Colorado Boulevard Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-capacity, efficient bus service that incorporates elements of light rail. These include enhanced stations with ramps and platforms, all-door boarding, purchasing tickets before riding and, in some locations, dedicated bus lanes. BRT achieves high-quality service because it minimizes delays, makes frequent stops and doesn’t get stuck in traffic at intersections. It combines the capacity and efficiency of a light rail with the
flexibility, cost and simplicity of a bus system.

To meet the Colorado Department of Transportation’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, CDOT is building BRT on major arterials in the Denver metro area, including plans to improve travel along Colorado Boulevard with attractive and reliable BRT service. New BRT routes in Denver will enhance transportation options on state highways and improve connections to the region's passenger rail system. BRT will improve transit for existing riders and add high-quality service for new ones.

CDOT, in collaboration with the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the City and County of Denver, Arapahoe County and the City of Glendale is working on a planning study to improve travel on parts of Colorado Boulevard through BRT service between I-70 and the Southmoor transit station south of Hampden Avenue. The project is part of CDOT’s 2050 Statewide Transportation Plan and will also ensure that there is an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant network of contiguous sidewalks to optimize connectivity and accessibility for all modes of travel and eventual integration with RTD.

Future BRT service will extend from the 40th and Colorado Station in the north to Southmoor Station in the south. Capital improvements, like new stations and
sidewalks, will be constructed north of East Yale Avenue. From Yale to Southmoor, BRT service will utilize existing infrastructure.

The Colorado BRT project is anticipated to be funded by a mix of federal, state and local dollars. The project has a significant commitment from the State of Colorado through CDOT’s 10-year plan, which aims for $170 million to be invested on Federal and Colorado boulevards. The funding plan will be more detailed once the project team has determined the project costs.

Colorado Boulevard is a major roadway and state highway in the Denver metropolitan area, acting as a central arterial for connecting various modes of travel at the local and regional levels. It is a nexus for connectivity, linking trails, transit lines, interstates, and other key routes. However, Colorado Boulevard has several existing challenges, making it difficult to travel on and across for all modes of travel.

Colorado Boulevard faces several transportation challenges today, and those
challenges are expected to grow in the coming decades. Population along the corridor is projected to increase by 52% by 2050, creating additional demand on the transportation system. Without improvements, travel times are expected to worsen by 35% during the morning peak period and 25% during the evening peak period. The corridor is also part of the region's High Injury Network, and experiences some of the highest rates of crashes and traffic-related fatalities in the Denver metro area. In addition, existing transit service lacks the frequency and reliability needed to provide a convenient alternative to driving.

Colorado Boulevard already supports substantial transit ridership today. It’s currently one of the highest transit ridership corridors in Denver, along with Colfax, Federal and the Speer/Leetsdale corridors. This existing demand demonstrates that transit is already an important travel option along the corridor and indicates that improvements to transit travel times, reliability, and rider experience could benefit many current users.

In addition to its current ridership levels, Colorado has significant latent demand for transit. According to the Regional BRT Feasibility Study conducted by RTD, the corridor has strong ridership growth potential due to a combination of high travel volumes and surrounding land uses that support transit, including employment centers, residential density and key destinations. These characteristics make Colorado Boulevard a strong candidate for BRT investment, as improved service could attract additional riders who currently rely on other modes.

Denver Moves Transit (2019), Denver Moves Everyone (2022), RTD’s Regional BRT
Feasibility Study (2019) and DRCOG’s Regional Transportation Plan (2025) include the recommendation for Colorado Boulevard to receive High Investment BRT (full BRT).

The Colorado Boulevard BRT Project aims to deliver reliable, convenient and attractive bus rapid transit service. Project priorities include improved safety, better air quality, increased transit reliability, faster travel times, enhanced rider experience, and connectivity to other routes and services.

With the implementation of the Colorado Boulevard BRT Project, CDOT anticipates significant growth in transit ridership along the corridor. Providing a high-quality and affordable service for people who rely on and/or choose to use transit will improve travel options for Coloradoans, support CDOT in reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets, generate economic returns for the local jurisdictions along the corridor, and improve safety in this high-injury corridor.

In general, transit projects can allow for additional capacity for people traveling on Colorado Boulevard. By increasing the efficiency and reliability of buses, transit services can move more people per vehicle-mile than personal vehicles. This helps reduce the need to build additional travel lanes for cars. Increasing transit service can also improve overall air quality for the broader community.

As the owner of the project, CDOT will work to minimize impacts to businesses during construction. Regular communication will be maintained with the contractor and construction team to ensure access to businesses remains open during operating hours. Any necessary changes to access will be communicated in advance to individual business owners and to the public.

Traffic operations is a key component for overall mobility on Colorado Boulevard. We will be analyzing what happens to the traffic operations if BRT is implemented through a detailed traffic modeling effort. The traffic operations at intersections along Colorado Boulevard and on adjacent roadways will be projected for each viable BRT alternative. The results of the traffic operational study will be presented to the public at our next public meeting in spring 2025.

We are currently developing different alternatives for what BRT could look like on Colorado Boulevard. Once we've developed these alternatives, we'll evaluate them based on factors like transit ridership. Ridership projections will be developed based on each of the viable BRT alternatives, and the results of this ridership analysis will be shared at our next public meeting in spring 2025.

Safety is a key component of the purpose and need for this project. As such, we will prepare a safety analysis for the BRT project, which looks at conditions and trends on Colorado Boulevard. In addition, safety design features such as appropriate traffic signaling, sidewalks, and crosswalks will be incorporated into each BRT alternative that is developed. Safety will be used as a metric to compare each of the differing BRT alternatives, and this information will be shared at the public meeting in spring 2025.

This project is limited to infrastructure improvements, and CDOT does not have the authority to implement policy changes on behalf of RTD or security within RTD’s buses. However, CDOT and RTD are partners on the Colorado Boulevard BRT project and security concerns will be shared with RTD staff throughout the project. Security-related concerns regarding RTD buses and trains can also be submitted directly on the RTD website using the Customer Comment Form.

Regarding security at bus stops, we are currently developing different alternatives for what BRT could look like on Colorado Boulevard. Once we've developed these alternatives, we'll evaluate them based on factors including safety and other relevant criteria. As project development proceeds, we will work with our project partners, stakeholders, and the public on incorporating security and personal safety into the design of BRT stations.

During the development of project alternatives, each BRT option that is developed will have design features such as improved sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic signal timing to increase the safety and comfort of people traveling on Colorado Boulevard. In addition, bike and pedestrian facilities along and connecting to Colorado Boulevard will be considered to enhance connections to the BRT for transit riders. More information about the design features for the BRT alternatives will be presented at the next public meeting in spring 2025.

The cost to ride the BRT will not be determined until the project is past the planning stage. However, it is likely that the cost to ride the Colorado Boulevard BRT will be typical of other BRT routes in the RTD network.

Depending on the location within the corridor, the lane configuration could be a mixture of center, side or mixed-use lanes. Due to the differences across the north and southern ends of the corridors, a combination approach for the lane configuration would be considered, while also weighing the impacts and benefits for each option, and factoring in public input throughout the course of the project. CDOT and the project team are currently assessing different BRT configurations, also known as alternatives.

During the creation of project alternatives, each BRT option that is developed will have design features such as improved sidewalks, lane configurations, crosswalks and traffic signal timing to increase the safety and comfort of people traveling on Colorado Boulevard.

Existing roadway conditions and ridership projections are also considered with each alternatives analysis. In addition, bike and pedestrian facilities along and connecting to Colorado Boulevard will be considered to enhance access to the BRT for transit riders.

CDOT and the project team continue to review lessons learned from the Colfax BRT project and other BRT projects across the country to inform alternatives analysis and conceptual design.

As of fall 2026, the project is still early in the design phase and exact construction impacts are difficult to know until a final alternative is further refined.

The team’s initial analysis shows the center/side-running alternative would have
greater construction impacts, compared to the all side-running and mixed-flow
alternatives, due to center station platforms construction.

CDOT will aim to mitigate construction impacts, regardless of the selected alternative. BRT construction impacts on this project are expected to be lower than Colfax BRT’s impacts because of the wider public right-of-way available and targeted pedestrian improvements on Colorado Boulevard.

Stakeholders expressed concern about construction impacts, so this was incorporated as a criterion in the spring 2026 alternatives analysis process. The construction impact criteria are based on the potential impact of the construction area and the construction duration. Mitigation strategies during construction will be identified as the project progresses through the design.

The Colorado Boulevard BRT project is first and foremost a transit project; however, multimodal connections are critical to the success of the project. Bike facilities including above-the-curb bike lanes, multi-use paths, improved and/or new sidewalks, and connections to existing bike facilities off Colorado Boulevard are under consideration.

CDOT understands the concern about long-term service, and the team is mindful about this consideration while working on this project.

The Colorado Boulevard BRT project is focused on delivering reliable, high-quality infrastructure that improves transit travel times and overall corridor performance, with the goal of supporting strong and sustained ridership. CDOT is building BRT on corridors with the strongest ridership and high future growth potential.

By investing in transit improvements that are efficient, competitive, and responsive to community needs, the project intends to help create the conditions that make maintaining frequent, reliable service more feasible over time, while recognizing that future service levels will continue to be shaped through regional priorities, funding decisions, and ongoing public input.

Connections to the existing transit network is a key driver for this BRT project. Currently, both project termini connect directly to RTD stations that serve existing bus routes and rail to the rest of the RTD service area. Additionally, connecting to future BRT routes, such as the East Colfax BRT, is a priority for this new service. Another key aspect to improving transit connections is the amount of time is takes to make the connection. This new BRT service is planned to operate with high frequencies during the peak periods. This high-frequency service will allow for faster, more reliable connections to the rest of the RTD transit network.

Property owners are key stakeholders in this project, and they can contribute to the decision-making process. To participate, submit comments through the comment form on the project website, email [email protected], call the project hotline at 720-900-5609 and continue to check our project website for updates.

Another great way to get involved is by attending public meetings. To prepare for our next public meeting, please review the information available and leave feedback for the project team. Your comments will be reviewed and considered by the project team before final decisions are made.

Public input is crucial to the success of the Colorado Boulevard BRT Project. You can get involved by attending our public meetings, submitting questions or concerns to our general comment form, calling our project hotline at 720-900-5609 or emailing [email protected], and continuing to visit our project website for updates

Project Contact Information
Ryan Noles
Bus Rapid Transit Program Manager
CDOT Region 1 Traffic & Safety
[email protected]