See what it's like to ride on RTD's new bus rapid transit on Colfax Avenue in Denver
Bus rapid transit is now available for Denver riders to take on Colfax Avenue from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard. This is a project that has been under construction since October 2024.
Your CBS Colorado Traffic team rode on the bus Monday morning to explain how it works. As riders are using the bus, they must cross the crosswalk to the center arch. This is where the bus will pick them up safely. There are 27 crosswalks for pedestrians to take and 14 for cyclists. Pedestrians and cyclists should never travel in the bus-only lanes.
To make sure the bus is safe, there are security cameras, bright lighting, PA systems and emergency phones. There are also shelters and wind screens.
As the buses use the bus-only lane, drivers should use the outer general-purpose lanes. Drivers should only make left turns when it is a left turn lane only. There is also a transit signal priority to make it easy to follow. There will be a curb median to separate the east and west lanes; vehicles will be able to turn left with a green arrow at the intersections with a left turn lane and U-turns are permitted when they can be made safely.
Personal bicycles and scooters are permitted on buses, bikes will be loaded onto racks inside the bus by the rear door, commercial bicycles and scooters are not permitted on the buses and no one should park on the center station platforms.
There are fines for violating the bus-only lane rules. It is a $135 fee for driving on bus lanes and a $65 fee for scootering on a bus-only lane.
If you need to park, there are 180 parking spaces available between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard. You can park there for two hours and not be charged. If you need to park longer, you will have to move your car to another spot. There are meter poles installed but no paid parking. There are unrestricted parking zones with no time limits north of 16th and south of 14th. There are also expanded residential parking zones.
The full BRT project will expand from Colorado all the way down to I-225. Once opened in January 2028, there will be off-board ticketing and fare payment, passenger information displayed with real-time schedules, daytime buses every 4.3 minutes and multi-door boarding.
