Boulder transportation board recommends $157 million capital plan
The recommendation would increase transportation investment, expand maintenance through a new fee and fund bridge, pavement, path, safety and streetlight work, but City Council has not taken final action.
Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board voted 4-0 Sept. 14 to recommend that City Council approve a proposed 2027–2032 transportation capital improvement program totaling about $157 million, including $25 million in grants. The recommendation is not final approval, as shown in the board’s meeting record.
Transportation and Mobility staff projected average annual program spending of about $16 million, compared with roughly $8 million to $9 million historically. About $92 million would go to ongoing programs, with the rest supporting specific projects.
The increase is driven partly by Boulder’s transportation maintenance fee, which is scheduled to begin collection in 2027, with its full effect reflected in the plan beginning in 2028. The fee is $54 per year, or $4.50 per month, for a detached or single-family home. City fee information says nonresidential charges generally are based on building size and estimated person-trip generation.
Staff said the fee would increase pavement-management funding by roughly 50% to 60% beginning in 2028. Staff also projected construction materials and labor costs would rise by roughly 5% to 6% annually, while transportation-fee and sales-tax revenue was modeled to grow about 3% annually. That difference could reduce the program’s purchasing power over time.
The recommended program prioritizes transportation operations and maintenance, Vision Zero and travel safety. Ongoing work would include pavement, sidewalks, multi-use paths, bridges, streetlights and pedestrian improvements. The pavement program covers about 300 miles of streets; the multi-use-path program covers more than 80 miles; and bridge asset management covers about 300 major and minor bridges and structures.
Streetlight maintenance funding was doubled after the city assumed responsibility for the system from Xcel Energy at the end of 2024 and found more corroded, damaged and otherwise deficient equipment than expected. Staff said the additional funding still would not address every need.
Projects in the proposal include a pedestrian signal at South Boulder Road and Manhattan Circle, safety improvements on 30th Street between Walnut Street and the Diagonal, and the next phase of safety work on Arapahoe Avenue. The plan also includes South 30th Street improvements from Colorado Avenue south to Aurora Avenue, supported in part by a $3 million grant.
The program calls for replacing the 26th Street bridge over Fourmile Canyon Creek in 2031 at an estimated cost of $8.4 million. It also would replace the deck of the Folsom Street Bridge, with design beginning in 2027 and construction in 2028. Staff estimated the deck replacement at about $5 million, compared with $18 million to $20 million for replacing the entire bridge.