Construction at 30th Street and Colorado Avenue forces a closure of the intersection. (Courtesy of Nathan Pope)
Boulder residents should plan for changes to their commutes and bus routes starting Sept. 10, as the intersection of 30th Street and Colorado Avenue closes to all vehicles and pedestrians. The closure will extend until September 23rd and bus routes will follow detours during this time.
The closure allows construction crews to complete work on two underpasses that will run under both 30th Street and Colorado Avenue.
“It’ll definitely be a huge inconvenience for a lot of folks, but I think, in the long run, it’ll let us get the intersection done here a bit quicker,” said Nathan Pope, the project lead and senior transportation planner for the city of Boulder.
University of Colorado Boulder community members commuting to and from East Campus can still use the Stampede Bus, which will run as usual from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, they should expect delays due to the construction. After 5 p.m., the Stampede will follow a detour route.
Residents of Williams Village can continue using the Buff Bus detour WL, which will run on its regular schedule: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. After 3 p.m., residents can use detour route W.
“We want to communicate with students, staff and faculty to be sure to plan ahead. We recommend adding an additional 30 minutes into your schedule to get to classes on time,” CU Boulder officials said in a statement provided to the CU Independent.
The project is a result of the 30th and Colorado corridors study, a project run by the city with the hopes of improving conditions for drivers and pedestrians at the intersection. The study labeled the busy intersection as a “top collision location” and changes to improve safety were deemed important.
Along with two underpasses, construction is also ongoing on Boulder’s first “protected intersection,” an intersection that includes raised separation between cars and bike lanes. According to Pope, the goal of this new design is to “make sure that people riding bikes are safe and feeling comfortable.”
The closure, which officials hoped to initiate prior to the start of the semester, was delayed to Sept. 10 due to a combination of factors, including the need to raise the intersection to avoid flooding and supply issues.
“Just like everyone else, we’ve been seeing huge supply chain and cost increase issues that have slowed things down,” Pope said.
According to Pope, construction on the intersection and underpasses began in early 2021 and, weather permitting, is expected to be completed by early 2023.
“[I’m] grateful for people’s patience and flexibility and just really excited to have people use [the intersection] when we’re finished early next year,” said Pope.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Celia Frazier at Celia.Frazier@colorado.edu
