RTD and Denver receive $150 million funding allocation for E. Colfax BRT
RTD, the City and County of Denver (CCD) and the City of Aurora, along with state and local partners, are celebrating an FTA funding allocation that advances a major effort by the city to bring Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to East Colfax Avenue.
Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) notified RTD that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) apportioned an additional $23 million in Fixed Guideway Capital Investment Grants Allocation (CIG) funding for construction of the East Colfax BRT project. This funding combined with prior year apportionments equals a total federal apportionment of $150 million, the maximum amount allowed in the discretionary grant category.
RTD, as the direct recipient of federal funds, is working in coordination with Denver and Aurora to implement the East Colfax BRT project and deliver BRT service along the 9.9-mile Colfax Avenue corridor that extends from Denver Union Station to Colfax Station near I-225 in Aurora, where the BRT service would connect to the R Line light rail corridor.
“RTD appreciates the partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to move another step forward on constructing the E. Colfax BRT project. The agency looks forward to finalizing the grant process with the FTA and continuing to work cooperatively with local and state partners to deliver this beneficial project to the community,” said RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson.
The decision follows a robust Federal Transit Administration (FTA) review of the project’s viability and benefits, considering mobility improvements, congestion relief, cost effectiveness, economic development, environmental benefits, and the reliability of project partners and sources of matching funds.
“In allocating the maximum funding allowed for this grant opportunity, our federal partners are signaling their confidence in our ability to deliver Denver’s first bus rapid transit line,” said Amy Ford, Executive Director of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We’re ready to make travel by bus along East Colfax safer, faster and more convenient and further our city’s climate protection goals by offering an attractive option to single occupancy vehicle use.”
The anticipated funding advances development of high frequency bus service and spurs development of the Colfax Avenue corridor that serves numerous population and employment concentrations, key activity centers and popular destinations.
“Expanding bus rapid transit on urban arterial roads like Colfax, Federal and Colorado is a foremost priority in CDOT’s ten-year plan and in our strategy for working with partners to provide more sustainable choices to citizens,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “We are thrilled that years of interagency collaboration have yielded such significant federal support and look forward to carrying that thriving partnership forward to get the project built, operate first rate service, and leverage our key arterials to move travelers of all modes and connect communities in the Denver area.”
“The Colfax corridor leads directly into the Anschutz Medical Campus and Fitzsimons Innovation Community, the backbone of Aurora’s – and Colorado’s – thriving bioscience industry employing nearly 30,000 people," Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said. "Increased mobility options for our residents and workers are critical to the area’s ongoing success."
The Colfax BRT project is a coordinated effort among RTD, CCD and supporting partners, including the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the City of Aurora and Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), which have aligned their roles to lay the groundwork for the project’s future success. Federal funding received through the Fixed Guideway CIG allocation will pass through RTD to Denver and its Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), which will be the lead agency in BRT construction.
Total funding received for the Colfax BRT project is approximately $280 million, with the local match consisting of $88 million of Denver funds, $28.4 million through the DRCOG process, and $14 million in Aurora funding.
Next steps for the project in the coming weeks include bringing a BRT construction contract through Denver City Council for approval and a groundbreaking event with project, business and community partners along Colfax this fall.