Broadway (Euclid to 18th) Transportation Improvements Project

 

Project Background:

The Broadway (Euclid to 18^th) Transportation Improvements Project was identified during the City of Boulder’s FasTracks Local Optimization (FLO) planning process in 2006.  The FLO Facilities Team was formed with members from the FLO Committee to study the needs of the CU and Boulder Transit Stations and a planning phase report was completed in mid-2007.  Click here to view the FLO Facilities Study Executive Summary or Click here to view the entire FLO Facilities Study document .  Some of the major issues identified included: 

• The CU Transit Station is one of the busiest transit stops in the RTD system with over 1,280 buses stopping every day at this location. This is over twice the number of buses that stop at Market Street Station in downtown Denver.
• The transit waiting area on the west side of Broadway is frequently overcrowded, with up to 750 passengers currently boarding during the peak hours.
• Bus riders deboarding on the east side of Broadway walk immediately across the Broadway multi-use path, creating significant conflicts between bicyclists using the pathway and the bus riders.
• The Broadway path is a key north-south arterial in the Boulder bicycle network serving as a primary cross-town connection as well as accessing the CU campus
• The section of University Hill to the west of the intersection houses a dense population of students, in single family dwellings, apartment buildings and fraternity and sorority houses. Most of these students walk to campus, crossing Broadway at Euclid.
• Broadway is a busy street for vehicles, carrying over 2,500 vehicles during peak hours. The significant pedestrian cross-traffic delays vehicular operations and creates safety issues.
• The bus pull-outs are not large enough to accommodate the current bus traffic, so buses queue up in the travel lane, causing traffic delays.

The proposed transportation improvements were included in the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and as a City of Boulder Transportation Improvement Program request to the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) in 2007 for federal funding.  This partnership project was approved for federal funding in 2008.   The project was approved as part of the City of Boulder’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) in the 2009 budget process.

The total project budget is $7.4 million with $3.4 million in federal transportation funds.  The local match for this project was composed of funding from five agencies: City of Boulder - $ 920,000; Boulder County - $500,000; CDOT - $400,000; RTD - $570,000; CU - $1,600,000 (combined value of land donation and $600,000 in funding from CU Students ($300,000) and Administration ($300,000))

Public Involvement:

A public open-house meeting was held on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.  To view a Summary of the public input received at the open-house meeting and from the webpage, please click here  .  At the Oct. 12, 2009 Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) meeting, there was a Public hearing, Staff briefing and Board input on the project.  Click here to go to the TAB webpage for more information about the meeting.

Project Goals:

• Efficiency improvements for vehicles, buses, pedestrians and bicyclists
• Safety improvements at the intersections of Broadway/Euclid Avenue and Broadway/18th Street 
• Improve transit facilities and plan for future Bus Rapid Transit 
• Reduce conflicts between multi-use path users and transit users
• Maintain or improve Broadway's traffic capacity
• Context sensitive design and aesthetics through the project corridor
• Incorporate community input where possible
• Construct project within budget and on schedule.

Project Scope of Improvements:

• Construct a pedestrian/bicycle underpass beneath Broadway at 16th Street
• Relocate and expand the northbound transit stop; Expand the southbound transit stop; Provide additional transit amenities at each of the stops
• Construction of a signalized intersection at Broadway and 18th Street
• Multi-use path improvements 

 Project Graphics:

Photos of Existing Conditions

Traffic Data

Previously Considered Alternatives

Proposed Project Concept

Underpass Elevation - view from the CU side

Underpass Elevation - view from the University Hill Elem School Side

Urban design & Landscape opportunities

Urban design influences & precedents

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Last Updated on Monday, 09 November 2009 11:09