NIWOT, Colo. — Safety improvements to CO119 can now begin thanks to a $25 million RAISE grant from the US Department of Transportation.
The diagonal highway is the main connection between Boulder and Longmont. CDOT, RTD, Boulder County, the City of Longmont and the Denver Regional Council of Governments committed another $137 million for construction.
"The diagonal is an incredibly important artery for Boulder County. In fact, it's the second most traveled corridor in the entire county, and it has more crashes per mile than any other road in unincorporated Boulder County," said Governor Jared Polis at an event unveiling the final project plan on Thursday.
The project improvements will include:
Changes to intersections:
- Reconfiguring the CO 52 intersection into a split intersection
- Safety improvements and access changes to the Airport Road intersection and other unsignalized intersections within the corridor
- Reconstruction of the Hover Street and CO119 intersection
A new commuter bikeway:
- Nine miles of 12-foot wide concrete path separated from the road
- Grade-separated crossings at major intersections
- Direct connection to Bus Rapid Transit stations and existing bike networks
Additional Park-N-Rides:
- 63rd Street
- Niwot Rd
Pedestrian Crossings:
- New signage
- Striping
- Improved signal timing
Queue Bypass Lanes:
- Jay Rd
- CO 52
- 63rd Street
- Niwot Road
- Airport Road
Bus Rapid Transit Stations:
- 63rd Street
- CO 52
- Niwot Road
"With more protected bikeways down the spine, the corridor will offer more options for commuters, and really increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in an area that desperately needs it, as too many people know," said Shoshana Lew, executive director of CDOT.
In July, 17-year old U.S. national team cyclist Magnus White was killed while cycling on CO 119 as he and other cyclists had done many times before. A car veered into the shoulder and hit him.
White was the ninth person killed on that corridor since 2020. White's father spoke about the more than decade long attempt to get safety changes to the highway — the announcement of the plan coming all too late for his son to benefit from the added protection for cyclists.
"From its initial conception to its finish, this project will take more than 13 years to complete. Thirteen years. I don't know if we should be celebrating. We should all be ashamed," said Michael White. "Magnus was just 17. Getting ready to start his senior year in high school. He had a 4.2 GPA. He had a European Cycling Team waiting for him. We failed Magnus. His country, the state, this county, the city, we've failed him. He was developed into a world class talent, set to represent his country and then we kill him with a car. We must, we have to, speed up this process of protecting vulnerable road users. We know where the hot spots are. Thirteen years is too long."
The major construction projects like the protected bike lanes will break ground in 2024. In the meantime, CDOT will soon be putting in rumble strips on highway shoulders and increasing signage to alert drivers of the cyclists and increase awareness. CDOT said their goals after construction is complete are to improve traffic, safety and emissions in the area.
