Boulder plans intersection rebuilds, safety upgrades on Broadway; bus‑lane study proposed
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Summary
City staff presented intersection design upgrades at Broadway & Regent and Broadway & Table Mesa, aimed at reducing bus delay and improving pedestrian accessibility; staff also proposed a study of curbside bus lanes on Broadway between Regent and Table Mesa but said that lane conversion would require additional funding and regional plan changes.
City staff presented conceptual designs for intersection improvements and a bus‑lane study on Broadway at the Transportation Advisory Board meeting on Jan. 22, describing changes intended to reduce bus delays, improve pedestrian and bicycle crossings and preserve regional transit reliability.
Brian Wilcher, City of Boulder project manager, and Daniel Sheeter, principal transportation planner, described funded intersection upgrades at Broadway & Regent Drive and Broadway & Table Mesa Drive. The designs add a northbound bus lane through Regent and a southbound bus‑only left lane at Table Mesa to allow buses to bypass queues, realign right‑turn bypass lanes to lower turning speeds, upgrade curb ramps for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and close a driveway that conflicts with the Broadway multiuse path.
Sheeter said a separate, grant‑funded traffic signal project will adjust pole locations and left‑turn phasing at Broadway & Regent and at Broadway & Baseline; the Regent signal work is expected in spring–summer and Baseline later in 2025.
Staff also presented a bus‑lane study for the outside lanes of Broadway between Regent and Table Mesa. That study would analyze repurposing the existing third curb lane into a curbside bus lane used by buses and right‑turning vehicles; staff said the study itself is funded but that implementation would require additional funding and would need to be added to DRCOG’s regional transportation plan before changes could be built.
Board members focused questions on slip lanes and pedestrian safety. Staff said they plan to “square up” existing right‑turn bypass lanes to reduce turning speeds where corridor geometry permits and to add raised crossings and refuge islands to shorten pedestrian crossing distances.
Wilcher said intersection upgrades are on a path toward final design and that corridor construction is anticipated in 2026; the bus‑lane study will report feasibility and funding needs but will not itself change lane controls.
— Ending: Staff asked for public comment through an open virtual house; the open comment period was near its close at the time of the TAB presentation.
