Colfax bus rapid transit could one day run to E-470. What the new study says, and what Denver's Council has heard about the line so far

The East Colfax bus rapid transit line still under construction in Denver and Aurora could someday stretch six more miles east, from Interstate 225 to E-470, Denver7 reported Friday.

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) has finished an alternatives analysis of that stretch, one of 12 high-priority corridors it has identified for long-term transit investment by 2050. The study was done with Aurora, Adams and Arapahoe counties, RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation. According to Denver7:

• The extension is estimated to cost $52.9 million to $80.9 million. Side-running bus lanes are one design option.
• A DRCOG transit planner said congestion on the corridor could double by 2050 without action, and that the project could raise daily ridership about 25%, or up to 300 more riders a day if built today.
• There is no timeline or funding source yet. The study is meant to start those conversations.

Why it matters to Denver: the extension would build on the line Denver has spent years building down the middle of Colfax, and riders from Denver neighborhoods would be able to reach new housing and jobs in eastern Aurora on the same route.

What our records add: Denver's experience with the line

The Denver portion runs through Council districts 10, 9, 5 and 8. Here is what members and city staff have said about it this fall, from our meeting transcripts.

• Sections open. At the Oct. 5 Council meeting, Chris Hinds (District 10) said he had ridden the new BRT and praised its level boarding, and Shontel Lewis (District 8) said businesses along East Colfax were starting to feel relief as construction finishes (meeting). At the Oct. 6 Mayor-Council meeting, city staff listed a recent Colfax BRT ribbon cutting among bond projects coming online (meeting).
• Business impacts. At the Oct. 27 Finance and Business Committee, a city economic development official said Colfax sales tax revenues were already falling year over year before BRT construction started. He described the city's Business Impact Opportunity (BIO) grants as a stabilization tool that cannot make businesses whole or offset all construction losses (meeting). We covered the BIO fund's future in an earlier story.
• Lessons for the rest of the line. At the same meeting, a city transportation presenter said the segment from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard had "just opened," and that "lessons learned on the Colfax BRT segment" there changed construction plans east of Colorado Boulevard so work there would have fewer impacts (meeting). Denver is also planning BRT on Federal Boulevard, which recently won $50 million in state funding, as we reported.

An extension east of I-225 would be in Aurora and would not need Denver City Council approval, as far as the study describes.

What's next

• No date is set for funding decisions on the extension, according to Denver7.
• In Denver: Construction continues on the Colfax BRT east of Colorado Boulevard. Federal Boulevard BRT is still being planned.
• Track transportation contracts and votes on our legislation page.