The Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project will identify and implement ways to make Iris Avenue between Broadway and 28th Street safer, more connected and more comfortable.
This project will develop improvements focused on:
Increasing mobility choices.
Improving safety for everyone.
Making walking, bicycling and taking transit more attractive and convenient.
Improving connections to local and citywide destinations.
Prioritizing Iris Avenue for improvements offers our community the largest safety and connectivity benefits.
City plans, federal guidance and community input call for proactive safety improvements to make Iris Avenue safer, and more comfortable and connected for everyone, no matter how you travel:
Iris Avenue is the second of three corridors prioritized for improvements in the city’s Core Arterial Network (CAN) initiative.
The CAN is Boulder’s connected system of multimodal transportation — taking the bus, driving, biking and walking — improvements along Boulder’s main corridors that will help reduce the potential for severe crashes and make it more comfortable and convenient for people to get where they need to go to create safe, comfortable connections along Boulder’s main corridors.
Iris Avenue is on the city's High Risk Network.
The 2023-2027 Vision Zero Action Plan identified Iris Avenue from 19th to 28th streets as part of the High Risk Network (HRN), where nearly half of all fatal and serious injury crashes occur despite comprising only a small part – just 7% – of city streets. The HRN identifies this section of Iris Avenue as having five of the six risk factors that account for the most frequent and severe crashes.
Iris Avenue is part of the Low Stress Walk and Bike Network.
The city's 2019 Low Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan recommends protected bike lanes for Iris Avenue and to create more space between vehicle lanes and people walking.
Our community feels unsafe on Iris Avenue.
We've heard from hundreds of community members that Iris Avenue feels unsafe regardless of mode of travel, vehicle speeding is an issue and the street is noisy and uncomfortable.
The core study area extends east and west on Iris Avenue from Broadway to 28th Street. The 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.
We have completed evaluating the four possible conceptual design alternatives using the Community and Environmental Assessment Process. There were trade-offs for each alternative. The evaluation considered potential social and environmental impacts, project-specific criteria and community feedback.
The evaluation has identified a recommended conceptual design alternative, now ready for your feedback.
City plans, federal guidance and community input call for proactive safety improvements to make Iris Avenue safer, more comfortable and better connected for everyone, including people walking, biking, driving and taking transit.
Our community has many different experiences and feelings around Iris Avenue. Over 3,100 comments including from 34 events helped inform the path to a recommendation.
Your feedback will help us understand if there are additional considerations to inform the evaluation process and finalize a recommended alternative, which will be shared with the Transportation Advisory Board and City Council this fall.
View the recommendation and share your thoughts online or in-person.
From emergency response to nearby neighborhoods, view the most up-to-date answers to common community questions on the Virtual Open House.
For additional background, view the June 2024 fact sheets below.
Improvements to Iris Avenue will take time and careful consideration of collective work over the years, including community values shared in long-term planning and recent engagement, Boulder's transportation goals, analysis of collected data, and national best practices. This work will continue as the design progresses.
While we work toward a final design, you can view previous work below. The most up-to-date details are available on the Virtual Open House.
While 2024 community engagement is ongoing, you can view past materials and summaries on the June 27 City Council Project Update. For more up-to-date information, view the open houses.
Thank you to everyone who walked, talked, or otherwise participated in one of the 24 engagement activities the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements project team hosted in 2023! Over 1,300 people shared valuable time and knowledge with us. View all the details in the full 2023 engagement report.
These projects are happening at or near Iris Avenue, but are not part of the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project.
In late 2024, we plan to construct pedestrian and bicycle enhancements to Iris Avenue at the 15th Street crossing. While these crossing improvements support our CAN goals, they are not part of the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project. We received funding from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) Community Mobility Planning and Implementation 2019 grant program to improve three crosswalk locations, including at this crossing.
Learn more about the city’s Pedestrian Crossings.
There is ongoing sewer work, including liner installation, on Iris Avenue from Broadway to 28th Street, and in the neighborhoods to the south. There may be traffic and parking impacts. Learn more about the Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Program.
This section provides text alternatives to the webpage graphics. The city is in the process of making all of its websites and applications more accessible. If you would like assistance, contact the city's ADA Coordinator using the Accessibility Complaint or Request Form or by calling 720-576-2506. Please know that the city is happy to assist you and do not hesitate to reach out.
This is a text alternative to the project context map graphic. The core study area extends east and west on Iris Avenue from Broadway to US-36/28th Street. The secondary study area extends east to west from the same limits, and north to south from roughly Norwood Avenue to Balsam Avenue/Edgewood Drive. On the core study area, there are bookend improvements with no changes to existing vehicle lane configuration: west of the project limits, there are Broadway Bookend Improvements from Broadway extending east to Hawthorn Ave; east of the project limits, there are 28th Street Bookend Improvements from just east of Folsom Street extending east to 28th Street. Between 13th Street and Folsom Street/26th Street, which is the area excluding the bookend improvements, the core study area includes end-to-end improvements including protected bike lanes as well as sidewalk and bus stop upgrades. This area also has four conceptual design alternatives developed.
This is a text alternative to the project timeline. Community engagement extends from the beginning to the end of the project. From summer to winter 2023 is Corridor Analysis: understanding what is working and what needs improvements. During winter 2024 is Initial Screening: What improvements are technically feasible? Begin development of improvement options to address what we heard. From winter to spring 2024 is Alternatives Development: What improvements or alternatives are best to address the project goals? Project team began to develop conceptual alternatives to address what we heard. In spring 2024 is Share Conceptual Alternatives: Share conceptual design alternatives with community for feedback. In Summer 2024 is Recommended Alternative: What is the recommended alternative? Project team develops recommendations as part of the Community and Environmental Assessment Process (CEAP). This is the current phase. After this phase is the future, with Final Design and Construction: What is implemented and when, will depend on the final design and the funding available.
This is a text alternative to the PDF report.
Summary of themes from 2023 community engagement:
East-west travel is important, and people driving appreciate Iris Avenue as a convenient and reliable route across the city.
People walking, rolling, biking and taking transit also want Iris Avenue to provide convenient and safe routes.
Sidewalks could be improved to provide comfort, safety, and attractive walking conditions. Sidewalks are currently: not wide enough, winding, sloping, bumpy, and often blocked by overgrown vegetation.
Crossing Iris Avenue safely and conveniently is a priority for people of all ages and abilities traveling to school, work, for errands, and for recreation – but today some see it as a barrier to getting where they want to go.
Vehicles travel at high speeds, creating unsafe conditions and excessive street noise.
Safer neighborhood and business access is essential.
Drivers feel unsafe turning onto and off Iris Avenue and feel they’re more likely to crash with oncoming traffic when doing so.
Delivery, transit, waste management and other vehicles stop in-lane, blocking the bike and right-side travel lanes.
Residents are concerned changes will impact emergency evacuation and response.
Neighbors want to maintain the character of their neighborhoods, which they see as providing safer, more comfortable alternatives for walking, rolling, and biking than arterial streets like Iris Avenue are concerned that changes to Iris Avenue could create traffic diversion onto nearby streets.
Community members want attractive facilities and opportunities for placemaking.
Beter wayfinding and help navigating to local and regional destinations are desired.
Roadway pavement conditions could be improved.
Transit service is infrequent, and many transit stops are not accessible and lack shelters, benches, and trash cans.
We heard from:
Past community engagement events in 2023 included:
Community engagement also included a questionnaire and interactive map during summer 2023.
Stay tuned for Iris Avenue project updates on the project email, the Transportation and Mobility Department newsletter or the project webpage.
