02.12.24 TAB Agenda 5 N Foothills Bikeway
Claire Levy County Commissioner Marta Loachamin County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann County Commissioner
Community Planning & Permitting
Courthouse Annex • 2045 13th Street • Boulder, Colorado 80302
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 471 • Boulder, Colorado 80306
303-441-3930 • www.BoulderCounty.gov
MEMORANDUM
TO: City of Boulder Transportation Advisory Board
FROM: Alexandra Phillips, Boulder County Bike Planner, Transportation Planning Division
DATE: February 12, 2024
SUBJECT: US 36 / North Foothills Highway Bikeway Feasibility Study
________________________________________________________________________
This memo is to share information on a feasibility study being led by the Boulder County’s
Transportation Planning Division in the Community Planning & Permitting Department (CP&P) to
assess the practicality, considerations and impacts of a bikeway adjacent to US36 (North Foothills
Highway) connecting Boulder to Lyons. If the study determines that a bikeway is feasible, a future
planning phase would look more in-depth at the potential alignment and create a more detailed plan.
Funding for future planning phases or implementation have not yet been identified.
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) owns or has conservation easements on
lands adjacent to the US 36 right-of-way. An objective is to avoid encroachment into OSMP lands as
much as possible and minimize as well as mitigate any impacts to open space values and lands. The
potential bikeway is envisioned to be designed primarily for cyclists of different speeds and riding
categories who want to be physically separated from the US 36 highway due to the high traffic
volume and large number of cyclist fatalities along the corridor. Regional trail connections are
important collaborative efforts for the City of Boulder OSMP and Transportation and Mobility
(T&M) departments, and continue to be of community interest as they contribute to visitor
experience, transportation network and trail connectivity, wellness, and improve the quality of life in
our community. They also help to meet the city’s Climate Commitment and Transportation goals by
reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled to reach local trails, in turn helping to preserve the
ecosystems and habitats that make up OSMP. The OSMP Master Plan guides staff participation in
these collaborative projects by envisioning a connected network of local and regional trails (outcome
RRSE.E) and defining a strategy that encourages multimodal access to trailheads and leverages
regional trail partnerships (strategy RRSE.4 and RRSE.7).
Background
A separated bikeway is identified in Boulder County’s Transportation Master Plan. There are already
many cyclists riding on the shoulder of US 36 and the corridor has among the highest bicycle
volumes of any state highway in Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Region 4, and
maybe the entire state. CDOT’s Non-Motorized Traffic Data website shows the bike count for 2020
at a total of 91,961. Cyclists ride the route for recreation and for commuting. On a typical weekday,
there are about 50 cyclists on North Foothills Highway during the morning rush hours from 6 to 9
a.m. and there are about 80 cyclists during the afternoon rush from 3 to 6 p.m. Most of these cyclists
are categorized as highly confident riders (DRCOG Active Transportation Plan, 2019). There are
many more cyclists categorized as “somewhat confident” and “interested but concerned” who do not
feel safe riding the shoulder but would ride the route if there was a separated facility.
US 36 between Boulder and Lyons has had more crashes into cyclists by motorists than any other
road in the county. According to the Boulder County Vision Zero Plan 30% of all severe bicycle and
pedestrian crashes (20 of 67) from 2009 to 2018 were on US 36 from Jay Road to US 66. Some of
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the crashes were due to motorists leaving the travel lane and crashing into the back of cyclists. The
two most common types of severe bicycle crashes in the county are for a cyclist to be struck from
behind and for a motorist to impact a cyclist directly from the side, commonly known as a “T-bone”
crash.
Separation between motorists and cyclists is needed to work towards the County’s vision zero goal.
The County’s 2018 community survey results also support the need for a separated bikeway.
respondents to the survey rated separated bikeways as a top priority.
The bikeway feasibility study is supported by a $430,000 grant-funded project with $331,150
coming from federal funds. The local match contribution is funded by Boulder County’s CP&P
($6,350) and Parks and Open Space ($15,000) departments, with OSMP contributing $7,500. The
non-profit, Cyclists4Community contributed $30,000.
Boulder County and the City of Boulder OSMP entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
agreeing to scope and process requirements. In particular, the MOU establishes that bikeway
alignments shall avoid city open space land or, if such land cannot be avoided, minimize adverse
impacts to city open space land to the greatest extent practicable. Alignment alternatives will not
encroach into the Habit Conservation Area (HCA) and will generally only be considered along
the east side of US 36. Additionally, the County shall not pursue an alignment resulting from the
Feasibility Study that proposes to make use of City-owned property without the City’s concurrence.
The potential bikeway could help to meet the city’s Climate Commitment and Transportation goals
by reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled to reach local trails. It also could provide a safe
alternative to vehicular access for those travelling to OSMP’s northwest Boulder trailheads including
the Joder Ranch, Left Hand, Foothills, and Boulder Valley Ranch trailheads and to Lefthand Canyon,
Hygiene, Nelson, St. Vrain and Neva Roads. The bikeway could also serve as part of the Rocky
Mountain Greenway which ultimately aims to will create an interconnected multiuse regional trail
system connecting Jefferson and Boulder Counties, to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Bikeway characteristics and alignment alternatives
The potential bikeway would be designed as a hard-surface multi-use path facility, open and
maintained for travel year-round. Use of e-bikes would be allowed. Boulder County has identified a
potential alignment along the east side of US 36 as shown in Attachment A.
The feasibility study has identified a bikeway alignment that is generally contained within the
highway Right of Way. However, due to the existing topography and steep slope adjacent to the right
of way, there are several site-specific locations where design alternatives are being considered. In
these locations, it is likely that the bikeway and associated impacts may be contained within the
ROW by installing a structure such as a retaining wall or bridge. Alternate design option(s) that
would regrade the slope may be evaluated to determine where it may be acceptable or preferred to
allow grading impacts that encroach onto adjacent land. A consideration is that structures within the
ROW may be more impactful visually, and to wildlife and user experience compared to minor
grading outside of the ROW.
Where ROW allows, the bikeway would be separated from the roadway by at least 20 feet depending
on what the clear zone dictates. The clear zone is determined by speed, traffic volumes, and roadway
side slopes. Barriers, such as guard rail, would be installed where there is not enough ROW for a full
clear zone.
The feasibility study also is considering potential alternatives to provide a grade separated crossing
of US 36 at the south end allowing for connections to the City of Boulder’s bike infrastructure within
the area detailed in Attachment B.
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County/ City Collaboration and Upcoming Public Engagement
The County formed a steering committee to help shape the Feasibility Study. The committee
includes a staff member from both the City of Boulder OSMP and the T&M departments. The
committee has met monthly since July 2023.
Boulder County is planning to gather community engagement on alignment design elements in the
next few months. Outreach will include remote and in person public meetings. Information and
updates are available on the County’s project webpage.
The Study is identifying alignment alternatives, evaluating opportunities and constraints of
alignments and developing conceptual level cost estimates of potential alignment alternatives in a
Final Report. The Feasibility Study and final report must be completed by June 30, 2024. Outcomes
anticipated for inclusion in the final report are a right-of-way map, environmental documentation,
summary of public engagement, and potential bikeway alignments and next steps. Feedback received
and alignment(s) under consideration will be presented to the City of Boulder Open Space Board of
Trustees (OSBT) and Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), anticipated in May, to gather Board
input before the feasibility study and final report is finalized.
Attachments:
•Attachment A: Overview map of Bikeway
•Attachment B: Detailed map of southern terminus of bikeway
•Attachment C: Denver Regional Council of Governments Types of Cyclists
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Attachment A: Overview map of Bikeway
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US36Attachment B: Detailed map of southern terminus of bikeway 02.12.24 TAB Agenda 5 - N Foothills Bikeway Page 5 of 6
Denver Regional Active Transportation Plan Jan. 2019
Attachment C
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