Project Overview

The Downtown Express consists of 6.6 miles of bus/high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes running from downtown Denver to US 36 (see the map). Downtown Express lanes are reversible with vehicles moving with rush hour traffic southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening. A Traffic Management System (TMS), which includes changeable signs, traffic gates, and closed-circuit television, provides a safety feature to the barrier-separated lanes.

The project included expansion of two RTD 120th Avenue, and Thornton park-n-Ride, located at I-25 and 88th Avenue. In addition, a bike and pedestrian path running along the south side of 20th Street, four acres of mew parks on the east side of the Platte Rover, and two new community parks in the Highland Neighborhood on the west side of I-25 were also developed.

While the Downtown Express if one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by TRD, it is also the first project that the Colorado Department of Transportation, the City and County of Denver, the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and RTD constructed together.

Project Status

the Downtown Express opened for bus and carpool traffic on October 2, 1994, with an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of approximately 3,800 vehicles per weekday. The forecast developed during the Environmental Assessment in 1989 predicted that 4,900 vehicles per weekday would be using the facility by the year 2000. AS of December 1999, ADT was measured at 7,400 vehicles per weekday. Of the total ADT, 300 vehicles are attributed to RTD buses.

Ridership in December 1999 equates to combined bus and carpool usage of more than 25,000 people per weekday using the Downtown Express. Approximately 11,400 people are attributed to TRD bus ridership and the remainder are carpools averaging two persons per vehicle.

Bus ridership has increased on the facility from the winter of 1998 to the winter of 1999 by more than 5%. On the Route 120X, which serves the Wagon Road and Thornton park-n-Rides, ridership has increased from 2,350 boardings to 3,200 boardings per average weekday, an increase of 36%. With programmed expansion of existing park-n-Rides, construction of new park-n-Rides along the U.S.36 corridor and direct connection of HOV lanes to U.S.36, ridership is forecasted to increase dramatically during the next several years.

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