Arapahoe County Releases Transportation Survey Results

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO — It may come as no surprise that traffic congestion is the biggest concern for Arapahoe County commuters, according to results from a transportation survey conducted by the county.

The survey, which 431 respondents completed, asked the public to choose their top transportation priorities for corridors that matter most to them. The responses will help to shape the county's 2040 Transportation Master Plan draft, officials said.

Out of 24 main corridors, the 6th Avenue and 6th Parkway intersection received the most responses — 54, the majority of which called for overall transportation upgrades in the area.

Other top corridor priorities from respondents:

• Belleview Avenue - 34 responses, top priority: Improving congestion
• Gun Club Road/Aurora Parkway - 32 responses, top priority: Improving congestion
• Arapahoe Road - both west of I-25 and east of I-25 - 31 responses for each corridor, top priority: Improving congestion

Updating facilities was the top priority for four corridors, and maintenance was number one for three of the 24 corridors:

Safety was the second-biggest priority, after congestion/traffic, and was the top priority, along with pedestrian improvements, for the Colfax corridor. The Mississippi, Hampden and I-225 corridors also had significant safety concerns.

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Arapahoe County Public Works and Development posted some of the most frequent comments on the survey:

Infrastructure needs, usually expressed as widening on areas within and outside the key corridors, as the urban fringes where new development is happening. Roads such as Gun Club and 6th Avenue east of E-470 were frequently mentioned, with some respondents citing the need for paving, design and better maintenance (19 comments):

“With the booming housing construction in the county, we must address the infrastructure to accommodate the increase in vehicle traffic. This is critical to Arapahoe County. I appreciate the opportunity to bring up our concerns. Thank you.”

Signal timing and general traffic congestion were a common general theme throughout the County (14 comments):

“Need to develop an ongoing program to synchronize the traffic lights. Far too often traffic is congested because of this issue.”

Other common concerns included requests of more transportation access for seniors (2 comments), better transit service in general (10) and more bike and pedestrian facilities (14).

“With the high number of Seniors in Arapahoe County I would like to see what can be done to keep our Seniors active by getting out... even when they might no longer be able to drive. I think Arapahoe County has an opportunity to ‘think outside the box’ and be a leader in this area and have it a win-win for all!”

“In general, I think some sort of grid type transportation system would help get folks from place to place. It is key that the modes (bus, light rail, etc) need to operate on a regular and frequent basis. Cost should also be a rate that encourages, not discourages, use!”

“Please add as many bike and pedestrian improvements as possible! They make life so much nicer and allow people to walk/ride to larger trail systems, or connect smaller ones.”

More planning (8 comments) and funding for new infrastructure (8 comments) were also mentioned:

“With the increased development of EV cars will there be an annual use tax? We need to look at smart traffic cameras, lights that can anticipate and adjust the light timing depending on the number of cars.”

The county is set to host public meetings this summer on the draft of the 2040 Transportation Plan.

>> View the Arapahoe County transportation survey results here.