Denver’s Colfax bus lanes open: Where riders board and how drivers travel

Denver’s first East Colfax bus-only lanes opened Sept. 27 between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard, moving Routes 15 and 15L into the center of the street on that stretch. Riders now board at center platforms instead of the former sidewalk stops, while drivers must use the outer lanes and follow new limits on left turns. The change comes after roughly two years of construction along the corridor.

Where riders board now

The two-mile section has seven center stations in each direction, identified by steel arches, according to Denverite. Its report says the former sidewalk boarding stops on the reopened stretch have been eliminated. Riders looking for a 15 or 15L bus on this section should use the center stations rather than wait at those old curbside stops.

The City and County of Denver instructs pedestrians to reach the platforms at designated crosswalks when the walk signal is on. That matters because boarding has shifted across the traffic lanes: passengers need to cross to the middle of Colfax before their bus arrives, then use the marked crossing again when leaving the station.

The center-lane arrangement applies to the newly opened stretch. East of Colorado Boulevard, the city says Routes 15 and 15L still run in general traffic lanes and use their existing side stops. Riders traveling beyond the first segment should therefore expect the boarding arrangement to change along their journey.

Rules for drivers and other road users

Denver says passenger vehicles must remain in the outer lanes: they may not travel, pass or park in the center bus-only lanes. A curb median separates eastbound and westbound traffic. Left turns are allowed where a left-turn lane and green turn arrow permit them, according to the city, so drivers cannot assume that a turn available before construction remains possible at every intersection.

The city also tells people cycling or using scooters to stay out of both the bus-only lanes and the sidewalks, and to use designated bike crossings when crossing Colfax. Denverite reports fines of $135 for driving in the bus-only lanes and $65 for cycling or scootering there; those amounts come from its reporting rather than the city’s published project guidance.

Parking remains along the reopened section, but its layout and limits warrant attention. Denverite reports about 180 spaces marked for two-hour parking. It says parking is free for now and that payment is planned when the full bus rapid transit service begins. Those parking details are Denverite’s account; the city and RTD project information cited here does not give the same count or payment timetable.

What the opening means for Colfax

For businesses, the opening brings relief from part of a long construction period, though its commercial effect is still uncertain. In KDVR’s reporting, Ben Polson, co-owner of Mama Jo’s Chicken, said construction had strained the restaurant. With fencing and cones cleared nearby, he said the area felt more inviting and customers had begun returning, but he did not know whether future bus traffic would offset the earlier strain.

The street changes have also drawn concern. KDVR interviewed resident Kathy Price, who said restricted left turns made it difficult for her to cross Colfax and worried that frustrated motorists could make prohibited turns. Her comments describe a concern about the new layout, not a measured increase in crashes. Axios Denver reported project manager Doug Monroe’s description of the opening as a ‘return to normalcy’ and his aim of improving ridership and reliability.

This is an interim operation for the existing 15 and 15L routes, rather than the launch of the full Lynx bus rapid transit service. Denver says construction continues east of the reopened section and targets completion of the corridor at the end of 2027. The city plans for Lynx to replace the two routes when the full project is ready. Published forecasts place that launch in late 2027 or early 2028, rather than on a confirmed date.

Denver projects daytime buses every 4.3 minutes and shorter transit trips under the eventual full service. Those figures are project expectations, not results measured from the newly opened lanes. For now, the immediate change is where passengers board and which lanes and turns road users can take on the Broadway-to-Colorado Boulevard section.