Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Preguntas Frecuentes
The six specific goals are:
- Improve safety in the whole corridor
- Maximize intersection efficiency
- Maximize corridor-wide efficiency
- Maximize the number of people able to move through the corridor
- Improve transit travel times
- Improve connectivity to the bike and pedestrian network
- Reduced numbers of pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular crashes
- Faster and more consistent travel flow through the corridor, with less delay and backups at intersections
- Faster and more reliable transit service
- Safer and more direct bike connection between Boulder and Longmont
- Expanded multimodal connections to and through the corridor that connect bike and pedestrian crossings with the CO 119 Bikeway, BRT stations, and Park-n-Rides
Airport Road
Originally designed to connect less populated rural communities, regional development has produced safety and traffic flow issues. Long traffic backups are common as motorists wait multiple light cycles to get through intersections. Motorists traveling on CO 119 frequently crash into cars backed up well ahead of the intersections. The intersections of CO 119 and Airport/Ogallala Roads compound corridor-wide safety and mobility issues and have specific safety challenges. Eighty-five percent of the crashes on southbound Airport Road/CO 119 result in injury. Most of these are sideswipe crashes that occur when vehicles turn from Airport Road onto northbound CO 119. Project improvements will eliminate these crashes. To learn more about corridor and intersection-specific safety conditions, see the Safety Assessment Report in the Traffic Alternatives Analysis Study.
By 2040, the CO 119 corridor is projected to see a 25% increase in vehicular traffic. Without intervention, this growth is expected to compound current safety issues. As part of the commitment to providing a transportation system that effectively and safely moves people, CDOT is working with local agency stakeholders to make improvements that best promote safety and traffic flow.
A new signal would not sufficiently address all issues at this intersection. Installing a signal at northbound CO 119 and Airport Road would reduce sideswipe crashes for motorists turning from Airport and Ogallala Roads onto CO 119 and traveling from Ogallala Road onto northbound CO 119. However, a new signal would contribute to congestion on northbound CO 119 well ahead of the intersection, which often results in rear-end crashes. Eliminating left turns prevents both sideswipe and rear-end crashes, advancing the project goal of improving safety. Moreover, adding a signal would slow transit service for Longmont-bound buses. To enable fast and reliable BRT service, construction of a $3.3 million bus queue bypass lane would be necessary at this signalized intersection. Using left turn restrictions rather than adding a signal saves cost, facilitates efficient BRT service, and improves traffic flow for the numerous vehicles that travel on northbound and southbound CO 119 during peak hours each day. Lastly, Airport Road is a designated bike route serving numerous residential neighborhoods in Longmont. Eliminating the southbound travel lane on Airport Road frees up space for a new southbound Airport Road bike lane and pedestrian crossing enhancements. The Airport Road Intersections Alternative Memo further explains the decision-making process to eliminate left turns.
Design update: During the June 2022 Community Meeting comment period, comments were received about the proposed access changes at Airport/Ogallala Roads. In response, the CO 119 Safety and Mobility Improvements Project team visited the corridor in August 2022 to observe current traffic conditions. Based upon community input and the results of this observation, the right-in/right-out access plan at Ogallala Road presented at the June 2022 Community Meeting has been changed. The through lane from Ogallala Road to northbound Airport Road will now be preserved. CDOT also plans to add new signage and extend the left turn lane on southbound CO 119 at 83rd Street to make this left turn movement safer.
CDOT recognizes that speeding is a concern on this corridor, as well as on many other roadways throughout the state. Although speed enforcement is not within the preview of CDOT, CDOT is reaching out to state patrol and local law enforcement to share concerns about speeding violations in the corridor.
The CO 119 Safety and Mobility Improvements Project will implement additional signage throughout the corridor as part of its goal to improve safety. Specifically, variable message signs will be added above the roadway to communicate information to roadway users, and new safety signage will be installed at pedestrian and bicyclist crossings.
Transit
In addition to the Park-n-Rides and stations at 63rd Street and Niwot Road on CO 119, there will be a BRT station at CO 52 adjacent to the IBM campus and Boulder Tech Center. There will also be enhanced bus stops within Boulder and Longmont. See our website for a map of the bus stops that will be serviced by the BRT system.
Roadway
Bikeway - Design Speed & User Types
Priority & Funding Allocation
Safety
Comfort
Crossings (Underpasses and At-Grade)
Connections to cross streets, trails & other destinations
The CO 119 Bikeway Design Project limits begin and end at the City of Boulder and City of Longmont, and the project scope is limited to within the CDOT-owned right of way in unincorporated Boulder County. While the bikeway cannot extend into these municipalities themselves, it is intended to connect to existing paths in the cities. The southern endpoint of the bikeway is at the Pleasant View Sports Complex near 47th Street north of Kalmia Avenue. The northern endpoint is located approximately 1/4 mile west of Hover Street on the north side of CO 119. These locations were determined during the concept planning phase of the project. Please refer to the Bikeway Design Validation Study for more information.