After years of construction, the first section of the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is now open with RTD buses now running in the center of Colfax between Broadway and Colorado.
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This is the first big milestone for the $280 million East Colfax BRT project.
RTD’s buses are now using the new center lanes and stations from Broadway to Colorado, with features including near-level boarding, security cameras, lighting and transit signal priority.
But this is only one part of the project. East of Colorado, construction continues all the way toward I-225.
“It does help the bus move faster. It also makes turning right on Colfax a lot easier, so you don't have to cross over the bus lane,” said East Colfax Avenue BRT project director Jonathan Stewart.
The new design also changes how drivers and businesses use this part of Colfax. General traffic has been moved from two lanes down to one in each direction with the center lanes reserved for the RTD buses.
Some street parking was removed but the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) said there’s still about 180 parking spaces.
“All the parking on Colfax between the Colorado and Broadway area that is all free two-hour parking,” Stewart said.
While this section of the Colfax BRT project wrapped up more than a year ahead of schedule, it still carries some heavy weight for businesses on Colfax.
“If you can't park, you have no access. If you have no access, they can't come in and patronize our business. Parking is a crucial part of business. We're on a major street, which is Colfax,” said Denver Juke Joint owner Mark Richardson.
Business owners told Denver7 the construction has been a tough part of that equation.
“It's been very frustrating for the businesses that have been there, and especially us being a new business,” said Denver Juke Joint owner Alisha Jackson.
DOTI said construction has been difficult for businesses and told Denver7 the city has provided millions of dollars in grants and technical assistance.
“We have the sidewalks a little more cleaned up. We have 200 new trees. I think that there's a lot better access. There's a lot better visibility, and if there's parking available on the street, you can park right on Colfax and still get to that business if you're in a hurry,” Stewart added.
RTD said the BRT service, known as Lynx, will replace the 15 and 15L bus routes when the entire BRT project is complete. Once that begins, riders will pay for tickets prior to boarding through ticket vending machines at the platforms.
DOTI said construction continues east of Colorado Boulevard, extending into Aurora toward I-225, and is expected to finish in early 2028.
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