CDOT is asking for feedback on proposed "improvements" on US 287 in Broomfield. The study area is as shown below:
The first is between CO 121 and CO 128 where the highway 128 extension has removed much of the traffic from the diagonal stretch. They want to reduce it from four lanes to 3 with a left turn lane which makes some sense. What doesn't make sense to me is that they want to put mid-block crosswalks in when there is only residential properties that back up to the highway frontage on the northeast side. It would make much more sense to add crosswalks at the residential street crossings instead.
The second improvement is at the intersection of Sheridan and US 287/120th Avenue. This intersection has had consistent backups for the 17 years I've lived in Colorado. Concept 1 makes the most sense to me-adding the needed through lanes on 120th Avenue. They really should add a slip turn lane from WB to NB, but in this option they're not doing much "taking" from that gas station on the northeast corner.
Concept 2 is apparently the result of psilocybin mushroom legalization. It's a continuous flow intersection, but it gets rid of dedicated turn lanes on 120th (the much busier road), instead having shared through and turn lanes. Not to mention this one has a slip lane taking and access restrictions to the gas station in the NE quadrant. CDOT claims it will save 20s in the AM peak and 104s in the PM peak versus 13s AM and 75s PM in Concept 1. But I sure don't see how such a complex system is really going to save time-maybe the fewer phases will allow longer green times for through movements? To me it's just going to increase drive confusion and make traffic slower in my view.
In this blowup of Concept 2, Sheridan goes basically right (south) to left (north), while the much busier US 287/120th Avenue goes top (west) to bottom (east). At least I believe those are the directions based on the lack of a slip ramp in the NW quadrant due to the ancient Centurylink building there. But the lane assignments don't quite match the previous aerial so I cannot be sure.
Finally, they want to improve Lowell Blvd. at 120th. This intersection mostly works fine except for rush hour when apparently every kid has a parent dropping them off or picking them up.
The first concept makes sense as it improves the pedestrian refuges at the slip ramps.
The second concept makes less sense as it moves the bus stops into the intersection for "proposed future bus rapid transit". The 120E/W bus currently is not full and has hourly service most weekdays with half-hour service during rush hour. We'd be better off with a third through lane in each direction for all traffic than bus rapid transit with empty pavement sitting there unused for 58 minutes of every hour.
The study is open for comments through June 11.
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Topic: Colorado (Read 82476 times)