Douglas County advances microtransit study and says it fast-tracked Lincoln-Quebec interchange

Douglas County officials discussed a county-funded study of microtransit and said they fast-tracked the Lincoln-Quebec interchange to complete before the school year began.

A county commissioner opened the discussion by highlighting the county’s voter-approved transportation resources, saying, "Do you know what it takes to keep people, goods, and services moving at the speed of success? We do. Douglas County has more dedicated voter approved transportation funds than any other county in the state. Over 40% of our annual budget is committed to keeping your regional highways, local roads, and neighborhood streets less congested with fewer delays, improved mobility, and safety." The commissioner presented that funding as the basis for recent projects and studies.

Another county commissioner described the Lincoln-Quebec interchange and the reasons county leaders moved to accelerate it. The commissioner said the interchange is adjacent to an active fire station "not even a quarter of a mile away from the interchange site" and asserted it can take about "15 minutes to go to the exact other side of where that interchange is going to be" in response to incidents. The commissioner said commissioners were told the interchange "would not be done until winter," and "we fast tracked that project to make sure that it got done before school started months ago. This is an example of good government getting it right." These timelines and claims were presented by the speakers; no formal vote or ordinance was recorded in the transcript provided.

Speakers also described a microtransit study intended to identify gaps in county mobility and to test whether microtransit could serve as a last-mile solution. A commissioner said Lone Tree developed a local last-mile service that became "actual transit for the entire community," and that the county's study is building on that example. The commissioner said the county moved the pilot into Meridian last year and plans to bring it into Highlands Ranch next year.

On legal and policy questions, a commissioner said, "Right now, under Colorado State law, there is no provision or recognition of microtransit." The same speaker said the study's data could be used to approach state legislators about drafting a bill to authorize or fund microtransit, and described the possibility of "free transportation, door to door" for some users.

The discussion identified several groups the study aims to serve, including families that need two cars but have one and older adults, and framed the study as a tool to show where the county's mobility "vulnerabilities" are. The transcript did not include a formal motion, vote tally, or an adopted ordinance related to the study or the interchange during the excerpt provided.

Next steps described in the remarks: the microtransit study will expand service-area testing (already in Meridian, planned for Highlands Ranch) and county officials intend to use study results to inform discussions with state legislators. No timeline for such legislative outreach or for full deployment of microtransit was specified in the transcript.