CDOT Press Release

The Colorado Department of Transportation submitted an application today on behalf of the U.S. 36 corridor to receive funds available through the U.S. Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program.

The application, a collaborative effort by CDOT, the Regional Transportation District, the U.S. 36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalition, ten local governments and 36 Commuting Solutions, requests between $160 million and $260 million to build a portion of the first phase of improvements identified in the U.S. 36 Final Environmental Impact Statement.

A TIGER Discretionary Grant would leverage $60 million in state and RTD FasTracks funding currently available, enabling the region to implement smaller, phased projects within the larger corridor. A larger discretionary TIGER Grant would allow the Department, in partnership with RTD, to complete the HOV/HOT managed lane so that it runs the length of the entire corridor.

The first phase of improvements could extend the high occupancy vehicle/high occupancy toll lanes in each direction from Denver to Boulder, implement Bus Rapid Transit service and connect a commuter bikeway (all components of FasTracks) for the full length of the corridor at a cost of $550 million.

“This project of regional and national significance provides an innovative alternative for transportation in this corridor,” said CDOT Executive Director Russell George. “While the region’s long-range transportation plan identifies more than $700 million to build these improvements, full funding for this first phase is not expected to be available until 2035, if at all.”

U.S. 36 is a congested and rapidly growing corridor carrying between 80,000 and 100,000 daily vehicle trips. It currently operates at close to 90 percent volume to capacity; volume to capacity ratio is projected to exceed 1.0 by 2035. Average daily trips are estimated to grow by 50 percent by 2035, totaling 165,000 vehicles daily. U.S. 36 commuters experience four hours of severe congestion daily, contributing to the annual 60-hr. delay average experienced by Denver regional drivers.

“U.S. 36 is also a regionally significant employment corridor,” said Louisville Mayor Chuck Sisk. “Nearly 17 percent of the region’s business and employment is derived from the U.S. 36 corridor, with corridor employment growth expected to increase by 53 percent in 2035. U.S. 36 is home to the state’s largest population of construction workers and nearly half of Colorado’s federal laboratories and research centers. ”

“With a high concentration of businesses in the high tech and renewable energy industries, U.S. 36 plays an important role in the emerging national economy. These transportation improvements are necessary to grow job creation and economic vitality in a sustainable way,” said Patrick Quinn, Mayor of Broomfield.

Project benefits include improved mobility and connectivity, expanded mode choice for commuters, infrastructure repair and replacement and reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Transit riders, HOVs and SOVs will see up to 25-minutes travel time savings. Near-term transit ridership will see an increase of 26 percent, which will double in the next two decades. Carpooling will also see an increase an increase of 5 percent due to the project implementation. The U.S. 36 project is estimated to create a maximum of 7,234 short-term jobs and $23 billion in long-term employment benefit.

“The U.S. 36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalition (MCC) has spanned 10 years with a common vision that supports the unique quality of life of our corridor. This is not ‘your grandfather’s transportation project’ of ever-expanding pavement. It’s a sustainable project that recognizes the multimodal, environmental and economic values of our area.” said Will Toor, Boulder County Commissioner, the longest serving member of the U.S. 36 MCC.

Founded on the strength of partnerships between CDOT, RTD, local government and private business, in an effort to raise awareness and secure funding for U.S. 36 transportation improvements, 36 Commuting Solutions has launched the Help Us Fix U.S. 36 campaign, a grassroots political effort to compel stakeholders to contact state and federal lawmakers and urge support of the U.S. 36 TIGER grant application. For information about the Help Us Fix U.S. 36 campaign, visit 36commutingsolutions.org.

About 36 Commuting Solutions: 36 Commuting Solutions is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the mobility of commuters along the U.S. 36 corridor for today and the future. Our public/private coalition consists of nearly 50 businesses and the seven local governments between Westminster and Longmont. Together, we advocate for long-range funding and transportation improvements to U.S. 36.