A year-long study looking at ways to make Colo. 119 between Longmont and Boulder more transit and bicycle-friendly is underway and commuters this week can get a glimpse of the vision and the process.
Commuting Solutions on Thursday will hold the first of three planned virtual town halls on the Colo. 119 first and final mile study.
The study, which began in April, is seeking ways to bridge gaps that discourage potential riders from using transit because a station cannot be easily accessed from home, work, or other destinations. It is the latest in a regional effort to bring Bus Rapid Transit to the heavily trafficked Diagonal Highway, which was identified as a high-priority project in a 2014 study conducted by the Regional Transportation District and the US 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition.
The Diagonal Highway connects Longmont and Boulder and travels through Niwot and Gunbarrel. The road sees 45,000 vehicles a day and is projected to see a 25% increase in traffic by 2040, according to Commuting Solutions. The road has 1,500 transit riders a day, with a likely increase of 33% with the proposed multimodal improvements such as Bus Rapid Transit and express lane usage, according to the organization.
The proposed BRT would feature two routes with different alignments and frequencies, with center lanes for buses, high-occupancy vehicles and toll-paying motorists, according to a PowerPoint presentation from a study kickoff meeting on May 29. It also includes five Park-n-Rides and intersection improvements.
The proposed bikeway, according to that PowerPoint, would be a multi-use path along the center of the highway that would span 7.7 miles from 47th Street in Boulder to Fordham Street in Longmont. The bikeway also would connect to existing trail systems in both cities.
Bikeway design, Park-n-Rides and improvements at Colo. 119 and Colo. 52 are funded through 2024, according to the presentation. Construction of the bikeway, as well as the center BRT/HOV lanes, and Longmont and Boulder intersection improvements are not yet funded.
To register for Thursday’s town hall, which is from 5 to 6 p.m., click here. Another town hall will be from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 6, with a Spanish language event scheduled for 5 to 6 p.m Aug. 12.
Correction: The first town hall is this Thursday, July 30. That information was unclear in the original posting of this story.
