THAT WE WERE GOING TO RWY 16. WE WERE L AT 13000 FT; WHEN WE BOTH COMMENTED WE SHOULD BE STARTING DOWN. HE SENT US TO APCH CTL. DEN APCH CALLED US AND TURNED US TO A 180 DEG HDG. HE THEN TURNED US TO 160 DEGS AND SAID TO DSND TO 8000 FT; AND ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT. I TOLD THE CAPT I DID; BUT HE DIDN'T. I SAID CALL DENVER TO SAY THAT TO APCH. SINCE WE WERE BY NOW TOO CLOSE AND TOO HIGH FOR A DOGLEG WITH EASY DSCNT TO FINAL; HE ASKED IF I WANTED A 270 DEG HDG TO FINAL. WHEN THE CTLR ASKED AGAIN IF HE HAD THE ARPT; I SAID YES; CAPT TOLD CTLR AFFIRMATIVE; AND I HEARD 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL.' I NEVER HEARD OR HEARD THE CAPT CONFIRM THAT THE CTLR CHANGED THE RWY TO 17R. I MADE A STEEP DSCNT AND A 90 DEG TURN TO INTERCEPT FINAL ON RWY 16. I SAW ANOTHER ACFT AT MY HIGH 2 O'CLOCK WHEN I LEVELED AT 7500 FT. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME HE WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 16. TCASII ALERTED TFC; THEN 'DSND; DSND; DSND.' APCH CTLR SAID THAT WE HAD CROSSED RWY 17R FINAL AND WERE APCHING RWY 16; AND TO CLB TO 8500 FT. I SAID NO; THEN HE SAID STAY AT YOUR ALT AND TURN L TO RWY 17R; CLRED VISUAL RWY 17R. TO CLB WHEN THE CTLR SAID CLB WOULD HAVE PUT US DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE OTHER ACFT.