CO 7 Between Brighton & Boulder | Preliminary Design & Environmental

Active Study, Colorado Highways

About the Project

The purpose of this project is to improve traveler safety, improve personal travel efficiency and operations, and improve access to multimodal travel along a nearly 25 mile stretch of Colorado State Highway 7 (CO 7) between Brighton and Boulder.

Multiple planning and feasibility studies have established the corridor’s future multimodal vision, including an integrated plan of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) improvements supported by multimodal (roadway, bicycle and pedestrian) infrastructure and transit supportive land development at planned station areas.

Through a $10 million Regional Share Funding grant from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, priority projects are being identified and preliminary design plans developed to encourage quick investment in the transportation improvements amongst the municipalities, counties, agencies and developers along the corridor.

Schedule & Important Dates

February 2025: Segment E to M Project Update Video

Project Goals

Advance multimodal improvements by promoting transit supportive land development and incorporating multimodal infrastructure along the corridor
Address existing and immediately foreseeable operational and safety needs
Plan and prepare for the future by phasing in multimodal improvements that respond to anticipated corridor growth
Complement existing and planned infrastructure that benefits the multimodal system and addresses system deficiencies.
Leverage joint development opportunities
Provide equity across the corridor by distributing project advancements fairly across the corridor

The CO7 Corridor project map showing project segments from A through M color edit — The CO7 Corridor project map showing project segments from A through M.

Advance Planning

The CO 7 Coalition, in coordination with the CDOT, secured funding to advance the previous planning into preliminary design. A $10 million Regional Share Funding application for the CO 7 Preliminary and Environmental Engineering Project was approved for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program.

This project will develop preliminary design plans, allowing municipalities, counties, agencies, and developers to rapidly invest in corridor improvements.

In collaboration with the CO 7 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) , comprised of technical staff from the CO 7 Coalition membership and participants, a Corridor Development Plan (CDP) was prepared to establish the overall work program and oversight framework for the project. Because the allocated funding is insufficient to fully achieve objectives across the corridor, a plan was needed to optimize the project while strategically preparing for future and additional funding. The CDP fulfills this purpose. It will help ensure the project fulfills its goals, is responsive to agency expectations, is effectively delivered with accountability, maximizes the use of the previous studies, and provides the best possible use of the allocated funds.

Working closely with the TAC, the formulation of the CDP entailed a thoughtful and collaborative process of identifying the goals of the project and aligning, evaluating, and prioritizing elements of the recommended improvements, called proposed actions, for inclusion in the project. These proposed actions represent independent functional components of the corridor’s vision, such as constructing an improved intersection or building the multimodal section between two intersections. Combined with an overall delivery framework, including budget, schedule, and resource planning, the CDP enables the project to move forward into execution.

Corridor Development Plan Documents & Resources

The reports and studies listed below provide the basis for the formation of the Corridor Development Plan. For access to these documents, please contact the project team at [email protected].

State Highway 7 Planning and Environmental Linkage Study (2014) | US 287 to US 85
State Highway 7 Planning and Environmental Linkage Study (2018) | 75th Street to US 287
State Highway 7 Bus Rapid Transit Study (2018)
East Arapahoe Transportation Plan (2018)
State Highway 7 Corridor Development Plan (2021)