After two years of upgrading bike lanes and paths on 30th Street between Aurora and Arapahoe Avenues, the City of Boulder’s transportation department rolled out plans at a Jan. 13-16 design workshop to gather feedback from the citizenry about further improvements between Arapahoe and the Diagonal Highway.
As one of the major north-south corridors — on a typical day, 30th Street sees 20,000 vehicles, 1,109 bus trips and 1,700 pedestrians and cyclists — according to city data. the city is focused on improving both safety and traffic flow. The city’s Vision Zero Action Plan survey found that 55% of people reporting travel safety concerns for 30th Street felt unsafe biking, while 27% felt unsafe walking.
Initial work has been done to identify and address the crash patterns on 30th Street, such as adjusting left-turn signal phasing at high-crash intersections. This 30th Street project will identify additional work to address the risk factors and common crash patterns.
The first phase of community engagement is ending, and the preliminary design phase has begun. At the last design workshop’s public session, the community saw for the first time four changes to three sections of the corridor: Arapahoe to Mapleton, Mapleton to Valmont and Valmont to the Diagonal Highway. Construction is underway, and the city anticipates the safety improvements to open by June 2025 at the latest.
This preliminary design phase from Arapahoe to Diagonal is being paid for by the city ($200,000), the Colorado Department of Transportation ($300,000) and the Denver Regional Council of Governments ($800,000). About $9.3 million of a $23 million Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant the city received from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go toward 30th Street safety improvements between Pearl Street and the Diagonal Highway.
Feedback on the already completed improvements south of Arapahoe has been generally positive, Aisha Ozaslan, a transportation department spokesperson, wrote in response to emailed questions.
“We’ve heard that people who bike appreciate the separation of modes this project has created,” Ozaslan wrote. “CU Boulder has shared positive feedback about the improved connections for on- and off-campus needs, and the new elements like improved landscaping.”
Compared to the controversy stirred up by the city’s unveiling and council approval of the “road diet” plans to turn Iris from a four-lane street to two travel lanes and a continuous center turn lane, 30th Street improvements so far, with no reduction in car lanes, have received less attention. That may change, as two options for the 30th Street north plans have a road diet, while only one design option maintains four car lanes.
Cost estimates for each of the design options have not yet been developed, Ozaslan said; those will come in later phases.
While bike facility advisor and watchdog Community Cycles have not yet taken a position on the design options, executive director Sue Prant is cautiously optimistic about the future of 30th Street.
“The northern stretch of 30th, running through one of Boulder's most densely populated areas, continues to pose significant risks to all users,” Prant wrote in an emailed statement. “The city's initiative to address critical safety concerns along 30th Street is a welcome development that deserves strong community support.”
Learn more about the 30th Street project
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct project funding and costs.