DENVER — State transportation officials recently approved a $1.6 billion highway project priority list that includes $30 million for mobility improvements along Colorado Highway 119 between Boulder and Longmont.

The funding was supported by the U.S. 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition — a group of government officials from Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Longmont, Westminster, Erie and Superior — and Commuting Solutions, a Louisville-based advocacy groups that lobbies on behalf of transportation project in areas north and west of Denver. 

Elements of the coalition’s plan for the stretch of Colorado Highway 119 include the addition of Bus Rapid Transit lanes and managed express lanes, intersection improvements at Colorado Highway 52, and a commuter bike lane. These elements are similar to those seen along U.S. Highway 36 between Boulder and Denver.

Commuting Solutions director Audrey DeBarros said traffic along Colorado Highway 119 is expected to increase by 25 percent by 2040, with 45,000 vehicles traversing the corridor. 

“It’s already a parking lot at a lot of major intersections,” she said. “Unless we develop a mobility plan for the corridor, it is only going to get worse.”

The transportation-funding package, which was approved last week by the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Transportation Commission, was established through revenues collected due to the passage of Senate Bill 17-267, SB 18-001 and SB 19-262.

“Based upon the regional corridor planning over the last several years, the SH 119 vision plan will cut travel time in half for BRT and express lane users and increase transit ridership by 33 percent,” according to a letter sent by Commuting Solutions and the U.S. Highway 36 leadership group. “Planned regional Bus Rapid Transit, express/managed lanes, and a commuter bikeway will result in improved multimodal access and faster and more reliable travel times to address growing congestion, improve safety, and support economic vitality in the Northwest area transportation network.”

While the $30 million earmarked for the Colorado Highway 119 project is a step in the right direction, it’s only enough to implement an initial phase of improvements. All told, the corridor needs about $250 million in improvements.

In addition to the recent funding award, local officials have secured about $53 million and are seeking another $10 million in multi-modal funding from the CDOT commission in December.