Denver residents form coalition against Colorado Blvd. BRT project, "If transit worked the way they hoped, RTD would be increasing service, not decreasing service"

Community members from neighborhoods near Colorado Boulevard like Park Hill, Hilltop, and Cherry Creek North have teamed up to form a coalition to express their concerns and seek answers about the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project along one of Denver's most congested roads.

"It's all based on what we think is a flawed premise that somehow people are going to jump up and get on the bus to get up and down Colorado Boulevard," said former State Senator Penfield Tate III.

Tate and Denver resident Dana Busch are among those leading the charge - questioning whether BRT belongs on Colorado Boulevard.

"If transit worked the way they hoped, RTD would be increasing service, not decreasing service," said Tate.

"We feel that there's lots of information that they should have already gathered to help them even move forward with concepts, and they haven't done that," said Busch. 

In an effort to get more answers, the coalition put together a public forum for Thursday, and invited agencies involved in the project to speak weeks ago. They said that Colorado Department of Transportation officials originally agreed to attend but backed out Tuesday evening. 

"We told them, up front, what we wanted to ask, and then at 6 o'clock yesterday, they sent me an email saying, 'We're not coming,'" said Tate.

We reached out to CDOT but were told that state offices were closed for Veterans Day. 

While the cancellations only add fuel to their frustrations, they believe CDOT is taking some of their concerns into consideration. About 19 neighborhood associations signed on to a resolution to put a pause on moving forward. 

"For at least two years after you finish Colfax to see what lessons you've learned, because Colfax BRT has been a mess," Tate explained. "Why are you now going to do to Colorado Boulevard what you've done to Colfax, and you don't even know if it's going to work?"

In a press release last week, CDOT said analysis shows the project would benefit from "further study that incorporates performance data from other BRT corridors, including Colfax Avenue and elsewhere. CDOT expects to initiate that additional review in 2028."

The department also announced it's removing the possibility of a center bus lane for BRT, something else the coalition opposed.  

"A lot of things then just keep getting pushed through unless individuals like our group start to stand up and ask questions," said Busch.

The city of Glendale is co-hosting the forum Thursday at 6 pm at Infinity Park Rec Center.