Commuting Solutions integral to CO 119 project

Commuting Solutions, a Louisville-based transportation management organization (TMO), is partnering with Boulder County on the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project. As a partner, they are leveraging their expertise to create a distinct identity for the Diagonal Highway corridor. This includes designing wayfinding signs, bus station architecture, and other elements along the new Bus Rapid Transit route.

Audrey DeBarros, the Executive Director of Commuting Solutions, and Kelly Green-Leibovitz, its Marketing Communication Specialist, are the staff members at Commuting Solutions assigned to this project. DeBarros holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and communication and a master's in nonprofit leadership. Green-Leibovitz, who has a background in marketing, was motivated by her desire to work for a non-profit organization.

DeBarros commented, "The pros of being in transportation is that it is an exciting time due to the level of advocacy and planning for multi-modal, which provides multiple modes of transportation for the public. The negative is always lack of funding."

Commuting Solutions, established in 1998, is one of the eight TMOs in the Denver region. As a TMO, Commuting Solutions differs from a typical private-sector traffic and transportation engineering firm. The difference is defined by their experience and knowledge in regional transportation planning and advocacy, not environmental and engineering design. Their ability to bring together nonprofit, private, and public sector agencies to tackle the region's transportation challenges is what sets them apart.

A prime example of this collaboration was demonstrated along the Highway 36 corridor, where the Commuting Solutions team addressed multiple corridor challenges, including managing private land along the corridor with numerous diverse land use changes. DeBarros said that stakeholder engagement, including nonprofit, private and public sectors, was a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and was applied to the Highway 36 corridor, which was constructed from 2017 through 2022.

Several unique ideas emanated from these stakeholder meetings, including the proposal for a dedicated bikeway along Highway 36, which was considered innovative at the time. This concept has since evolved into what is now known as the Bike Rapid Transit (BRT) system. It has been incorporated into the design of the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project, which includes a dedicated 12-foot-wide bike path separated from vehicular traffic.

As part of the partnership with Boulder County, the recommended mobility improvements for the northwest metro region, based on the Northwest Area Mobility Study completed by RTD about ten years ago, are being integrated into the CO 119 Safely, Mobility, and Bikeway Project. This study created a road map and a foundational document that bound our elected officials to agree on a future vision years ago and ensures it remains a high priority for the Colorado Department of Transportation and Regional Transportation District.

The company also completed the Highway 119 First and Final Mile Study, which focused on connecting people from home and work safely and efficiently to a BRT. They are now implementing the wayfinding and branding portion of the study, which will address messaging and signage, and are excited to start.

Expect to hear more from Commuting Solutions as they anticipate being involved with the Front Range Passenger Rail project, which is a massive undertaking that will involve stakeholders at all levels of government using their expertise in transportation planning and advocacy for this exciting adventure.