Colorado Highway 7

What is State Highway 7?

The Colorado State Highway 7 (CO 7) corridor between Brighton and Boulder is well positioned to develop as a corridor of local livability and multimodal regional access. This is due in large part to the attraction of the well-established downtown areas of Brighton, Lafayette and Boulder coupled with large areas of undeveloped parcels in unincorporated areas of Adams and Boulder Counties, Lafayette, Erie, Broomfield, Thornton and the east side of Brighton.

By 2040, there are projected to be more than 56,000 new residents and 38,000 new jobs along the corridor. This will lead to a 37% increase in traffic along an already congested corridor. In order to prepare for the growth and development, the CO 7 Coalition, CDOT and RTD are planning multimodal transportation improvements, including Bus Rapid Transit, a regional bikeway, pedestrian improvements and first and final mile connections.

Boulder’s East Arapahoe Transportation Plan

As a part of these planning efforts, the City of Boulder has developed the East Arapahoe Transportation Plan to address improvements to be made along the length of the corridor located in Boulder. The City of Boulder has laid out a Complete Street vision for the corridor which would include:

• Two general purpose lanes travelling in both directions
• Curbside business access and transit (BAT) lanes
• Raised protected bike lanes
• Amenity zones to enhance the streetscape

The plan is expected to enhance safety for all users, maintain auto travel times while providing a transit travel time that is competitive with the automobile, and increase access and comfort for all people walking and bicycling.

Progress Made

In 2018, the CO 7 Coalition was able to get multiple studies completed including the 75^th to US 287 Planning & Environmental Linkage Study, the East Arapahoe Transportation Plan, the CO 7 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study and the I-25/SH7 Mobility Hub Concept Design.

Timeline

This plan is the first step on the journey to accomplishing the vision for the corridor. It includes near-, mid-, and long-term implementation actions, with additional community engagement at each step. The next phases of the project include finalizing a corridor design as we continue to pursue funding with regional partners and make progress toward shorter-term localized improvements in the corridor.

Starting in 2019, the CO 7 Coalition will begin the Preliminary & Environmental Engineering along the corridor as well as continue to seek out funding for the project.

Phased implementation of the plan isn’t scheduled to start until 2021.

Resources

• Colorado State Highway 7 Corridor Development Plan – February 2021
• Colorado State Highway 7 Executive Summary
• Colorado State Highway 7 2020 Fact Sheet
• Colorado State Highway 7 Statement of Purpose