Bus Rapid Transit on Federal
Take Action Now
Tell CDOT to give the bus its own lane for the entire length of Federal Boulevard, by repurposing a general traffic lane, instead of by widening the road.
A prominent north-south corridor, Federal Boulevard has some of the highest bus ridership in metro Denver. People get on the bus along Federal Boulevard 9,000 times every day in 2023. These riders, however, experience significant delays due to vehicle traffic, resulting in longer, inconsistent travel times—almost 50% more than delays experienced by people in cars.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is studying Federal Boulevard for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a project that, if implemented in full, will help transform this congested, unreliable bus corridor into a truly safe, people-friendly main street.
As CDOT’s BRT project design currently stands, the bus will not be “rapid.” You heard that right—rather than giving the bus its own lane for the entire length of Federal, CDOT’s current design puts the bus back into traffic in Central Denver from 20th to 50th, effectively weakening the reliability of BRT. This decision prioritizes drivers in central Denver over people on the bus, as the project team has avoided the removal of a general-purpose lane. To meet the project goals of increasing transit reliability, ridership, and decreasing travel times, it is crucial to have a continuous bus-only lane and meet all the criteria of a true BRT service line.
