Study launched to improve Diagonal commute

The State Highway 119 First and Final Mile Study, facilitated through transportation non-profit Commuting Solutions, is seeking input on how to make multimodal transportation more accessible to commuters along the Diagonal Highway.

The study seeks to complement a Regional Transportation District study, finished in 2019, that considered Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a way to improve commuter traffic along SH 119 (https://www.rtd-denver.com/projects/state-highway-119-brt-study). RTD found that with projected increases in traffic along the highway, a bus trip on the Bolt or J line - both of which are considered BRT - will be as long as 66 minutes.

As taking the bus becomes more efficient and accessible, the length of that bus trip could decrease to as short as 40 minutes. Phil Greenwald, transportation planner for Longmont and a board member for Commuting Solutions, noted that the ideal project will improve every step of the commute, but there are multiple ways to go about it.

“People think of 119 as a lonely stretch of highway far away from businesses and residents,” Greenwald said. “How can we do better? How can we provide more options for folks so they can get around safely?”

Since the study began in April, the team has taken steps such as doing walking audits of transit stations along SH 119. One of the study’s goals is making sure the commute is safe, including the time spent getting to a station and waiting for a bus. Efficiency is also key, as Greenwald noted that multiple neighborhoods have given feedback that transit stations are not easily accessible for residents, either by car or by local bus.

“If we can make buses easier and biking easier, that would be a wonderful end result,” Greenwald said. “We want to make it more system-wide, so people can choose from different reliable modes of transit.”

The current coronavirus pandemic means some aspects of the study have to proceed differently. Town halls are now virtual instead of in person, and on-the-ground researchers must wear masks and collaborate at a safe distance. Commuting Solutions Executive Director Audrey DeBarros said that the study is proceeding as well as it can under the circumstances.

“People are enthusiastic about a future vision that looks at how to make the highway safer for all travelers,” DeBarros said.

The SH 119 study is looking to other travel corridors for guidance, according to DeBarros, including U.S. 36, which underwent improvements from 2012 to 2017. That project also completed a “first and final mile” study, which led to better BRT through the Flatiron Flyer lines.

Looking forward, the biggest challenge will likely be securing funding for the actual infrastructure changes, which could include better microtransit in Gunbarrel, finding ways to improve bicycle and pedestrian routes, encouraging transportation modes other than driving, potential shared parking initiatives, and even a 119-specific wayfinding system.

Of the roughly $250 million needed, about $90 million is already available from state, regional and local partners combined. DeBarros said the project will likely occur in pieces and parts as more funds become available, whether through grants, donations or more localities designating funding.

Greenwald said he hopes that by the end of the project, the worst of the pandemic will be over, but that doesn’t change the fact that many folks, including essential workers, rely on public transit daily. The financial burden of car ownership can be more than some can handle, while others aren’t allowed to drive for a variety of reasons. And while the project seeks to make bicycling along SH 119 safer and easier, it isn’t always a time-efficient way to get around, compared to a bus.

“We've got to move these people who are doing essential jobs that need to be done,” Greenwald said. “People shouldn't be excluded from society and work because they don't have a driver’s license or car.”

For those looking to learn more about the project, there will be two virtual town halls this month: Thursday, Aug. 6, from noon to 1 p.m., and Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 5 to 6 p.m. The project team will provide the same information at both of them, but the Aug. 12 session will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Other ways to engage and provide feedback include a survey as well as a crowdsourced web map. All of this is on the Commuting Solutions website (https://commutingsolutions.org/regional-planning/sh-119-first-and-final-mile-study/).