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Douglas County study recommends subregional Lone Tree–Castle Pines–Castle Rock route; local circulator not recommended for now
Summary
Douglas County staff and consultants told Castle Pines City Council that a subregional fixed route linking Lone Tree, Castle Pines and Castle Rock scores highest for near‑term pilots while local microtransit or a city circulator is not recommended immediately; the study cites travel patterns, survey results (about 550 responses, ~44 from Castle Pines) and funding needs for FY2026–27 pilots.
Zeke Lynch, Douglas County assistant public works director, told the Castle Pines City Council the county’s multimodal transit study—initiated in 2022 and funded in part through a DRCOG TIP application—was intended to identify pilot projects and longer‑term funding to fill gaps in regional service. “We did get a DRCOG TIP application grant for this project,” Lynch said, adding the study budget is about $600,000 with a $100,000 local match and that pilot funding has been secured for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Michael Kaminer, deputy project manager for the consultant team, said consultants used connected‑device ('streetlight') data and traffic counts to map travel markets and existing trip patterns. He said Castle Pines shows strong regional travel—especially to Castle Rock and Lone Tree—rather than concentrated internal trips. “There’s really no direct nearby transit in Castle Pines beyond some of the specialized senior transportation services,” Kaminer said, and the team therefore prioritized subregional alternatives for early pilots.
The study evaluated three solution types—microtransit, local circulators and subregional fixed routes—on criteria including potential daily ridership, cost (assumed turnkey operations), markets served, implementation effort and connections to existing RTD routes. For the proposed Lone Tree–Castle Pines–Castle Rock subregional route the team estimated 280–400 daily riders on the line overall and modeled a service pattern of 30‑minute frequency during peak periods and 60‑minute off‑peak, operating Monday–Saturday roughly 6 a.m.–8 p.m. Kaminer noted modeled bus travel time between Lone Tree and Castle Pines of about 25 minutes versus a 17‑minute drive.
On local conditions, Kaminer said the Castle Pines travel profile—high vehicle availability, a larger-than‑average walking mode share for short internal trips, and many commutes of 10–29 minutes—reduces near‑term prospects for a successful local circulator or microtransit pilot. “We are not recommending local transit solutions in the immediate, meaning as pilot projects for 2026 and 2027,” he said, while adding the option could be reexamined as the city grows and its employment/destination mix changes.
Kaminer described public outreach and methodology: the team conducted targeted focus groups, two open houses (Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch), flyer events and an online interactive survey that received about 550 respondents; roughly 8% of respondents (about 44 people) indicated they were Castle Pines residents. When asked whether model estimates could be apportioned to specific cities, Kaminer said the current modeling identified travel markets along the corridor but had not allocated the 280–400 daily riders to specific originating cities; the team expects mode share and origin proportions to be roughly proportional to observed travel demand.
Council members pressed the presenters on data sources and outreach timing. Several members asked for additional demographic details about the Castle Pines respondents and suggested targeted outreach at locations such as Legacy Village to better understand senior mobility needs. Council member Cole raised concerns about using the existing park‑and‑ride carpool lot as a stop given planned changes to Havana; Douglas County staff said the carpool lot will remain under county jurisdiction, that the city will annex part of Havana and that the parties have an agreement to participate in funding a future traffic signal to manage access at that location.
The consultants asked the council to support continued transit funding, to work with RTD on local agency funding partnerships (including reconsideration of FlexRide allocations), and to help identify local and regional funding sources for pilots and future DRCOG TIP or federal grant applications. The study team plans to deliver pilot recommendations and a draft report within several weeks and invited written feedback from the city.
The presentation closed with the council thanking the county and consultant team. No formal city action was taken during the study session; the presentation and comments were recorded for staff follow‑up and possible future council direction.
