In partnership with the Boulder Valley School District and Boulder Housing Partners, the city was awarded $707,222 in funding Safe Routes to School improvements to the Manhattan Middle School community.

  1. Community Engagement

    2022 & 2025-2026

  2. Design

    2026

  3. Build

    2026

  4. Complete

    2027

Jump To
Completion Date
2027
Current Phase
Community Engagement

Project Overview

Beginning in fall 2025, we will engage the community in developing a conceptual design to improve safety and comfort for people traveling on Manhattan Drive from Baseline Road to Iroquois Drive.

This project will provide improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, safer driveway and street crossings, and traffic calming elements to help the Manhattan Middle School community walk, bike and roll to school more safely and comfortably.

Context map. Long description linked in caption.
Jump to context map long description.

Timeline

  • Fall 2022: We heard from the Manhattan Middle School community that walking, biking, and rolling on Manhattan Drive feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and submitted a grant application for funding to improve safety.
  • May 2023: The City of Boulder was awarded $707,222 in Safe Routes to School grant funding for improvements to Manhattan Drive. View the grant award press release.
  • Fall 2025: We will receive the grant award funds, continue community engagement and begin conceptual design.
  • Spring 2026: We will complete community engagement and design work, and begin construction.
  • Spring 2027: We anticipate completing construction, pending final design details and contractor availability.

Community Engagement

We heard from the Manhattan Middle School community in 2022 that walking, biking and rolling on Manhattan Drive feel unsafe and uncomfortable due to:

  • Lack of a bike facility: There is currently no bike lane or other bike facility on Manhattan Drive.
  • Narrow sidewalks: Sidewalks on both sides of the street are not wide enough to accommodate the number of students using the sidewalks to walk, bike, or roll to school.
  • High vehicle speeds: Speed data indicates that the majority of drivers on Manhattan Drive routinely travel significantly faster than the 20 mph speed limit. The 85th percentile speed collected was 29-31 mph, meaning 85% of drivers were traveling at or below this speed.
  • Uncomfortable crossings: Crossing Manhattan Drive feels unsafe due to high vehicle speeds, lack of yielding compliance, and the high level of activity during drop-off and pickup times.
  • Limited visibility: The curves on Manhattan Drive south of Baseline Road and high levels of on-street parking limit visibility for all road users.

We will re-engage with the community in fall 2025 to understand the current school community’s concerns and priorities for improving safety on Manhattan Drive.

The City of Boulder is committed to transparent, inclusive and equitable community engagement. This project will provide multiple opportunities to inform and consult the community per the city’s Engagement Strategic Framework.

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Funding

This project is funded by a combination of a federal Safe Routes to School grant award and city funds. View the 2023 grant award press release.

Nearby Projects

This grant supports other projects in the area to make walking, biking and rolling safer and more comfortable. This includes signal timing that gives pedestrians a head start at the Baseline Road and Manhattan Drive intersection as well as paving and restriping Baseline Road east of Foothills Parkway both completed in 2024.

The Baseline Road Transportation Safety Project is a multi-year project focused on improving safety along Baseline Road between 30th Street and Foothills Parkway, one of the city’s most-traveled corridors. Phase 1 improvements, including the installation of a protected bike lane, were completed in 2023. Phase 2 improvements are planned for 2026.

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This map shows Manhattan Drive from Baseline Road to the north to Keewaydin Meadows Park to the south between 55th Street to the east and Foothills Parkway to the west. The Safe Routes to School project limits are Manhattan Drive from Baseline Road to Iroquois Drive. Manhattan Middle School is located on Manhattan Drive between Tenino Avenue to the north and Keewaydin Meadows Park to the south. The school's bike parking and vehicle parking are located on the south side of the school. The school bus loading zone is on Manhattan Drive from just north of the intersection with Iroquois Drive to just south of the intersection with Seminole Drive.

Manhattan Drive has a 20 mph speed limit. There is a traffic signal at the intersection of Manhattan Drive and Baseline Road, and stop signs at the intersections of Manhattan Drive and Tenino Avenue, Manhattan Drive and Seminole Drive, Manhattan Drive and Iroquois Drive, and Seminole Drive and Sioux Drive. There are 4 northbound RTD bus stops and 3 southbound RTD bus stops on Manhattan Drive, as well as one eastbound and one westbound bus stop on Tenino Avenue north of the school and one eastbound and one westbound bus stop on Baseline Road.

There is a multi-use path that runs north/south to the west of Manhattan Drive on the westside of Foothills Parkway and a multi-use path that runs east/west to the east of Manhattan Drive through Keewaydin Meadows Park and East Boulder Community Park towards the East Boulder Community Center. Baseline Road has on-street separated bike lanes. Manhattan Drive, Tenino Avenue, Seminole Drive, Sioux Drive, and Iroquois Drive do not have bike lanes.

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