DRCOG transportation committee adds roadway facilities to federal‑aid eligibility; Centennial councilmember flags 2050 plan scenarios

Council member Bauer, who said he attended a Denver regional transportation committee meeting on behalf of DRCOG, reported July 15 that committee members approved adding certain roadway facilities to federal‑aid eligibility and discussed scenarios for the 2050 regional transportation plan. Bauer said the committee accepted Littleton Boulevard/Main Street (US 85 to Broadway) for federal‑aid eligibility, which could make that corridor eligible for additional federal funding programs in the future. He also summarized committee discussion of the DRCOG 2050 regional transportation plan update, which uses scenario analysis to evaluate outcomes such as ridership, delay, and network comfort under different investments, and projects slower population growth than prior forecasts — the committee cited a 2050 population projection near 800,000 for the region under some scenarios and emphasized an aging population. Bauer said the committee examined transit and microtransit scenarios and modeled potential benefits such as increased ridership and reduced delay under different investment packages. He offered to share the DRCOG materials with council members. The report was informational; no city action or funding decisions were made at the study session.