DRCOG draft plan proposes 12 bus rapid transit corridors
The proposal adds the Havana Street-Hampden Avenue corridor and includes $2.5 billion for walking, biking and safety projects; its emissions analysis projects the region will meet state targets through 2050.
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The Denver Regional Council of Governments’ draft 2050 transportation plan proposes 12 bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors, including the Havana Street-Hampden Avenue corridor, and lists $1.3 billion for active transportation and $1.2 billion for safety and Vision Zero. The Colorado Transportation Commission’s October materials describe these as proposed investments, not completed projects or spending.
DRCOG’s draft report estimates the plan would reduce annual emissions by 0.83 million metric tons in 2030, compared with a state requirement of 0.82 million; by 0.65 million in 2040, compared with 0.63 million; and by 0.44 million in 2050, compared with 0.37 million.
The report combines reductions estimated by its travel-demand model with additional estimates for measures the model does not fully capture. The model alone estimates reductions of 0.76 million metric tons in 2030 and 0.60 million in 2040, below the state requirements for those years; it estimates 0.44 million in 2050. DRCOG adds estimates of 0.07 million in 2030 and 0.05 million in 2040 for signal timing, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and Complete Streets improvements. It lists no additional off-model reduction for 2050.
DRCOG used its UrbanSim land-use and Focus travel-demand models, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency’s MOVES emissions model. For the additional estimates, the report applies methods under Colorado Transportation Commission Policy Directive 1610, including an assumption that 50 additional traffic signals would be optimized each year.
The draft was released for public review Sept. 6, and DRCOG’s board was expected to act Nov. 18, the agency’s regional-plan page says. The Colorado Transportation Commission was scheduled to review and accept the greenhouse-gas report in November. The October packet lists Dec. 8 as the federal approval deadline.
DRCOG staff said they were revising the emissions report in response to comments from the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Environmental Programs Branch. Planned edits include more detail on modeling assumptions, clarification of which investments are new in the update, and an explanation of assumptions about programmatic funding.