The proposed project is in response to the increased levels of congestion on Sheridan Boulevard, the fast-paced redevelopment of Downtown Westminster, the lack of direct safe connection between RTD’s U.S. 36 / Sheridan Station and commercial areas nearby, and the opportunity to lay the foundation for smart city solutions in Westminster.
SHERIDAN BOULEVARD
Sheridan Boulevard is a major roadway running parallel to the U.S. 36 Denver-Boulder Turnpike. It is a major north-south connector for the Denver Metropolitan Area. The roadway provides five to six travel lanes between the U.S. 36 interchange and 88th Avenue. A median separating opposing traffic ends just north of the U.S. 36 interchange. Posted speeds are 40 m.p.h. and the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 56,000 trips per day. Sheridan Boulevard and 88th Avenue currently maintain a Level of Service (LOS) C. If no improvements are made to address traffic congestion, Sheridan’s LOS will decrease to an F and 88th Avenue to a D.
At the U.S. 36 / Sheridan overpass, southbound travel lanes are reduced from three to two, creating a choke point for motorist looking to continue traveling south. Additionally, the U.S. 36 eastbound off-ramp continuous right turn on to Sheridan presents a challenge for vehicles wishing to merge to continue straight.
U.S. 36 BIKEWAY
The U.S. 36 Bikeway is the bicycle highway of the north Denver Metro Region. The $16.6 million Bikeway is an 18-mile shared-use trail that links Westminster to Boulder. The Bikeway was designed as a high-speed facility that provides recreational, utilitarian, and commuter bicyclists a safe, direct, and convenient ride through the U.S. 36 corridor.
Bikeway counts conducted at Sheridan and 88th Avenue showed an average of 117 trail users per day. It can be calculated that under existing land-use conditions, this section of the bikeway sees approximately 816 users per week, 3,611 per month, and 60,175 annually. During weekdays, approximately 48 % of bikeway users were commuters. Bikeway users must cross 17 travel lanes, about 300 feet, to utilize the surrounding commercial services, continue on the trail, or reach the RTD station.
RTD'S U.S. 36 / SHERIDAN STATION
Sheridan Station is one the busiest stations in the region. The station is serviced by 10 different bus lines including RTD’s U.S. 36 Flatiron Flyer BRT service, that was added as part of the FasTracks program. The service encompasses 18 miles of express and high frequency bus service between downtown Denver and Boulder, with six stations along U.S. 36. U.S. 36/Sheridan Station sees nearly 500 buses per day and more than weekday 1,600 boardings.
Of the six Flatiron Flyer stations, four have grade-separated crossings that connect BRT users to adjacent economic centers. The two crossings without grade-separated direct connections are located in Westminster− U.S. 36 / Sheridan Station and U.S. 36 / Church Ranch Station. On average, 135 pedestrian activations are triggered at the Sheridan Boulevard and 88th Avenue intersection. Bicyclists and pedestrians must wait an average of four minutes to cross the intersection.
SAFETY CONCERNS
The project area has experienced an array of safety issues due to Sheridan Boulevard travel lane reductions, the U.S. 36 off-ramp merging concerns, the lack of median, and the increased exposure of pedestrians and bicyclists at the existing roadway crossings. Currently southbound Sheridan Boulevard has two through lanes, with northbound operating with a total of three through lanes. Between 2010 and 2016, the project area experienced a total of 511 vehicular crashes. The economic costs of these crashes totaled $4.35 million. Southbound Sheridan has experienced more than double the number of same direction crashes as compared to northbound.