28th Street and Colorado Avenue Protected Intersection Improvements Project

Travel impacts may change. View Cone Zones for the most up-to-date information.

Construction began in fall 2023 on the north side of the intersection and Colorado Avenue. The intersection will remain open for travel, with the following impacts:

• Outer vehicle lane closures on Colorado Avenue.
• Detours for people walking and biking.
• Temporary closures of two CU Boulder Buff Bus transit stops. Riders will be directed to board at nearby stops.
• Access to University Heights Avenue from Colorado Avenue may be impacted. Community members can still access University Heights Avenue from the west side via Folsom Street.

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A map of construction-free routes. On-street and off-street walk/bike construction-free routes extend on existing on-street bike infrastructure, multi-use paths and sidewalks outside of the construction limits: 30th Street from Arapahoe Avenue to Colorado Avenue and Colorado Avenue from Regent Drive to just west of 30th Street. 

The project will reconstruct the intersection, improving it through building:

• A protected intersection, which physically separates people walking, biking, and rolling from vehicles up to and through the intersection. Protected intersections also make it easier for these travelers to see and be seen by drivers. Learn more about protected intersections.
• New, sidewalk-level protected bike lanes eastbound and westbound along Colorado Avenue.
• New bus lanes and transit stop improvements along parts of Colorado Avenue. Bus lanes are dedicated to transit vehicles to help increase reliability, but can also be used by right-turning vehicles, for access to businesses.
• Other improvements including ADA improvements, sidewalk improvements, conflict zone pavement marking, and traffic signal improvements.

Construction began in November 2023. Work is anticipated to last into mid-2024. This intersection was identified for multimodal safety improvements after an extensive engagement process for the 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Corridors Study. The study began in 2017 and following community engagement was approved by City Council in 2019. View details on the study webpage.

This project is funded by a combination of city, state and federal funds. This includes funds from the Colorado Department of Transportation Revitalizing Main Street grant program and the federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement program.

28th Street and Colorado Avenue is a busy intersection where many people travel by walking, biking, rolling, taking the bus and driving. The city’s Safe Streets Report, which evaluates traffic crash data in Boulder, identified this intersection as one of the areas in the city with the highest number of crashes. The city identified this intersection for multimodal safety improvements in partnership with CU Boulder through the 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Corridors Study. The study evaluated existing and future travel conditions and needs to identify transportation projects that will improve travel and safety in the area for everyone.

Improvements are also an important part of the city’s Core Arterial Network (CAN), which includes both 28th Street and Colorado Avenue. The CAN is a connected system of protected bicycle lanes, intersection enhancements, pedestrian facilities, and transit facility upgrades that will help reduce the potential for severe crashes and make it more comfortable and convenient for people to get where they need to go along Boulder’s main corridors.

Learn more about the CAN, the study and other projects in the study:

• Core Arterial Network (CAN)
• 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Corridors Study
  • 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Protected Intersection and Underpass
  • 30th Street Corridor Multimodal Improvements Project