Brenden Morgan, Senior Manager, Debt & Investments
Regional Transportation District
Regional Transportation District
Have questions? Reach out to us directly.
Colorado Highway 119 between Longmont and Boulder (the Diagonal) is the second most traveled corridor in Boulder County, serving residents, employees, and visitors from across northern Colorado and the Denver metropolitan area.
Travelers along this vital regional transportation corridor which is the primary connection between Boulder County’s two largest municipalities, face unpredictable travel times. Additionally, CO 119 from Boulder to Longmont is a high crash corridor that produces more severe crashes per mile than any other road in unincorporated Boulder County.
RTD, in collaboration with northwest area elected officials, business leaders, and public agencies, completed a comprehensive study that evaluated the viability of bus rapid transit (BRT) along CO 119 between Boulder and Longmont. The study recommended cost-effective mobility improvements to address the growing congestion and travel demand that includes a 2-pattern BRT route and BRT/managed lanes. The study also gauged environmental impacts, multimodal access, transit reliability, and transit travel time.
In 2019, the RTD Board of Directors accepted the Multimodal Corridor Vision Plan for the CO 119 corridor as defined in the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study. RTD has committed $33 million to fund transit elements of the corridor, including BRT stations, Park-n-Rides and enhanced bus stops. For the CO 119 corridor, RTD’s total contribution is $17 million ( $5 million as a Denver Regional Council of Government Transportation Improvement Program grant match towards the queue bypass lanes at CO 52, and $12 million towards BRT stations and Park-n-Rides along the corridor). The remaining $16 million will be used for local BRT stops in Boulder and Longmont, including CU East Campus improvements and the newPark-n-Ride in Longmont. CDOT and local stakeholders have also provided additional funding for the corridor.
The CO 119 Multi-Modal Planning and Environmental Linkages
(PEL) Study established a multimodal corridor vision and identified numerous project elements that CO 119 local agency stakeholders are advancing as separate, but coordinated, projects.
CDOT and RTD are leading the CO 119 Safety and Mobility Improvements Project. Boulder County is leading the CO 119 Bikeway Design Project. These projects, also referred to as the CO 119 Diagonal Highway Transportation Projects, are aligned to improve mobility for Boulder, Longmont and adjacent communities.
The CO 119 Safety and Mobility Improvements Project, a joint project between CDOT and RTD, is designing improvements to make traveling through the corridor safer for all modes and transit travel faster and more reliable. The project is designed to integrate with other active multimodal projects on the corridor to ensure community members can safely and reliably travel throughout the corridor using their mode(s) of choice. Funding has been secured for implementation of the CO 119 Safety and Mobility Improvements Project, which is expected to go to bid for construction in fall 2023.
User-friendly connections between Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations, Park-n-Rides, the new commuter bikeway and improved pedestrian crossings will provide a variety of new transportation options in the CO 119 corridor that enhance safety, accessibility, and equity, while reducing climate change impacts.
The project includes:
Have questions? Reach out to us directly.
