A RTD bus carries the We Back The Fax message in support of local businesses during construction on Colfax.

It’s not often a band plays before a news conference, but on this sunny Denver day a celebration was underway to kick off construction for the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

The work is scheduled to begin Oct. 7 at Broadway and East Colfax Ave. The BRT will eventually run from Civic Center in Denver to I-225 in Aurora. Center transit lanes will run down the middle of Colfax from Broadway to Yosemite St. There will be more trees, lighting, and improved sidewalk and transit stops with signal transit priority, adjusting the time buses wait at 14 different intersections.

Amy Ford, executive director of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, says this day has been coming for 10 years. “We’re really here today to celebrate…our community’s ability to hold to a vision, to say this is what is important, and how we invest in each other, how we invest in our street, how we invest in our mobility, how we invest in our safety, and how we take that forward.”

The construction is estimated to cost $280 million. The U.S. Department of Transportation is funding $150 million, which was presented via a ceremonial check at the event on Oct. 4 . Other funding comes from the Elevate Denver Bond, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and the City of Aurora.

Veronica Vanterpool, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, and her crew rode the 15L bus to the event. She says they saw the line in use and the large number of people who travel Colfax Ave. every day. She’s confident the BRT will create “faster, convenient connections for RTD transit riders, and it’s a great way for people to connect to so many things, healthcare institutions, the university, schools, businesses.”

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Veronica Vanterpool, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.

Businesses are the focus for Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District. He’s asking the community to become “Colfaxians” during the construction and keep the street “vibrant and bustling” through the We Back the Fax campaign (www.denvergov.org/webackthefax). The City has also set up a small business assistance program.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Park Hill resident and former Denver mayor, recalls the days 15 years ago when there were conversations about trolleys along Colfax stretching into Aurora. That plan never materialized.

He says he’s happy to now see collaboration between the two cities and the start of this project that will help the community see “the balance between light rail and bus rapid transit.” In this country, he adds, “we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom to go where you want.”

The project is expected to be completed in 2027. The public can sign up for construction updates and get information at www.denvergov.org/colfaxbrt.