Colo. 119 improvements have gotten the seal of approval from Boulder County Commissioners, meaning construction on the corridor connecting Longmont and Boulder could start as soon as next spring.
Boulder County Commissioners have approved the initial review for combined projects along Colo. 119, also known as the Diagonal, from Foothills Parkway in Boulder to milepost 54.2 in Longmont. The projects focus on safety, bus rapid transit and bikeway improvements along the corridor.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, Regional Transportation District and Boulder County are partnering on this major project, which is expected to cost $160 million. The partners currently have about $129 million secured and are applying for the remaining funds.
Colo. 119 is the highest crash corridor in Boulder County for motorists and the second highest for bikes, according to CDOT. Additionally, the corridor is expected to see a 25% increase in vehicular traffic by 2040.
As proposed, the project is about 30% designed and the partners will continue working with county staff as work continues. The project will be built in segments as funding allows.
CDOT and RTD are leading the safety and mobility improvements aspects of the project. The project includes queue jumps for bus rapid transit as a way to increase the speed and reliability of public transportation along the corridor.
“This is a unique concept and one of the first in the United States of America to have an at-grade BRT system,” said Keith Sheaffer, engineer with CDOT. “We are guinea pigs, but we are leading the way.”
Several changes are proposed along the highway, one of the most significant being at the intersection between Colo. 119 and Colo. 52, also known as Mineral Road, which will be split like other intersections along the corridor.
Airport Road and Colo. 119 will also be reconfigured due to the high number of broadside crashes seen at that intersection. The median road between southbound and northbound Colo. 119 will become one way toward Airport Road.
Boulder County is leading the work on the bikeway, which would sit in the median between the two directions of the highway. The bikeway is proposed as a 12-foot-wide multi-use path that will be paved and plowed in the winter, connecting to existing multi-use path networks within Boulder and Longmont.
Several Boulder County bicycle groups spoke up during the public comment portion of the meeting to voice their support for the project.
“A safe and direct path for cyclists, safer intersections and bus rapid transit will significantly improve travel time and comfort for people walking or biking or using transit,” said Alexey Davies of Community Cycles.
One issue that came up from both the public and commissioners was that of the Niwot Road intersection along Colo. 119. Many want a pedestrian and bike underpass at that intersection, as is being completed in other intersections, but that is currently not part of the proposal due to a lack of funding.
Commissioner Marta Loachamin emphasized her desire to address the underpass at Niwot and not let the issue fall through the cracks, which the other commissioners agreed with.
The commissioners unanimously approved the proposal with conditions, including requesting a meaningful effort for an underpass at the Niwot intersection.
