Work on the Diagonal improvement project continues

Planning continues for the State Highway 119 (the Diagonal) Multimodal Improvements Project, which began in 2014. The project will add express toll and bus lanes to the heavily used highway, and bike paths will be added to the medians. A transit station and park-and-ride improvements will also be part of the project.

The partners developing the project include the Boulder County Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the cities of Longmont and Boulder, and Commuting Solutions, an organization dedicated to both biking and motorized vehicles being able to not only get around our area, but to do so amicably and safely.

Construction for this project is not expected to begin until 2023, and with temporary construction impacts, travel/commute times might be impacted on the heavily traveled highway. No highway closure is predicted, and any foreseen temporary disruptions to traffic flow will be announced in advance so the public may choose alternate routes.

The project will stretch from 28th Street at Canyon Boulevard in Boulder, where public transportation passengers can connect to the downtown Boulder RTD Bus Station to transfer to other routes, to Coffman Street in Longmont, where improvements also will be made. Boulder Rapid Transit (BRT) stations will be added along the route, including at Niwot.

A continuous bikeway will not only be included in this construction, but will connect to other popular bikeways from Longmont to Boulder.

Projected costs for this project range from $230-250 million and money is set aside for it as it becomes available.

The plan was conceived because of the current heavy traffic of nearly 50,000 vehicles per day, which is predicted to rise to 60,000-plus vehicles per day by 2040. A 33% increase in transit ridership is also predicted.

Because this is a multi-community project, public input, including from Niwot residents, is encouraged.

For more information and updates, readers are invited to go to the Commuting Solutions and RTD’s RTD’s SH119 websites.