Transit Planning

Linking Boulder County: A Shared Vision for Transit

Linking Boulder County: A Shared Vision for Transit is the first Boulder County Strategic Transit Plan

Linking Boulder County is:

• A vision plan for transit service in Boulder County that is high-quality, universally accessible, and equitable.
• A strategy to address the County’s transit needs and opportunities today and in the coming years.
• A road map for transit service expansion, including specific action items and how they will be funded and implemented.
• A reflection of what the community hopes to see and is excited to support.

Apply to Serve on a Community Advisory Committee

Community members are invited to apply to serve on a Boulder County Strategic Transit Plan Community Advisory Committee, one in English and one in Spanish. Apply online by Sept. 19. View the Aug. 29 news release Boulder County Seeks Community Input to Create the First Strategic Transit Plan for more information and how to apply.

Project Schedule

Linking Boulder County is an 18-month project, beginning in August 2025 and continuing through the end of 2026. Outreach and Engagement will be ongoing for the duration of the project, with more focused outreach at key milestones.

For the duration of 2025, the project will be focused on Existing Conditions and Travel Needs and developing a Vision and Goals. In 2026, the project will shift to the development of Alternatives and Strategies, Governance and Implementation and a Final Plan document.

Transportation Planning Division

Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting’s Transportation Planning Division provides planning support for local and regional transit services that serve county communities. The county’s Transportation Planning Division also plans for future transit services as part of the Consortium of Cities and other regional collaborations. The following transit plans and policies provide the blueprint for Boulder County’s investment in transit services:

• Boulder County Transportation Master Plan
• Boulder County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan
• DRCOG Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan
• Northwest Area Mobility Study
• State, Regional & Local Community Transportation Plans

Program of Projects (POP)

The POP outlines the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formula funds for the small Urbanized Areas (UZAs) of Boulder, Longmont, and Louisville-Lafayette-Erie, and shows the projects that local governments apply the funds towards. These FTA formula funds include the FY2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

In accordance with the approved POP, Boulder County will be using the FTA ARPA funds to pay for eligible transit services and program administration expenses from Q1 2024 through Q3 2029 for the county’s Ride Free Lafayette on-demand service as well as the Lyons Flyer fixed route service between Lyons and Boulder. In addition, the FTA ARPA funds will be used to pay for the City of Boulder’s HOP circulator route and the future Gunbarrel shuttle through a subrecipient agreement between Boulder County and the City of Boulder. These county and city transit services and associated program administration expenses are aligned with the FTA ARPA funding eligibility requirements.

The POP complements RTD’s existing and planned transit services as well as the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) FY2022-2025 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which lists how all federal transportation funds are programmed, including RTD’s POP for their share of FTA formula funding. In 2021, Boulder County became the Direct Recipient of FTA ARPA funds.

Boulder County has worked in conjunction with FTA, CDOT, and DRCOG to amend the Transportation Improvement Projects list to incorporate in the Boulder County POP into the regional TIP. The TIP lists the suballocation amounts for the FTA formula funds while the POP goes into detail to include the specific projects that local governments spend these funds on.

In compliance with requirements and guidelines outlined in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1B, and the Boulder County Title VI Program, comment is requested on the FTA American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) apportionment for the small Urbanized Areas (UZAs) of Boulder, Longmont, and Louisville-Lafayette-Erie FTA Formula Funds Program of Projects (POP).

• DOT/FTA Program Guidance Circular
• Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) Fact Sheet

The formal public comment period was held on May 25, 2022 and concluded on June 30, 2022.

• Program of Projects (POP), 2022

The 2022 POP was modified to ensure that all projects aligned with the FTA ARPA funding eligibility requirements. FTA awarded the FY2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Boulder County on May 30, 2023.

• FTA Boulder County Transit Award, 2023
• FTA Boulder County Transit Application. 2023
• FTA Program of Projects (POP), 2023

A public meeting was held virtually on June 8, 2022 to allow for public input, questions and comments. View the Program of Projects Public (POP) Meeting presentation, June 8, 2022.