Federal 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, all-door boarding, purchasing tickets before riding, and in some locations, dedicated bus lanes.

Federal Boulevard BRT is one of many bus rapid transit projects being planned in the Denver metro area. CDOT is working to balance community priorities and cost while meeting the established goals for the project:

• Improving safety along the corridor and at transit station areas
• Increasing transit reliability and ridership
• Decreasing transit travel times
• Promoting cultural vibrancy and quality of life along the corridor
• Increasing transit accessibility
• Improving connections and mobility

BRT will improve transit for existing riders and add high-quality service for new ones. Targeted bus lanes along the corridor will allow for more reliable and efficient transit service during all hours of the day.

BRT provides a high-quality and affordable service for those that rely on and choose transit. BRT will support CDOT in reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets, resulting in economic returns for the communities along the corridor while improving multimodal safety.

By increasing transit reliability and ridership, BRT aims to create a more dependable and widely utilized public transportation system, reduce transit travel times, and offer a more efficient commuting option. Federal Blvd. BRT also strengthens connectivity, and mobility and the quality of transportation along the corridor.

Federal Boulevard is one of RTD’s highest ridership bus corridors. Currently, buses in the corridor experience significant delays, resulting in long travel times. BRT will reduce travel times and improve reliability.

The Federal Blvd. BRT will span 18 miles of Federal Boulevard, with service from the Englewood light rail station along Dartmouth Avenue to Federal Boulevard to 120th Avenue, to the Wagon Road Park-n-Ride at 120th and I-25.

Currently, total delay along the entire corridor between 120th and Dartmouth avenues can be as high as 45 to 50 minutes in each direction. That means it currently can take an extra 45 to 50 minutes to travel by bus between 120th and Dartmouth avenues than it would if there were no traffic.

Bus rapid transit on Federal Boulevard will reduce delay and increase transit speed by:

• Adding transit signal priority, allowing buses to communicate with traffic signals as they approach an intersection, giving them the green light faster
• Level boarding at stations, allowing wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to easily access the bus
• Multiple door boarding, allowing more passengers to board quickly
• Off-board fare collection, allowing passengers to purchase tickets before they get on the bus
• Consolidation of stations, placing stations farther apart to reduce the number of stops and starts

Between 20th and 52nd avenues, bus rapid transit will operate in lanes shared with general traffic. However, additional improvements will be made in these areas to help improve transit time.

• Bypass Lanes and Queue Jumps: Bypass lanes and queue jumps are located at targeted intersections where buses typically experience significant delay. They provide priority to buses, allowing them to start across the intersection before general traffic, which helps reduce bus delays.
• Transit Signal Priority: Transit signal priority allows buses to communicate with traffic signals as they approach an intersection, giving them the green light faster.
• Improved stations and station consolidation: By decreasing the number of stations and making stations more effective through multi-door boarding and off-bus fare purchases, additional travel time is saved.

Once the BRT is completed, traffic flow will be smoother since cars/trucks won’t be stuck behind buses in general-purpose lanes. In the areas where the lane is shared, the time the bus stops is much less due to level, multiple-door boarding. With decreased travel time on buses, more people will choose to ride the bus, taking additional vehicles off the road and lessening congestion.

Funding for the Federal Boulevard BRT project does not include increased taxes.

Project materials are available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. If another language is requested, we are happy to provide that.

Bus rapid transit on Federal Boulevard will be accessible leading up to the stations, purchasing tickets and boarding the bus.

Ticket vending machines at each station have both braille and audible directions as well as written directions in both English and Spanish. Level boarding at stations, allowing wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to easily access the bus without the use of lifts or ramps. Benches will be available for patrons who want to sit while waiting for the bus.

Tactile strips along the edge of the bus platform will denote boarding areas. They are detectable by foot or cane and contrast in color to the surrounding area.

A Spanish-speaking team member will respond via email or phone within one business day.

The buses display final destinations, which are the same in English and Spanish.

The project team is making every effort to involve the Hispanic/Latino community in decision-making by inviting organizations to the Stakeholder Committee, presenting to RNO’s in historically Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods, holding pop-up events and attending existing events along the corridor to get information and surveys out to the corridor. Surveys and all project information is available in Spanish as well as Vietnamese. If you have other ideas on how to reach out to the Hispanic/Latino community, please send us a comment.

Anyone who pays the fare can access the bus rapid transit.

The project will improve pedestrian crossings, visibility and lighting, and will address vehicle speeds through the design process. Sidewalk improvements will be made in the vicinity of the BRT station locations. The project’s side-running bus lanes will act as a buffer between pedestrians and car and truck traffic, improving the pedestrian experience. In addition, side-running bus lanes improve safety by reducing conflicts between buses and other vehicles, for example, sudden lane changes by impatient drivers. These project elements help mitigate several current issues contributing to unsafe conditions for pedestrians on Federal Boulevard.

Construction is estimated to start in 2027 and take 2 to 3 years. More details will be available prior to construction about job opportunities and construction impacts.

CDOT is committed to ensuring business access remains open during construction.

You can bring anything on the bus rapid transit buses that you would bring on any RTD bus. Respect the Ride.

Income-based programs offered by RTD will be available for the Federal Boulevard BRT.

Bus rapid transit on Federal Boulevard will be operated by RTD and fares will be set prior to opening.

During peak hours (5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday/Holidays), bus rapid transit will run every 15 minutes in each direction north of Westminster Station and south of Evans Avenue and bus rapid transit will run every 7.5 minutes in between Westminster Station and Evans Avenue.

During off-peak hours (4 a.m. to 5 a.m./7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. to 6 a.m./7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 5 a.m. to 8 a.m./6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday/Holidays) buses will run every 30 minutes in each direction north of Westminster Station and south of Evans Avenue and buses will run every 15 minutes in between Westminster Station and Evans Avenue. During late night hours (10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday/Holidays) buses will run every 30 minutes in each direction for the full length of the corridor.

You can sign up for project updates on the project webpage at bit.ly/federalblvdbrt