The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a federal program to identify, prioritize and fund transportation projects and is an important source of funding for Boulder transportation projects.
Successfully funded projects are included in the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for additional funding.
The city’s six TIP projects prioritize a combination of planning, design and construction improvements on the Core Arterial Network (CAN), where a majority (67%) of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur in the city. By focusing on improvements to this area, the projects will help bring Boulder closer to Vision Zero, our goal of zero severe crashes.
Learn more about each project in the Project Details section.
TIP funds are categorized into four funding rounds, or calls. Find detailed information about the city’s Call 1, 2 and 4 projects below.
Final design for the East Arapahoe Transportation Plan cross-section, which includes considerations for transit, bicycles, pedestrians and landscaping.
$2.967 million, with $2.797 million funded by the TIP and $170,000 funded by the city.
2024-2025.
The city was awarded 6.4 million dollars in 2022-2025 TIP funding for the following three projects.
30th Street from CO 7/Arapahoe to CO 110/Diagonal Highway. Design and develop costs for protected bicycle facilities and transit stop improvements.
Learn more on the Project Factsheet PDF.
$1 million, with $800,000 funded by the TIP and $200,000 funded by the city.
2024-2025.
Baseline Road from 30th Street to Foothills Parkway. Construct protected bicycle facilities, floating bus stops and intersection improvements.
This project received a $3,122,000 funding award, which was $300,000 less than the application request. This funding builds on the city-funded work on Baseline Road that began in 2022. Learn more on the Baseline Road Transportation Safety Project webpage or on the Project Factsheet PDF.
$3.902 million, with $3.122 million funded by the TIP and $780,000 funded by city.
2023-2024 for design; 2025-2026 for construction.
Priority intersection improvements at Broadway and Table Mesa and at Broadway and Regent Drive. Design and construct intersection improvements and a Business Access and Transit (BAT) lane, as feasible.
Learn more on the Project Factsheet PDF.
$4.6 million, with $3.98 million funded by TIP and CDOT and $620,000 funded by the city.
2023-2024 for design; 2025-2026 for construction.
Colorado Avenue to Aurora Avenue: Final design and construction.
This concept would improve transportation options and safety for the hundreds of people that walk, bike, drive and use public and university transit on this street. The project would extend the raised protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks and improved connections to transit along 30th Street from Colorado Avenue down to Baseline Road. It would provide connections and access to local and regional transit and provide safer transportation options for the priority corridor community of residents living in the area multi-family housing, student housing and CU family housing.
Learn more on the Project Factsheet PDF.
$4.2 million, with $3 million funded by the TIP and $1.2 million funded by the city.
2025-2026 for design; 2027 for construction.
Pine Street to Colorado Avenue: Planning and preliminary design. Complete preliminary design and community engagement to enhance multimodal north-south connectivity.
Folsom Street is an important part of the city’s transportation network, providing key connections to and from homes, work, and schools. The project would develop preliminary designs to reduce the potential for severe crashes. This segment of Folsom Street would link to previously constructed protected bicycle lanes from Valmont Road to Pine Street as well as connect to planned improvements on Colorado Avenue.
Learn more on the Project Factsheet PDF.
$1.5 million, with $1 million funded by the TIP and $500,000 funded by the city.
2025-2026.
This project was waitlisted for funding during the 2024-2027 funding cycle.
Pine Street to Colorado Avenue: Planning and preliminary design.
West Colorado Avenue is a key active transportation link for several thousand students and community members each day between the CU-East and Main campus as well as residential and commercial centers around the city.
The proposed improvements provide almost a mile of connected and protected bicycle lanes, intersection enhancements and pedestrian facility improvements. It would also include transit facility upgrades such as dedicated transit lanes, consolidation of transit stops to improve reliability, new transit amenities and construction of a super transit stop adjacent to CU to accommodate the road's high number of transit users.
Learn more on the Project Factsheet PDF.
The 30th Street and Arapahoe Avenue Multimodal Intersection Improvements project was not recommended for the 2024-2027 cycle. It was determined that more in-depth study is required prior to submitting a TIP application. The city's goal is to time this project design with ongoing and upcoming design work in the area.
The 28th Street Multi-Use Path Project was not recommended for the 2022-2025 cycle as it was considered to not be competitive due to its higher project cost.
Boulder County is partnering with the city and other municipalities to better serve the community through transforming connections between Boulder and neighboring cities. This will include Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and a regional bikeway along CO119/Diagonal Highway between Boulder and Longmont and along CO7 between Boulder and Brighton/I-25.
Projects within Boulder County that also advance the city’s Transportation Master Plan goal of reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips include:
CO119/Diagonal Mobility & Safety Improvements (Boulder County submittal)
CO7 Bus Rapid Transit Starter Service, Boulder to Brighton (Boulder County submittal)
In Colorado, the TIP is managed by the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). Only projects that have been approved by local elected officials are eligible.
The TIP is prepared every four years by the DRCOG, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Regional Transportation District (RTD), to distribute funding for transportation projects in the region.
To comply with federal requirements, DRCOG prepares plans and programs that will help create a multi-modal transportation system, including the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Transportation Improvements Program (TIP). The RTP is a long-range transportation plan for the Denver metro region and is implemented through the TIP.
Projects advance the priorities of the city’s TMP and reflect the priorities and principles of the city’s transportation investment policies, as well as maximize the ability to receive funding under the DRCOG criteria.
The city generally uses the following steps when developing potential projects for the TIP.
City staff reviews the Transportation Master Plan, corridor studies and other planning efforts to identify possible projects for submittal.
Initial project ideas are evaluated and developed as concepts, public input is sought, and revised ideas are presented to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) during a public hearing.
The TAB hosts another public hearing and then recommends a set of projects to City Council for submission to the DRCOG.
City staff presents the proposed projects and the TAB recommendation to City Council at a public hearing.
If a project is funded through the TIP, it is also included in the city's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for additional funding. The city continues to develop the project's design and seek community input through public meetings.
