How Bad Is Driving on Colfax During BRT Construction?

Construction on the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project, which will transform Denver’s most iconic street over the next several years, began this week as traffic cones, drills and bulldozers hit Colfax Avenue. The project starts at a stretch of East Colfax that runs from Broadway to Williams Street, with one-lane traffic now going from Lincoln to Race streets.

All of the upheaval prompts the question: How bad will the drive along that stretch of road be for the next six months?

Westword tested out the commute, timing how long it took to drive from Lincoln to Race and back in the morning, at midday, and during the evening rush hour over the course of two days. For the most part, the trip wasn't too slow — but in the 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. zone, times nearly doubled compared to every other time of day.

The 15 and 15L bus routes along Colfax are among the most used routes in the entire RTD system. Unlike much of the RTD system, the pandemic didn’t stymie transit ridership on Colfax routes, which outperform rail lines for ridership in some cases. The City of Denver and RTD have been contemplating how to invest in transit along Colfax for around fifteen years, according to RTD corridor planning manager Douglas Monroe, with the idea for a center-running BRT line officially introduced in 2018.

When completed, dedicated bus lanes and stations will be placed in the middle of Colfax, with the goal of creating faster, more reliable transit trips along the street by separating buses from traffic.

“This has benefit for the buses and for the passengers, that you don't have conflicts with turning vehicles,” Monroe says. “Left turns are separate, and you don't have any right turns going in and out of driveways along the corridor. You don't have to worry about parking, either.”

The center-running buses ensure on-street parking spots will be preserved, the BRT plan shows. But businesses will first have to deal with months of construction outside their doors.

The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) says officials are creating work zones to keep vehicles moving during construction.

“As we begin work in a new area, travel lanes are being adjusted to support work activities,” DOTI spokesperson Cyndi Karvaski says. “In some sections, travel will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with dedicated pull-out lanes for buses. On-street parking will be limited in certain areas, and signage will be posted to inform drivers.”

Construction will be divided into five segments, eventually reaching Interstate 225. Each phase is projected to take six to ten months depending on the literal length of the road segments, which vary slightly. After the Broadway to Williams stretch is finished, construction will take place on Colfax from Williams to Monroe streets, followed by Monroe to Niagara, Niagara to Yosemite, and, lastly, Yosemite to I-225.

That adds up to around three years before the project is complete.

So what will driving be like during those times?

How Long it Takes to Drive in the Colfax Construction Zone

According to DOTI, Google Maps says travel along the currently impacted corridor could take as little as four minutes or as much as twelve.

None of our results showed a transit time of less than five minutes, and the driving experience was unsurprisingly bumpy, but the length of each trip wasn't too bad, and ranged from barely impacted to acceptable.

The Morning
We first hit the road between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. to test morning traffic during construction. Driving east from Lincoln to Race never took more than six minutes, with a low time of 5 minutes and 24 seconds and a high time of 5 minutes and 48 seconds.

Going west from Race to Lincoln took a whopping 8 minutes and 10 seconds as the highest time. However, the journey also took just 5 minutes and 22 seconds on another test, so your drive time likely just depends on traffic lights and the speed of those in front of you. Getting stuck behind a slow vehicle is a death sentence for the impatient, however, as the road is only one lane the entire way.

Going east in the morning had the most variation in the times of day we tested, ranging between five and eight minutes.

Lunchtime
Next, we cruised Colfax at noon. As was the case for most of our tests, the only part of the road where reaching the 30 miles per hour speed limit was realistic was between Downing and Clarkson. Weirdly, our noon times were generally higher than our morning tests, with most tests clocking in at around the seven-minute mark.

Going east, the high mark was 7 minutes and 44 seconds, while the low mark was 6 minutes and 3 seconds. The difference between the two times was whether or not we got caught at red lights.

Going west at noon was the most consistent of our trials, with a high of 7 minutes and 33 seconds and low of 7 minutes and 20 seconds over the two days of our test. The traffic didn’t feel too awful, but be sure to block that simmering rage inside of you when nature or dumb drivers enter the picture in the afternoon. Driving with the sun in your eyes is annoying enough while going west in Denver, let alone while traversing a construction-riddled road. We observed more illegal u-turns and cars ignoring cones during the midday drives than at other times of day, as well.

Rush Hour
In the evening during after-work hours, traffic was definitely the worst of all the tests. Going east took a whopping 14 minutes and 14 seconds during one trial, with a low of 8 minutes and 13 seconds. Going west was slightly easier, topping out at 9 minutes and 28 seconds, with a low of 8 minutes and 22 seconds.

The high end of the trial times was a big leap from previous tests, but it’s hard to say whether construction, regular commuter traffic or a combination of the two was the determining factor.

DOTI conducted its own test, too, after Westword reached out. After sending an employee from Broadway to Race and back at around 4 p.m., DOTI says it took 9 minutes and 15 seconds to go east and 8 minutes and 30 seconds to go west. DOTI's test likely caught only the beginning of the evening rush hour, however.

Outside of trying to brave rush hour, driving on Colfax during the first phase of construction largely seems fine, but we did observe some other annoying or difficult oddities from construction.

Walking
Lastly, we tested how long it would take to walk the stretch of construction. It is still possible to traverse the entire length of Colfax currently under construction and visit all the businesses on the route on foot. Our walk from Lincoln to Race took 22 minutes and 40 seconds, but it didn’t come with the frustration of driving through cones. If you have the time, we recommend that option, particularly during the evening.

Other Construction Impacts on Colfax

Heading east on Colfax, left turns onto Logan, Pennsylvania, Pearl, Clarkson, Ogden and Franklin streets are prohibited. Driving west, lefts aren’t allowed at Pearl, Pennsylvania or Ogden streets, and a right turn onto Emerson Street was also not allowed. Combined with several one-way streets between those roads, it makes for a long stretch of Colfax where you’re stuck on the street once you get started. The changes make sense when you think about them, though.

Even before construction, some lefts on East Colfax were prohibited because drivers waiting to turn left can stop all traffic going that direction. Now that the road has been condensed to one lane in each direction, that congestion would be even worse — and people still don't listen to the rules, anyway.

We got stuck more than once behind someone who made a prohibited left turn. Don’t do this! You are slowing everyone down, even if the temptation is understandable. Another helpful suggestion while in stop-and-go traffic: Look ahead before driving into an intersection, because a lot of cars are still blocking intersections after the light changes.

If you’re able to, we suggest avoiding Colfax between Williams and Race entirely. In almost all of our tests, that was the problem zone where traffic was backed up the most. Turning onto Colfax from Race and Lincoln was tricky; we also observed other streets like Grant and Downing getting backed up as people tried to get onto Colfax from those roads, particularly in the morning.

Some roads were totally closed at certain times on blocks adjacent to Colfax, including Ogden, Marion and Pearl, effectively eliminating intersections there, although Pearl’s streetlight was still operating.

“These areas are closed to thru traffic (local traffic only) in order to construct needed improvements at those intersections,” Karvaski explains in an email. “The work includes upgrades such as storm drainage, ADA ramps, waterline improvements, signal foundations, utility crossings, and concrete sidewalk bulb-outs. Once the improvements are completed, the roadway will reopen.”

DOTI knows construction delays can inconvenience drivers and business owners, so the department has committed to maintaining access to all businesses and at least one lane of vehicle traffic each way throughout construction.

Additionally, delivery and haul routes will be maintained, and construction parking is not supposed to occur on residential streets, DOTI notes.

To keep foot traffic alive, the city is pushing a #WeBacktheFax initiative. Those who show proof of frequenting East Colfax businesses during construction will be entered in a prize drawing each month. Plus, the 15 and 15L are still running, so there are still plenty of ways to get around Colfax — it just might take a bit longer than usual.

Keep up with the latest construction updates on the city’s East Colfax BRT information page.