While there are plenty of unknowns about which Regional Transportation District services will be hit by cuts next year, at least one can be marked safe from the chopping block – route 15 along East Colfax Avenue, the future home of Denver’s new bus rapid transit line.
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Facing an estimated $200 million budget shortfall, RTD’s Board of Directors last week voted to pursue $20 million in bus and light-rail service cuts in 2027, and while the directors did not vote on specific cuts, a list of hypothetical route reductions compiled by agency staffers sparked widespread concern earlier this month.
But route 15 has one very large safety net, transportation officials said — a $150 million federal grant for the East Colfax bus rapid transit project that RTD would be required to give back if the agency cuts service along the route within a certain timeframe.
The Federal Transit Administration grant, which is funding most of the project, makes it “highly unlikely” the transit agency will cut service on the 15, RTD spokesperson Pauline Haberman said.
“The commitments RTD has made ties us to that for the next five years at least, and more importantly, it is our largest service as far as boardings go,” she said. “I don’t see that being a priority for these service cuts.”
Denver city officials have discussed the possibility of RTD service cuts affecting the East Colfax BRT project but are not worried because of that grant, said Jon Stewart, project director with Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“We have this hammer, but there’s also this carrot that motivates RTD to want to do it, because this is their biggest ridership bus line in the region, so this makes some revenue for them,” he said.
Notably, when RTD staffers put together five hypothetical service cut scenarios to show the Board of Directors how different sums of money could be saved, route 15 was not among any of those suggestions.
Meanwhile, Denverites can expect fewer construction headaches as work wraps up on the East Colfax corridor between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard, with the entire project a little over halfway done and ahead of schedule, Stewart said. Construction is now ramping up along the Aurora section of the future BRT line.
East Colfax commuters will see buses running in the dedicated BRT lanes between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard starting this fall, but it will be regular route 15 service, not the new rapid service, because the BRT buses aren’t ready yet, Stewart said.
“The big thing is all the construction barrels and fencing will be gone from Broadway to Colorado and I think that’s going to have a really big impact on people wanting to come down and see what the hubbub is about and see what is coming at the end of 2027,” he said.
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Construction work hasn’t hit many roadblocks, Stewart said, so one of the city’s biggest tasks has been helping businesses whose customers don’t want to deal with the maze of cones and blockades.
“It’s been a challenge, honestly, to address the narrative that’s existed that everything’s ruined on Colfax,” Stewart said. “There’s still some really great things about it, even though I understand construction is painful.”
The construction is a factor in some recent business closings, but usually not the only one, said Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District.
The business district, which spans East Colfax and surrounding blocks from the state Capitol to Josephine Street, saw 25 businesses close and 18 open since October 2024, Locantore said. Another three are opening soon.
Several businesses that closed shortly after construction began already had one foot out the door, he said. A few were seized for failing to pay taxes or experienced problems with landlords. Others rebranded. For example, Okinawa Japanese Cuisine is now Ma’s Kitchen.
“Have businesses taken a hit on their revenue because of the construction? Oh my God yes, and that’s a real challenge that we’re trying to work with businesses and help them however we can,” Locantore said.
Denver set aside $2.5 million to distribute as grants to small businesses affected by construction and has used nearly $2 million on 152 grants so far, according to the city’s project dashboard. Construction is slated to last through 2027, and Stewart said the city aims to give out all of the remaining funds.
At RTD, operators will start training on bus rapid transit lines at the Pennsylvania, Downing and Franklin stations next week to get ready to run that section of the 15 and 15L this fall, Haberman said. Customers will also switch to boarding buses at the center stations between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard.
The agency is not hiring any new transit police officers just for the BRT, but officials are planning to increase officer presence along the service’s route, Haberman said. RTD is also working with the Denver Police Department on police presence and visibility.
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