Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Virtual Open House

Welcome! ¡Bienvenido!

April 27-May 27, 2024 — Transportation and Mobility Department

Welcome! ¡Bienvenido!

¡Haga clic aquí para ver la reunión pública virtual en español!

Help us make travel on Iris Avenue between Broadway and 28th Street safer, more comfortable, and connected, no matter how you get to important community destinations.

Through consideration of the city's transportation goals, community input, analysis of collected data, and professional best practices, four conceptual design alternatives for Iris Avenue improvements have been developed. Your feedback through this virtual open house will help us continue into the next stage of the design process and ultimately identify a recommended alternative to bring forward to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and City Council. There is no preferred alternative at this time.

The core study area extends east and west on Iris Avenue from Broadway to 28th Street. Four conceptual alternatives for the configuration of the roadway have been developed to advance the overall design process for the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project. The four conceptual design alternatives apply to the length of the corridor between the bookend improvement areas. Note that bookend improvements will not impact the existing vehicular travel lane configuration at Broadway and at 28th Street.

A secondary study area extends north and south of Iris Avenue, from roughly Norwood Avenue to the north and Balsam Avenue/Edgewood Drive to the south. The city is evaluating improvements such as traffic calming on nearby streets as a concurrent project.

This map shows the core study area on Iris Avenue from Broadway to 28th Street. It also shows the secondary study area that extends north from Iris Avenue to roughly Norwood Avenue and south to Balsam Avenue/Edgewood Drive. The map highlights that the improvements at the bookends of the corridor from roughly Elmer's Trail to 28th Street and roughly 13th Street to Broadway will not impact the existing vehicular travel lane configuration. End-to-end improvements within the core study area include protected bike lanes as well as sidewalk and bus stop upgrades. There are four conceptual design alternatives developed between 13th Street and Folsom Street/26th Street. — Overview Map

How to Navigate

To learn the most about the project, scroll from the beginning to the end. It should take about 10 minutes to read through all the sections and fill out the questionnaire . To skip to specific sections, use the navigation bar at the top of the page. This website is mobile-friendly but is best viewed on a computer. Please contact staff if you require an alternate format or know of an individual or organization that needs additional help to engage with this project due to limited access to technology, a disability, or language access needs. Contact staff via email or 303-441-3200 with any requests or webpage issues.

This is a map of the Iris project core study area showing transportation data such as: multi-use paths, crossings, signals, and transit routes. The corridor stretches from 28th to Broadway.

The map provides a zoomed-out view of Boulder, spanning from Table Mesa Drive in the south to Jay Road in the north, with boundaries along Broadway to the west and 61st Street to the east. It identifies the Core Arterial Network (CAN) streets. Broadway, Colorado Avenue, Arapahoe Avenue 30th Street, and 61st Street are identified as CAN corridors. The downtown area is also highlighted as a part of CAN. Iris Avenue, Baseline Road, Folsom Street are noted as Priority CAN corridors. 13th Street and 28th Street are noted as having Corridors with Existing Enhancements. Arterial Streets and Key multi-use paths are also marked and identified on the map for easy reference.

The image is of the project schedule. It shows that community engagement is happening over the life of the project from summer 2023 all the way into the future. The schedule shows previous work that has already been completed which is corridor analysis (summer-winter 2023), initial screening (winter 2024), and alternatives development (winter-spring 2024). The schedule shows that the Project is currently in the share conceptual alternatives phase of the project for Spring 2024. The schedule shows that the recommended alternative will be presented in the summer of 2024 and final design and construction will happen sometime in the future when funding is available.

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The image shows the Planning documents that provide policies, objectives, and actions that guide the planning, delivery and funding of city services, infrastructure, and programs. A photo of each cover design of each planning document is shown in order from oldest to newest: Transportation Master Plan (2014), Boulder Transportation Master Plan (2019), Boulder Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan (2019), Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (2021), Vision Zero Boulder Safe Streets Report (2022), Boulder’s Core Arterial Network (2022), FHWA Safe Systems Approach (2022), City of Boulder Sustainability, Equity and Resilience Framework (2022), and the Boulder Vision Zero Action Plan (2023).

This is a photo of the cover of the 2014 City of Boulder Transportation Master Plan.

This is a photo of the cover of the 2019 City of Boulder Transportation Master Plan.

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The map shows the core study area which is Broadway on the west to 28th street on the east. Visually it shows that there is higher vehicle volume on the eastern portion of the corridor and it becomes lower volume moving west. At 28th Street, the map calls out that there is a high volume westbound left turn and high volume northbound left turn. At 26th Street/Folsom Street, the map calls out high volume westbound left turn and high volume northbound left turn. On 19th Street, the map calls out high volume westbound right turn and high volume southbound left turn. On Broadway, the map calls out high volume westbound left turn and high volume northbound right turn.

The map shows the core study area which is Broadway to 28th Street. The map circles and calls out where there are pedestrian and bicycle crash data on Iris Avenue intersections: 4 crashes at Iris Avenue and 28th Street intersection, 2 crashes between 28th Street and 26th Street along Iris Avenue, 10 crashes at Iris Avenue and 26th Street intersection, 1 crash at Iris Avenue and 19th Street intersection, 1 crash between 19th Street and Broadway along Iris Avenue , 2 crashes at Iris Avenue and Broadway intersection.

The map shows the core study area which is Broadway to 28th Street. It also includes a bar chart of the 13-hour pedestrian and bicycle crossing volume on Iris Avenue (total northbound plus southbound, 7am-8pm): Iris Avenue and 28th Street intersection – 207 pedestrians and 126 bicyclists; Elmer’s Two Mile Trail between 28th Street and 26th Street – 409 pedestrians and 406 bicyclists; Iris Avenue and 26th Street intersection – 83 pedestrians and 24 bicyclists; Iris Avenue and Hermosa Drive intersection – 44 pedestrians and 74 bicyclists; Iris Avenue and 19th Street intersection - 78 pedestrians and 56 bicyclists; Iris Avenue and 15th Street intersection – 61 pedestrians and 142 bicyclists; Iris and Broadway intersection – 141 pedestrians and 90 bicyclists.

Comprehensive Improvements

What improvements are being considered?

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This is a photo of a protected bike lane.

This is a photo of enhanced crosswalk with lighting and a pedestrian sign overhead.

This is a photo of a stop light with a walk signal illuminated.

Where will these comprehensive improvements happen?

The map shows the core study area which is Broadway to 28th Street. This map shows the comprehensive improvements that will happen along Iris Avenue. The following are called out on the map: Between 28th Street and 26th Street/Folsom Street, there will be bookend improvements and safer access to driveways as well as a safer crossing. Between 26th Street and 19th Street, there will be optimized signal operations at 26th Street and 19th Street and a safer crossing. Between 19th Street and Broadway, there will be bookend improvements and a safer crossing. Throughout the study area, there will be protected bike lanes, bus stop enhancements, updated wayfinding, and improved sidewalks and curb ramps.

What about emergency response?

Safety is a priority for the city. Day-to-day emergency response and disaster emergency response are two of several key considerations for the project. The conceptual designs for improvements to Iris Avenue were informed by input from the city’s Boulder-Fire Rescue and Police departments, and the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) for the City of Boulder and Boulder County. We will continue to work closely with them throughout the design process.

Will there be improvements in the Secondary Study Area?

*The primary study area extends on Iris Avenue from Broadway to 28th Street. The secondary study area extends north and south of Iris Avenue from Norwood Avenue to Balsam Avenue/Edgewood Drive.*

This photo shows a speed bump with a sign noting that the bump is coming up with a 15 mile per hour speed limit.

In previous engagement, we heard from the community that it is important to maintain the character of the surrounding neighborhoods and on streets like Glenwood Drive, Grape Avenue, Kalmia Avenue, and others.

The City of Boulder is evaluating improvements such as traffic calming on nearby streets as a concurrent project.

Alternatives Development

Design Considerations for Iris Avenue

We identified a range of potential improvements for the Core Study Area based on City of Boulder policies and plans, community input, and overall CAN and project goals. Options with the most benefits moved forward in the process and were crafted into four conceptual alternatives between 13th Street and Folsom Street/26th Street.

The current conceptual alternatives can be compared and contrasted using the following considerations:

This is an icon of a check mark within a shield.

Traffic Safety

What does this mean?

Potential to reduce speeds and severe crashes on the corridor.

Considerations:

Vehicle speed moderation
Crash reduction

This is an icon showing a vehicle and two points, indicating its start and end points.

Transportation Operations

What does this mean?

Potential to impact vehicle travel time, vehicle turning movements, and emergency response.

Considerations

Vehicle travel time along the corridor
Vehicle turning movements
Day-to-day emergency response
Disaster emergency response

Sustaining Tree Canopy

What does this mean?

Potential to preserve existing street trees and maintain the current tree canopy.

Considerations:

Preserves existing trees

This is an icon of a gear with arrows surrounding it in a circle, indicating motion.

Implementation Feasibility

What does this mean?

The amount of time and cost needed to design and implement the project.

Considerations:

Time to design and implement
Cost to implement
Right-of-way and property acquisition
Utility relocation (under- and above-ground)
Stormwater drainage

This is an icon of four people with lines drawn connecting them.

Safe and Comfortable Connections

What does this mean?

Potential to enhance residential, neighborhood, and business access, low-stress walk and bike connections, and transit experience.

Considerations:

Walking comfort
Biking comfort
Opportunity for protected intersection elements
Transit accessibility and reduction of bike/bus conflict
Crossing safety and comfort

The image is a 3D rendering of Alternative A – one way protected bike lanes. It shows the following: Spot improvements to existing sidewalk. Two 10.5-foot travel lanes (one eastbound, one westbound). One 10-foot center turn lane. Two 5-foot one-way protected bike lanes (one eastbound, one westbound) separated from the travel lane by 3-foot protected buffers.

The image is a 3D rendering of Alternative B – two way protected bike lane. It shows the following: Spot improvements to existing sidewalk. Two 11-foot travel lanes (one eastbound, one westbound). One 10-foot center turn lane. One 10-foot two-way protected bike lane (meeting minimum design widths with 5-foot travel lane in each direction) with one 5-foot bike protected buffer between the westbound travel lane and the protected bike lane on the north side of the street.

The image is a 3D rendering of Alternative C – one-way protected bike lanes and widened roadway. It shows the following: Four travel lanes (eastbound: one 10-foot and one 11-foot travel lane, westbound: one 10-foot and one 11-foot travel lane). Two 5-foot one-way protected bike lanes (one eastbound, one westbound) meeting minimum design widths separated from the travel lane by 3-foot protected buffers. South side variable width buffer/planting area where feasible. Six-foot wide sidewalk on the north and south side.

Corridor Bookends

The map shows the core study area which is Broadway to 28th Street. It shows that the bookend improvements will happen roughly from 28th Street to Elmer’s Trail on the east and from Broadway to 13th Street on the West.

This image shows the east end bookend improvements. From roughly Elmer’s Twomile east to 28th Street, there are raised two-way protected bike lanes on both sides of Iris Avenue. At the westernmost driveway to the Safeway Shopping Center, there is an ongoing evaluation to prohibit the northbound left turn. The westbound left turn at this location is prohibited due to crash history. At the eastern driveway to the Safeway Shopping Center, there is an ongoing evaluation to prohibit the southbound left turn. The lane configuration is not changing from the westernmost driveway to the Safeway Shopping Center to the intersection with 28th Street. At the intersection with 28th Street, the Iris Avenue bike lanes on the north and south sides transition to 28th Street paths and CO-119 bike lanes. On the north side of the intersection with 28th Street, there is a planned connection to the Diagonal Bikeway.

Takeaways & Next Steps

Improving Iris Avenue is important and requires time and careful consideration of our city’s transportation goals, community input, analysis of collected data, and professional best practices.

Because there are trade-offs for each alternative, we need to understand the community's priorities to advance the design. We need your feedback to help us take this important next step!

Your feedback through this virtual open house will help us continue into the next stage of the design process and ultimately identify a recommended alternative to bring forward to TAB and City Council this fall.

Learn more about the project

Upcoming engagement events

Questionnaire

Thank you for reviewing the virtual open house for the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements project. Please complete the questionnaire below to provide feedback. If the questions don't load or you have trouble submitting, view the questionnaire on a separate page .

Iris Avenue Spring 2024 Questionnaire/Cuestionario de primavera de 2024 de Iris Avenue