Colorado Boulevard Corridor Project

About the Project

The Colorado Department of Transportation (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 and design project to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that will include an environmental clearance document fulfilling all requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 30% engineering design. The primary project area is on Colorado Boulevard from I-70 to Evans Avenue.

The project will be located on Colorado Boulevard from I-70 to Evans Avenue. 

Involved agencies and municipalities include CDOT, RTD, City and County of Denver, Arapahoe County and City of Glendale.

Colorado Boulevard is a state highway and predominantly a commercial corridor connecting people to jobs, schools, health care, shopping, restaurants, recreational destinations, and many other key resources and destinations. Colorado Boulevard is the only major arterial on the city's east side that moves people between the northern and southern boundaries of Denver and connects to Glendale. It is, without a doubt, an important backbone of activity for both Denver and Glendale. And yet, Colorado Boulevard can be a difficult street to travel by any means other than an automobile.

Over the last century, Colorado Boulevard has evolved to move high levels of daily traffic as efficiently as possible. However, what has resulted is a busy and congested corridor that doesn’t work well for all road users. Colorado Boulevard is a part of Denver's high-injury network, with nearly 90 serious injury crashes in the past five years. Thirteen of these crashes resulted in someone losing their life, and three of these deaths were someone walking or riding a bike.

To improve conditions and travel on Colorado Boulevard and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, CDOT and partner agencies are launching the Colorado Boulevard BRT Project to achieve high-quality transit service by combining the capacity and efficiency of light rail with the flexibility, cost and simplicity of bus service. This project will build upon the results of the Colorado Boulevard Corridor Plan. The project team will assess existing conditions, develop a vision and goals for the project, identify and evaluate alternatives for improvements, and develop and submit NEPA documentation and 30% design documentation for improvements along the corridor. The public and project stakeholders will be engaged throughout the project and will be key to identifying, selecting and developing a preferred alternative for corridor improvements.

Schedule & Important Dates

Spring/Summer 2024

  • Analyze existing conditions.
  • Obtain feedback on the vision and goals for the project through tabling events along corridor, stakeholder meetings and an online survey.

Summer/Fall 2024

  • Develop draft alternatives.
  • Obtain feedback on evaluation criteria for screening alternatives through tabling events along the corridor, stakeholder meetings, an online survey and a public meeting.
  • Initiate evaluation of the different project alternatives.

Winter 2024/Spring 2025

  • Determine preferred alternative.
  • Obtain feedback on preferred alternative though tabling events along the corridor, stakeholder meetings, and a public meeting.
  • Prepare design documentation for preferred alternative and determination of NEPA Class of Action.

Spring 2025/Spring 2026

  • Complete 30% design documents and submittal of all NEPA documentation.
  • Support education, outreach and engagement for NEPA process and development of 30% design through tabling events along the corridor, stakeholder meetings, online surveys and public meetings.

This webpage will communicate project updates and provide the public feedback opportunities for the Colorado Boulevard BRT Project. As the project progresses, you will be able to use this webpage to find information about the project history and background, learn about potential project elements, provide comments directly to CDOT, and stay up to date on upcoming public events and project progress.

 Plan Benefits

CDOT's 10-Year Plan identifies Colorado’s transportation priorities based on input from residents across the state. The current plan includes funding for several new BRT routes, increasing transit options for commuters along the Front Range. The Colorado Boulevard BRT Project will help achieve the following goals CDOT established in our 10-Year Plan:

  • Safety – Reduce deaths and serious injuries to zero.
  • Resilience – Keep our roads functional and open in the face of unexpected events and challenges.
  • Fix it First – Prioritize improving the condition of our existing system.
  •  Multimodal – Improve access to travel options beyond the single-occupant vehicle.