Boulder County, in coordination with stakeholders, regional partners and members of the public, is conducting a multi-phased re-envisioning process.
The first phase will examine the feasibility of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) implementation on the US 287 corridor between Longmont and Broomfield to address the growing congestion and travel demand in the area.
To stay up to date on the project, visit Boulder County’s webpage.
CO 119 Safety & Mobility Project
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Regional Transportation District (RTD) are excited to move into the design phase of the Safety and Mobility Project.
Design work is focused on advancing the BRT/queue bypass lanes, intersection improvements, safety assessments, irrigation coordination, as well as working in coordination with the Boulder County Bikeway Project design.
CDOT and RTD will also join Boulder County in late January to discuss and present project updates to the Community Advisory Committee. Keep an eye out for the new CO 119 Safety and Mobility project webpage coming soon.
Traffic Alternatives Study
The High Performance Traffic Enterprise (HPTE) commissioned the Traffic Alternatives Study, a cost benefit analysis, to identify the transit priority improvement with the greatest benefit for the Colorado Highway 119 corridor from Boulder to Longmont based upon year 2045 conditions.
Alternatives included no-build, intersection improvements at CO 52, Hover, and Airport, three general purpose lanes, queue-jump lanes and tolled express lane options. The alternatives were scored based on how well they improve safety, maximize intersection and corridor-wide operational efficiency, maximize the number of people able to move through the corridor, improve transit travel times and improve connectivity to the bicycle and pedestrian network.
Current budget and cost considerations were also factored into the evaluation process.
The analysis showed that Intersection Improvements at CO 52, Hover, Airport and Queue-Jump Lanes provide the greatest benefit for safety and mobility through the year 2045.
These improvements will be implemented through CDOT’s and RTD’s Safety and Mobility Project, which will go into design before the end of the year.
CO 119 Bikeway Project
Boulder County has just completed the first public comment period for the CO 119 Diagonal Bikeway project. More than 1000 survey responses and 45 comment forms were received, and meeting attendees asked dozens of questions and comments during the virtual meeting.
The County 119 Bikeway webpage just posted an FAQ with responses to the most common comments and questions that were received.
For those who want more details on the proposed design of the bikeway, the Design Validation Memo includes the why and how we are refining the draft alignments presented in the Concept Plan.
We are now starting extensive field work that includes:
As soon as the field work is done the Boulder County Bikeway Project team will combine the information gathered with the guidance set in the Design Validation Memo for a more detailed alignment of the bikeway. We expect to have this completed in April and will again ask for your feedback, ideas, and questions.
In the meantime, feel free to continue to send in questions and comments using the comment form.
Commuting Solutions recently released the CO 119 First and Final Mile Study, which is a big accomplishment! We’ve been working with our partners and stakeholders for more than a year to provide phased recommendations to make CO 119, from Boulder to Longmont, a safe and comfortable corridor to walk, bicycle and take public transit on.
The first and final miles of a transit trip is often the hardest miles to complete, especially in suburban communities that were originally designed for cars.
The CO 119 First and Final Mile Study is our second First and Final Mile Study that Commuting Solutions has put together, the first being for US 36.
These reports are critical because both corridors are essential regional corridors that provide important connections to multiple locations as well as to a number of key destinations.
The study provides recommendations regarding wayfinding signage, low-stress bicycle and pedestrian connections, shared parking, small shuttles, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and new programs.
As the CDOT, RTD and local government partners proceed with the design of the corridor, safe and reliable connections to businesses and neighborhoods are important to foster use of transit and bicycling in the corridor.
The study provides a roadmap for how we can achieve that connected future and enables our partners to integrate the recommendations into the corridor’s future design and funding.
As Boulder County and surrounding areas grow, we need to improve the infrastructure to ensure that there are additional options and safe ways to travel. We’re excited and motivated to begin to work with our partners to put forth the recommendations and make CO 119 a safe and comfortable place for people to walk, bike and access public transit
We invite you to read the study in full on our webpage!
Coffman Street Busway Project
The City of Longmont recently held an in-person open house for the Coffman Street Busway project.
The Coffman Street Busway Project seeks to make Coffman Street, from 1st Avenue to 9th Avenue, a multimodal corridor to support residents, businesses, visitors, bikes and pedestrians.
The project will include protected bike lanes, transit for less congestion, convenient commutes and the environment, parking for local businesses and sidewalks and trees for a walkable and vibrant community.
Approximately 65 members of the public joined project team staff to discuss the preferred alternative for the Coffman Street Busway. The event fully conformed with the Boulder County health orders requiring masks indoors.
The alternative that the project team was sharing with the public, and moves forward into design, was heavily influenced by previous public comment in more targeted, block-by-block in-person meetings. This alternative includes a side-running bus lane option that occasionally mixes with general traffic in low volume sections of the corridor where there are no bus stops.
The materials for the open house can be viewed by visiting engage.longmontcolorado.gov/coffman-street.
CO 119 First and Final Mile Study Released
Commuting Solutions has released the CO 119 First and Final Mile Study.
The CO 119 First and Final Mile Study provides phased recommendations for safe and comfortable walking, bicycling, smaller shuttles and driving connections to existing and future transit stops and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations, as well as to a future commuter bikeway along the Diagonal Highway, between Boulder and Longmont.
The First and Final Mile gap is a barrier that discourages potential riders from using transit because a person’s beginning or ending trip cannot be easily and comfortably accessed from home, work or other destinations. This barrier can include trip distances, street network and design, a lack of available transportation options or other impediments.
These recommendations consider how the BRT stations areas vary across the corridor-by land use, transit user, trip types and the surrounding street network. Recommendations include low-stress bicycle and pedestrian linkages, wayfinding signage, shared parking, smaller shuttles and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies.
The CO 119 First and Final Mile Study is a partnership between Commuting Solutions, Boulder County, the City of Boulder and the City of Longmont.
The full report can be read on Commuting Solutions’ website.
Boulder County recently released the US 287 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Stations Area Toolkit. The toolkit is part of the US 287 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study and is designed to be a menu of aspirational options to help make the areas to and around the transit stops more inviting to people.
Tools range from intersection treatments, bicycling and walking needs, station elements, placemaking and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).
The Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) identified the US 287 corridor as a candidate to implement Bus Rapid Transit and found that US 287 had the highest projected ridership.
The toolkit was developed in conjunction with the US 287 Stakeholder Working Group and offers a set of treatments that can be applied at a variety of scales throughout Boulder County, from dense urban neighborhoods in Boulder to rural highway service along US 287. BRT stations may range from simple bus stops to full-size stations comparable to rail stations.
The toolkit is not intended to provide specific design guidance, but rather create a vision for what BRT stations in Boulder County could be. The intent is to complement local planning and design guidance and not replace it.
The toolkit is divided into four categories including:
Application of station treatments, benefits, and relatives costs, and graphical illustrations are provided for the each of the tools. As stations are designed in Boulder County, this toolkit can be utilized with other local design guidance to identify treatments and amenities that will create great stations.
To review the toolkit, and learn more about the US 287 BRT Feasibility Study, visit Boulder County’s project webpage.
The US 287 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study is coming to its conclusion with the modeling results and Stations Area Toolkit completed.
The Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) identified the US 287 corridor as a candidate to implement Bus Rapid Transit and found that US 287 had the highest projected ridership.
The Stakeholder Working Group, consisting of technical staff from municipal and agency partners, met Sept. 14. A public meeting will be scheduled this fall for the public to provide input.
Input provided from the meeting, as well as from elected officials, will be put into a report, which will then be provided to the community.
Boulder County is working to build a coalition between Broomfield and Fort Collins and working with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to accept federal funding to begin working on the next phase of planning the corridor: Vision Zero Safety and Multimodal Mobility.
For questions, contact Jeff Butts, Multimodal Transportation Planner at jbutts@bouldercounty.org.
Boulder County released its video about the CO 119 corridor project!
Boulder County recently held a virtual public meeting to discuss the conceptual design for the CO 119 Bikeway.
The CO 119 Bikeway will run between Boulder and Longmont and optimize regional mobility by providing multimodal bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
The bikeway will provide a year-round safe, direct, accessible and comfortable bike facility with seamless connections to transit, neighborhoods, businesses and local walking and bicycling paths.
The vision for the bikeway was first conceived in the Northwest Area Mobility Study and later studied in the 2019 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL).
A recording of the meeting is available on Boulder County’s website.
A survey for public input is available both in English and Spanish on Boulder County’s website and will be available through Sept. 27.
For more information on the project, visit Boulder County’s webpage.
Boulder city staff held two project information meetings in August to discuss the 28th Street Improvement Project.
28th Street is a state highway and a gateway to Boulder for employees, visitors, students and residents.
Corridor planning began in the early 2000s with a cutting-edge Complete Streets design, which has since evolved to sync with other regional projects and the community’s future transportation needs.
Improvements from Iris to Canyon will begin in 2022.
A recording from the meeting can be found on the City of Boulder’s project website.
The CO 119 First and Final Mile Study will be released to the public within the next month!
The CO 119 First and Final Mile Study will provide phased recommendations for safe and comfortable multimodal connections to existing and future transit stops/stations, as well as to a more direct bikeway along CO 119.
These recommendations will consider how the stations areas vary across the corridor—by land use, transit user and trip types and the surrounding street network. Recommendations will include:
A consultant team, led by Fehr & Peers, conducted a planning study to create corridor-wide recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian connections, shared parking and microtransit.
The City of Boulder’s Vision Zero Innovation Program installed low-cost, quick-build treatments at two existing pedestrian crossings on Spine Road east and west of Chaparral, as recommended in the CO 119 First and Final Mile Study.
The treatments include both curb extensions and median islands created from paint and posts. The intent of these installations is to reduce vehicle speeds and increase pedestrian crossing comfort.
The City of Longmont is hosting a public meeting for the Coffman Street Busway Project in Downtown Longmont on Sept. 27.
The Coffman Street Busway Project seeks to make Coffman Street, from 1st Avenue to 9th Avenue, multimodal corridor to support residents, businesses, visitors, bikes and pedestrians.
The project will include protected bike lanes, transit for less congestion, convenient commutes and the environment, parking for local businesses and sidewalks and trees for a walkable and vibrant community.
The open house will feature post stations where attendees can learn about the project and the new community vision for Coffman Street including transit and bike lanes.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit feedback on corridor characteristics as well as discuss the CO 119 project with staff from RTD and Boulder County.
The meeting will be at the St. Vrain, located at 635 3rd Avenue, from 4 to 6 p.m.
To learn more, visit the City of Longmont’s webpage.
The City of Boulder will host two virtual meetings this month to provide updates on the project design objectives and intended benefits, integration with the CO 119 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and implementation timeline.
28th Street is a state highway and a gateway to Boulder for employees, visitors, students and residents. Corridor planning began in the early 2000s with a Complete Streets design which has since evolved to sync with other regional projects and the community’s current and future transportation needs.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is resurfacing portions of 28th Street/US 36 through September.
Once the 28th Street Improvements Project is completed, from iris to Canyon, 28th Street from Baseline Road to Iris Avenue will be transformed into a multimodal corridor with a consistent design that delivers transportation, safety, aesthetic and economic enhancements.
The City’s meetings will be held on Aug. 25 from noon to 1 p.m. and Aug. 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. virtually. There will be an opportunity for those who attend to ask questions following the presentation.
For more information, and to register for the meetings, visit the City of Boulder’s project website.
Boulder County will host a virtual meeting with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to provide a presentation on the CO 119 Bikeway Project on Aug. 30.
The CO 119 Bikeway Project is a planned off-street, multi-use paved path along CO 119 between Boulder and Longmont.
The CO 119 Bikeway will provide a year-round, safe, direct, accessible and comfortable bike facility with seamless connections to transit, neighborhoods, businesses and local walking and bicycling paths.
The vision for the bikeway was first created in the Northwest Area Mobility Study and later studied in the 2019 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL).
During the meeting, CDOT will provide an overview of other projects along the corridor and Boulder County’s Community Planning & Permitting Department will discuss the conceptual design of the bikeway and potential connections at the north and south ends of the projects. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the design concepts.
The meeting will be recorded for those who may not be able to attend.
For more information, and to register for the meeting, visit Boulder County’s project website.
Traffic modeling and work done through the Traffic Alternative Analysis Study is ongoing.
The Alternatives Analysis looks at proposed alternatives for the CO 119 Express Lanes and will select a preferred alternative to perform a future year traffic and toll revenue analysis.
In July, Colorado Department of Transportation received initial results from the transit slip lane and third general purpose lane modeling and discussed it with the CO 119 project teams. Traffic modeling for the three express lanes alternatives will be reviewed by the by mid-month.
The final report for the CO 119 Alternatives Analysis Study, including traffic and safety analysis recommendations, as well as life cycles for each alternative, is expected by mid-October.
The US 287 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study continues to advance with the consultant team and governmental partners working to finalize the modeling inputs to best understand ridership and time savings potential.
The Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) identified the US 287 corridor as a candidate to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and found that US 287 had the highest projected ridership.
As a result of the NAMS, US 287 was recommended to be prioritized for implementation.
Commuting Solutions is working on Coalition Building to include conversations for the entire travel shed between Fort Collins and Denver.
There is an additional public meeting anticipated within the next month or two before finalizing the study and moving onto Phase II.
For more information, visit Boulder County’s webpage.