A brand-new transit hub at the intersection of I-25 and Colorado Highway 7 is set to open its doors to Bustang riders this Sunday, September 13, giving commuters in Thornton and Broomfield a fresh way to catch buses heading north to Fort Collins or south to Denver. The facility, built at Exit 229, will handle the North Line as soon as service begins.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation
, the completion of this hub marks a milestone for northern Colorado transit riders, offering both additional options and connections to other destinations across the state. The agency says the interim mobility hub cost $13.4 million to build and construction by contractor HEI Civil began in May 2025, with completion scheduled for fall 2026, according to
CDOT
.
Built for Speed and Safety
The hub isn't just a parking lot with a bus stop. Per CDOT, the site includes initial parking for 152 vehicles, with room to expand to 304 spaces as demand grows. It also features bus slip ramps on the I-25 off- and on-ramps designed to cut down on transit delays, plus a dedicated pedestrian bridge spanning the interstate so riders can safely move between northbound and southbound boarding platforms.
CDOT describes the site as an intermodal junction — a place where I-25 Bustang routes will eventually link up with local and regional transit efforts, including the planned Brighton to Boulder Flyer Bus Rapid Transit starter service along Highway 7. That east-west connection is part of the planned regional transit network.
Completing the Northern I-25 Network
The Thornton-Broomfield facility is the fourth mobility hub CDOT has completed along northern I-25, joining previously finished sites in Firestone-Longmont, Berthoud, and Centerra-Loveland, according to CBS Colorado. Hoodline previously covered the groundbreaking for the facility back in May 2025, when construction was just getting underway.
CDOT isn't stopping at four. The agency broke ground in July 2025 on a fifth I-25 mobility hub near Lincoln Avenue in Lone Tree, which is expected to be finished this fall and will connect Bustang's South Line with RTD's Sky Ridge light rail station, the agency says. CDOT's statewide mobility hub program includes integrated multi-modal transit nodes, and future hubs are planned for Monument, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Idaho Springs, Grand Junction, and Fairplay.
Where the Money Comes From — and Where It Might Run Short
The capital dollars behind these projects support their construction.
But building the hubs is only part of the equation. As Hoodline reported in its April story on the Bustang network, CDOT projections earlier this year indicated that Bustang operations face potential funding shortfalls once temporary pilot grants expire. That tension between capital investment and operating dollars remains unresolved as the new hub opens for business.
Decades of Growth Behind the Highway 7 Corridor
The need for a hub at this particular spot didn't emerge overnight. Multimodal planning along Colorado Highway 7 has been underway, as the City and County of Broomfield notes. The highway serves as a regional corridor.
With Sunday's service launch, that decade-plus of planning translates into buses actually rolling through the new facility, connecting commuters along the Colorado Front Range.
