First FasTracks project complete, saving bus commuters up to 30 minutes round-trip
$23.3 million US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements complete with the opening of US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride and bus ramps
— May 06, 2010 — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) joined the City & County of Broomfield and 36 Commuting Solutions, along with all of the jurisdictions along the US 36 Corridor, to celebrate the completion of the US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements at the site of the new US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride, at US 36 and Transit Way.
The $23.3 million US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements project is the first project to be completed in the FasTracks Program. The elements of the project include new park-n-Rides, bus pull-outs, and pedestrian bridge projects at three key US 36 interchanges – McCaslin Boulevard in Louisville, Church Ranch Boulevard in Westminster, and 116th in Broomfield. Together, these projects combine to save up to 15 minutes each way for bus riders commuting between Denver and Boulder.
Located near the 1STBANK Center, the US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride provides a 1,500- space parking garage, shared with the 1STBANK Center and Arista, a new pedestrian bridge and bus-only slip ramps. The park-n-Ride officially opened Sunday, May 2, as part of the May RTD service changes and resulted in the closure of the existing Broomfield park-n-Ride at 120th Avenue and Wadsworth Parkway. The movement of the park-n-Ride and addition of bus-only slip ramps help add to the overall commuter travel-time savings.
“Over the past couple of years I’ve found that RTD has made my commute from Boulder to Westminster fast, convenient, and much more economical than driving,” said George Craft, an RTD commuter. “I take the bus at least 80 percent of the time, giving me time to relax and read. I hardly remember the last time I bought gas. And what RTD has done to improve transit service along US 36 is remarkable. The new Broomfield park-n-Ride and bus slip ramps alone reduced my commute by almost 20 minutes. I really appreciate the RTD FasTracks investments into US 36 to jump start bus rapid transit and make transit more competitive with driving.”
The next phase of the project for US 36 is a joint Colorado Department of Transportation/RTD US 36 Corridor project, which includes highway and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) elements and is partially funded through FasTracks. US 36 BRT service is proposed to run along the18-mile corridor between Downtown Denver and Boulder. It will serve Denver, Westminster, Broomfield, Superior, Louisville and Boulder.
FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.
View Broomfield Enterprise coverage of the new park-n-Ride.
View 9News coverage.
