28th Street Improvements Project

The primary purpose of the project is to enhance regional bus service capacity on 28th Street/US-36, which is one of the busiest corridors in the city. From Iris Avenue to Pearl Street, the project will add continuous BAT (Business-Access-Transit) lanes to 28th Street, which are lanes prioritized for transit and also used by right-turning vehicles. The project will also improve the bus stops (including enlarging boarding areas) on both sides of 28th Street, so buses can load/unload passengers in the BAT lane without experiencing or causing additional delay.

These enhancements will equip 28th Street to offer future CO 119/Diagonal Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service between Boulder and Longmont. Phased conversion of the third outside lane from Pearl to Canyon is planned for future years as BRT service comes online. In addition, the project will fill in missing links in the multi-use paths along both sides of 28th Street, to create a continuous north-south multi-use path facility from Baseline Road to Iris Avenue. This improvement is consistent with recommendations from the city’s Low Stress Walk & Bike Network.

Benefits include more convenient and reliable transit service, including increased transit efficiency along 28th Street in conjunction with implementation of future CO 119/Diagonal BRT service. The project will provide additional travel choices for individuals commuting into Boulder as well as employees of 28th Street businesses, one of the main commercial centers in the city. Additionally, the project will provide enhanced cyclist and pedestrian access along 28th Street via the installation of a continuous north-south facility multi-use path facility on each side of the street.

The project will also implement the Core Arterial Network, a connected system of protected bicycle lanes, intersection enhancements, pedestrian facilities, and transit facility upgrades that will reduce the potential for severe crashes and make it more comfortable and convenient for people to get where they need to go along Boulder’s main corridors.

This project is the last phase of a larger project, first launched in the 1990s, aiming to improve transportation on 28th Street between Baseline and Iris. 28th Street was chosen for improvements because it is one of the busiest corridors in Boulder, is a major north-south connection serving many residents, commuters, and visitors, and is a major center for retail and business. Additionally, Safe Streets report findings that 67% of our crashes resulting in serious injury or fatality occur on our arterial streets, like 28th Street. These factors make it a top candidate for travel enhancements, particularly in the area of transit service.

As outlined in the city’s Transportation Master Plan, increasing transit capacity is key to meeting the needs of the Boulder community and all who visit, work and play here. The improvements on 28th Street will enable the corridor to provide CO 119/Diagonal Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Service. This connection will help many current commuters who travel into/out of Boulder by car to switch to faster, more convenient transit service. Improving regional travel connections and providing more attractive, non-vehicular options for in-commuting is key to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, meeting our city's Climate Commitment goals and providing more comfortable, efficient and convenient travel for all, no matter the mode of transport used.

This project will increase transit service capacity through adding transit-priority lanes (Business-Access-Transit, or BAT lanes), improve regional travel options, and complete missing links in the multi-use path system, all key goals of the city’s Transportation Master Plan and Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan. It also supports the Core Arterial Network and Vision Zero Action Plan.

The dedicated BAT (Business-Access-Transit) lanes being added to 28th Street will be used only by buses and right-turning vehicles, which will reduce conflicts between buses and through-traffic. Currently, buses are required to merge with all other traffic at multiple points along the corridor, impacting efficient bus travel. The multi-use path sections added along both sides of 28th Street will be complimented by raised driveway crossings, have warning signage at exits and colored striping bars where warranted, all of which will increase safety and visibility. This design is in keeping with current Vision Zero engineering best practices intended to improve transportation safety.

Staff plans to investigate additional strategies that could be implemented through this project to further enhance safety, including: completing a full corridor evaluation of vehicle turning movements to understand if any locations would benefit from right-turn-on-red restrictions or other traffic signal modifications; investigating the installation of a neckdown (AKA a bulb-out or curb extension) at Pine, Spruce and Bluff to implement a shorter crossing distance for pedestrians and bicyclists; and evaluating corridor traffic signals where Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) signal timing (which provides an additional head start for pedestrians crossing intersections), could be added. Improvements to left-turn signal phasing will be implemented at the Glenwood and 28th and Mapleton and 28th intersections when the project makes required upgrades to the traffic signal poles.

No. A third outside lane (already striped as a Business-Access-Transit (BAT) lane in some areas) currently exists on the majority of the project corridor. This project will repurpose portions of the existing third outside general purpose vehicle lane into a BAT, and expand the BAT lane where only two lanes currently exist, to complete missing links and create an uninterrupted lane prioritized for bus service. The BAT lane will not increase vehicle capacity along the corridor; rather, it will allow for enhanced access to businesses along 28th Street and improve the convenience and attractiveness of transit service.

Staff don’t anticipate this project will result in any noticeable increase in vehicle speeds. For the majority of the corridor, a third outside lane already exists. In 2019, the average measured speed in the corridor was 26 mph. Generally, the speed used to calibrate signal timing is the posted speed limit, which is 35 mph for this segment of 28th Street, though many factors influence traffic signal progression and actual progression speed, including spacing between traffic signals, traffic volume, queuing, left-turn phases and cycle length. Staff will continue monitoring speeds along the corridor prior to and after project implementation, including examining signal progression speeds during project design.

No. 28th Street is a regional corridor and one of the busiest freight corridors in the city, which makes it ideal for transit service and vehicular travel as opposed to walking and bicycling. The city is working to enhance walking and bicycling facilities on parallel corridors, such as Folsom and 30th streets, to provide safer and lower-stress routes that can be used to access 28th Street businesses or to travel downtown.

No. In previous project designs, the city was considering adding what’s known as a Bike-Business-Access-Transit (BBAT) lane, which is a lane striped for bicyclists to use in addition to buses and right-turning vehicles. However, in keeping with best practices identified in research on peer cities and in response to recent community feedback, staff has modified the design and will remove the striping for bicyclists, resulting in installation of a BAT (Business-Access-Transit) lane instead. The lane will serve primarily as a bus lane, enhancing transit service capacity on this important corridor. Cyclists and pedestrians are encouraged to use the multi-use path facility present on both sides of 28th Street (providing continuous access from Baseline to Iris following this project's construction) and which is the facility type recommended for this corridor from the city's Low Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan.

No. While the vision for the corridor was developed in the late 1990's supporting the land uses in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP), substantial work has been done since then to design the 28th Street corridor projects, such as the 2014 Revised Vision for Transit PDF, which incorporated extensive public outreach and engagement. This visioning informed preliminary design work in 2017 and 2018 with a focus on development of a transit-priority corridor to support future CO 119/Diagonal BRT service. The improvements planned for 28th Street from Canyon to Iris represent the final phase of this corridor-scale effort. All plans for Iris to Canyon represent current best practices in transportation facility design, through enhancements to the roadway, traffic signals, signs and pavement markings, and reflects Boulder’s commitment to advancing safe, multimodal travel infrastructure.