Boulder County's ongoing CO 119 Safety, Mobility and Bikeway Improvements Project is reshaping the way residents and commuters experience the area's streets and open spaces. In a recent update provided by the county, Boulder County News announced significant milestones with the construction of new bicycle and pedestrian underpasses, alongside the much-anticipated bus rapid transit stops.
For cyclists, the project has introduced both delight and frustration, as the video update starts at the Diagonal and Jay Road, revealing an underpass and a new sidewalk. Buffered bike lanes on Jay, alongside two newly restored left-hand turn lanes from Jay to Boulder-bound CO 119, clearly mark the progress on the roads. Yet, there remains a gap where the bikeway construction has yet to be completed, teasing the complete connectivity that awaits. Further down towards 55th, another section of the bikeway has materialized, speaking to the patchwork nature of the construction phase.
The transformation is perhaps most striking at the intersection of the Diagonal and CO 52/Mineral Road. Before-and-after views would hardly reconcile, where last year there was familiar asphalt, now a stretch of white concrete earmarks the site of the new northbound bus rapid transit stop. In the midst of this change, the bikeway ducks under the roads, threading a path through the heart of infrastructure upgrades and connecting to existing pathways in Longmont, beneath the watchful gaze of the "Spirit of Longmont" sculpture.
However, despite the visible improvements, Boulder County officials have issued a stark warning: "Please do not enter the bikeway. It is still an active construction area and is strictly off-limits," as per Boulder County News. The caution extends far beyond the practicalities of safety; there is the specter of delays, as interference from the public may slow down the continued progress of the project.
