If you’re new to this conversation, in 2020 Arapahoe County began updating the existing Transportation Master Plan with an eye toward 2040. Arapahoe County is the fastest growing county in Colorado and as the population grows, so too does the need for County infrastructure. 

In partnership with local and regional partners, this plan will create a vision for the County’s transportation network—a vision that is critical to minimize congestion, provide quality of life, ensure shorter response times in emergency situations, and guide future growth. It will define improvements, resources and policies that will keep you moving in and through the County for years to come. This community-supported vision is also developed in partnership with our municipal and state partners as the infrastructure within our network is shared and managed by varied agencies. 

 Plan Maestro de Transporte del Condado de Arapahoe 2040. 

Technologies and Future Initiatives

As technology advances, the 2040 Transportation Master plan identifies potential technologies and future initiatives that could be used to move those who live, work, visit and recreate in the County more efficiently. View the emerging technologies and initiatives described with the potential benefits and possible next steps for implementation.

Public Feedback Phase 3: Draft Recommendations

Recommendations for the 2040 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) are now available for the public to review. Arapahoe County sought input from the public to ensure the recommendations and proposed transportation and mobility investment priorities accurately reflect the values and needs of those who live, work, visit and recreate in the County. 

View the recommendations

The county asked the public to weigh in on proposed recommendations for road improvements, new roadway connections, bike and pedestrian projects, traffic operational improvements and public transit. 

Input on the recommendations and investment priorities were collected through Aug. 11. The feedback helped form priorities and create a more thoughtful TMP. The county’s goal is to have a plan that not only meets the needs of the county’s growing communities, but also creates a more resilient and responsive transportation system.

It is anticipated the complete 2040 Transportation Master Plan will be available for public review and adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in Fall 2021. If you would like to receive periodic updates about the project, email transportationplan@arapahoegov.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

What we Learned in Phase 2 

Public Feedback Survey Results

Community input for the 2040 Transportation Master Plan clearly highlights that no two corridors are alike, and each requires different solutions to meet our mobility needs in the future, according to recent survey results. The survey was conducted earlier this year to gather community input for the 24 key transportation corridors that the Plan has identified as critical to meeting the transportation needs of the County’s transportation network. The results provide valuable insight as the master plan is in the drafting stage.

Community response shows that while some of these corridors would benefit from new roadway connections others need to focus on traffic congestion, maintenance and multimodal investments. Here are some highlights from the survey results:

• The most common highest priority concern was congestion/traffic (the most cited highest priority for 17 of the 24 corridors).
• Updating facilities was the number one priority for 4 corridors and maintenance was number one for 3 of the 24 corridors.
• Safety was mentioned often as a priority and carried the most citations after congestion/traffic; however, safety was the number one priority for only the Colfax corridor, along with pedestrian improvements. Mississippi, Hampden and I-225 also had significant safety concerns.

The project team received input from the 431 people who completed the survey and 460 corridor responses. You can check out the full survey results along with a map of identified critical corridors in the County

This summer the County will host virtual public meetings, with the possibility of hosting these meetings in-person if COVID-19 restrictions allow for it. These meetings will be geared for the community to review and comment on the draft plan.

With your help, the County will be ready to move forward with a vision and investment priorities that continue to make the County a great place to live, work, visit and recreate.

What We Learned in Phase 1

We Listened

We spent 2020 listening to you and your ideas about transportation in Arapahoe County. You provided valuable feedback during a virtual public meeting, engaged with a survey, an idea wall and a commenting map. Here's what we learned: 

• 70% of residents want a focus on roadway modifications to increase safety and manage congestion
• Residents highly value safe infrastructure that will encourage different mobility options, i.e. bike lanes
• Residents hope that this feedback helps to provide a more connected, accessible and reliable transit system. Note, the County does not directly provide public transit, but does play a critical role in how residents access public transit and is committed to coordination with transit partners. 

View a summary report

We Defined

Defining existing conditions and future land uses is critical to the master planning process. Data defines which roadways are expected to be over capacity and helps to identify priority areas for improvement. View the Existing Conditions Report and Future Conditions Assessment.  

Important highlights:

• 85% of the County population lives within an incorporated city
• 65% of employed residents work outside of the County
• Widespread congestion is currently the highest along Arapahoe Road, Belleview Avenue and Hampden Avenue/I-285 corridors
• 77 intersections or road segments have been identified for cost-effective safety improvements
• Drivers and travelers on county roads will notice a 32% increase in total miles traveled by the year 2040
• The sharpest traffic increases are expected for the area around and east of E-470 including I-70, 6^th Avenue, Jewell Avenue, Gun Club Road, and Watkins Road
• Today, 16.5% of travel is considered “congested.” An increase to 20.4% is expected by 2040
• Projections forecast the highest levels of congestion will be along 6th Avenue, Hampden Avenue, Belleview Avenue, Arapahoe Road, Santa Fe Drive, University Boulevard., I-25, Havana Street, and Gun Club Road.

This analysis has resulted in the need to get more feedback from the community regarding a list of 24 key transportation corridors. Help us achieve that by taking the Phase 2: Public Feedback Survey.

Contact Us

Email transportationplan@arapahoegov.com for questions about the process. This email is monitored during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Replies may take up to three business days. 

If you would like to be added to an email distribution list to receive periodic updates about the Transportation Master Planning process, please email transportationplan@arapahoegov.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.