Boulder County Transportation Update

Welcome to the Niwot Transportation Update, your go-to source for all things related to transportation and mobility in our vibrant community.

Highway 119 Underpass

Discussions are underway regarding the proposed underpass linking the current RTD parking lot and downtown Niwot, involving the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) and Boulder County.

Recently, the LID penned a letter to Stacey Proctor, Transportation Strategic Planning and Projects Manager for the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project at Boulder County. In the letter, the LID affirmed that Option 2A, as proposed by the LID, continues to be the favored option for the Niwot underpass.

In the letter, the LID expressed that it feels strongly that the entrance to the underpass must be visible to potential users, and locating the underpass in a more central location (at the midpoint between the Park-n-Ride parking lot and Second Avenue) will increase visibility from the parking lot.

The LID noted that the Option 2A alternative provides a direct connection to the locations where bikeway users want to go and will eventually allow for a connection to First Avenue through Whistle Stop Park once an underpass below the railroad is constructed. The LID also noted that Option 2A will work better with the Niwot signage and make pedestrians accessing the path to the underpass safer due to the separation from the northbound traffic on CO 119 (Diagonal Highway).

Passenger Rail

The Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) remains an active project. FRPR is a planned intercity passenger train service extending from Fort Collins along the Front Range to Pueblo. The long-term vision is to someday connect Colorado to New Mexico and Wyoming. The difference between passenger rail and commuter rail lies in their scope: passenger rail facilitates travel between cities and states, whereas commuter rails, such as RTD's FasTracks, primarily serve riders within a specific metropolitan area.

North 95th Street

In an email update concerning the N. 95th St. Reconstruction and Resilience project, Andrew Barth, the Communication Manager for Boulder County's Transportation Department, mentioned that construction is anticipated to commence within a month. A construction schedule should be available soon.