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7-1 Transportation Master Plan 7.0 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Existing public transit services to Brighton were described in Section 2.0 of this study. In this section, ongoing planning efforts for improved transit services to Brighton and the surrounding areas are described. 7.1 North Metro Transportation Study The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is conducting a North Metro Transportation Study. The study has been presented to the RTD Board. The study’s focus is on mid- and long-term transportation improvements. The study is evaluating three alternatives for major capital improvements: 1. Light rail transit along the Boulder Branch tracks (east of I-25) 2. High occupancy vehicle lane extensions on I-25 (north of US 36) and on I-76 (I-25 to US 85 or Vasquez) 3. Highway/roadway improvements. In the Brighton area, the study is evaluating the proposed roadway improvements including in the DRCOG Metrovision Plan as well as incorporating the projects proposed in the US 85 Access Plan thru Brighton. The study is also considering several right-of-way preservation corridors along the rail line between Denver and Brighton and one will be selected. Mid- to long-range transit service improvements could include: • Enhancement of the Route R service (between Denver and Brighton) • New east-west cross-town service along SH 7 • Extend service along 120th further east • Expand Brighton-to-Denver International Airport service. Potential near-term service changes include adding an extra bus or two to the Route R service. RTD recently purchased a 5-acre park-and-ride site south of Bridge Street between US 85 and 1st Avenue. RTD also wants to construct a park-and-ride lot along I-76 in order to start express service into downtown Denver on I-76. Bromley Park has dedicated as site for a park-and-ride lot at the northeast quadrant of the 144th Avenue/I-76 interchange. ---PAGE BREAK--- 7-2 Transportation Master Plan 7.2 North Front Range Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study (I-25 Denver to Greeley and Fort Collins) The North Front Range Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study (NFRTAFS) was a Major Investment Study sponsored by four public agencies: • The Colorado Department of Transportation; • The North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Council; • The Upper Front Range Regional Planning Commission; and • The Denver Regional Council of Governments. The study’s purpose was to develop regional solutions to safety problems, traffic congestion, air quality issues, and mobility problems between the northern Colorado population centers and the Denver metropolitan area. Solutions recommended by this study were aimed at falling within projected funding constraints and at sensitivity to community needs and environmental regulations. The recommended Vision Plan for the NFRTAFS study area includes several major components that are of particular interest to the City of Brighton: • A revised “hybrid” rail alignment focused in the I-25 right-of-way, generally a single- track alignment with passing tracks where needed, using self-propelled Diesel Multiple Unit “regional rail” commuter rail technology, with branches to Greeley and Fort Collins, and using the Union Pacific Railroad Branch south of its intersection with I-25; • Combination general purpose-HOV/bus lanes on I-25 from SH-7 to SH-66; • The North Metro HOV lanes on I-25 from 70th Ave. to SH-7; • Inter-regional bus service including service on US 85; and • Regional Transportation Management mobility improvements, including miscellaneous roadway and Intelligent Transportation System improvements on I-25, US 287, and US 85. No funding decisions have yet been made by any entity involved in the study to implement any portion of the Vision Plan. 7.3 Bus Pullout Lanes RTD does not normally install bus pullout lanes at most stops given the difficulty buses have leaving them and entering the traffic stream. They are only considered in congested areas where there is either a time transfer-taking place or at the end of a line for staging purposes.