CO 119 and Hover — Safety first. Equity always. Connections for all.

US DOT RAISE Grant Application for the City of Longmont, Colorado

The skewed intersection at CO 119 and Hover Street in Longmont accommodates more of the traveling public than any of the other intersections along the CO 119 corridor between Longmont and Boulder. This intersection has long been known for its precarious, hairpin-like turn movements, poor transit and pedestrian and bicycle access.

Many commuters from rural counties north and east of the City of Longmont drive through this intersection to access jobs further south and west in the corridor, near the City of Boulder. By 2040, almost one-third of the traffic traveling through this intersection will be coming from or heading back to areas outside of Boulder County.

The intersection of CO 119 (also known as Ken Pratt Boulevard within Longmont) and Hover Street is a major intersection for the region and plays a vital role in the connectivity between urban and rural areas along Colorado’s Front Range – an area bounded by a western mountain range and home to approximately 85% of Colorado’s population. The intersection is an integral connection between Weld, Larimer and Boulder counties that provides access to jobs, education and medical/health care opportunities in the Corridor area.

This project will ensure safe and efficient mobility for people and goods traveling by vehicle, transit, bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters and on foot, which are critical to the continued prosperity and sustainability of the region.

The map, at left, shows the relative traffic volume between the rural areas of Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties heading along the Corridor toward Longmont and Boulder.

Project Overview

The CO 119 and Hover Street intersection project is a grade separation of one direction of travel to facilitate safer, more efficient travel for the traveling public and the movement of freight between areas in rural Weld and Larimer Counties to job centers and critical destinations in central Boulder County. The intersection of CO 119 (also known as Ken Pratt Boulevard within Longmont) and Hover Street is a major intersection for the region and plays a vital role in the connectivity between urban and rural areas on the Front Range.

by 2040, almost a third of the traffic heading through this intersection will be traveling between Boulder and Larimer or Weld Counties

SH 119 & Hover carries the most total traffic of any intersection along the diagonal SH 119 Corridor

Transportation Challenges and Solutions

This area currently has a disproportionate number of crashes based on the average daily traffic (ADT), the majority of which are rear end crashes. In addition, this intersection exhibits high levels of congestion and delay. To improve these conditions and mitigate these challenges, three critical changes will be integrated into the intersection design:

A new grade-separated tunnel under Hover Street will accommodate the westbound through movement to alleviate traffic congestion. Removing the westbound movement from the traffic signal phase allows a reallocation of signal time to the other priority traffic movements, thereby providing an acceptable Level of Service (LOS) for the existing and future conditions.
A barrier separated bicycle and pedestrian path through the tunnel will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the north leg of Hover Street safely in both directions.
The east-bound bus stop at the CO 119 and Hover Street intersection underpass will be maintained while also facilitating a proposed regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route with a bus-only queue jump lane and connected vehicle (CV) technology to support transit signal prioritization (TSP).