Downton Denver to Boulder Commute (Louisville: neighborhoods, to live, buses)

[jcolgrove99]

I am currently in the Marine Corps and have been accepted to CU in Boulder to participate in a commissioning program. I have been looking for housing in the Boulder area but everything seems to be really expensive and reminiscent of a frat house. I have found much more desirable housing in the downtown Denver area and that is the area that is desirable for me to live. My concern is the commute from Denver to Boulder. I would be leaving downtown at around 5 am and would be coming back into Denver around 3 pm. What would the average commute time be and is the traffic terrible around those times? I have researched the RTD and noticed they have the Local Routes that go from Denver to Boulder etc. Does anybody frequent that route and if so is it quicker than driving and most importantly is dependable timewise?

[steveindenver]

At those times by car 30-35 minutes if there are no accidents.

The Denver to Boulder express on RTD takes about 45 minutes.

Buy the monthly pass after you try the bus a few times and save some $.

Congrats and best of luck with your MCP or ECP.

[Katarina Witt]

There are many places much closer to Boulder than downtown Denver. If you like older neighborhoods, you could try downtown Louisville, which is about a 15 min. commute from Boulder. Do be advised that parking is limited on the Boulder campus, and permits are relatively expensive.

[livecontent]

I have taken the bus to Boulder to/from Denver many times. It is very reliable and is one of the top routes that runs from early morning to early morning, almost 24 hours. Actually, there are two buses to Route B Local and Route B express. The Local stops at all stops along I-36 and the express has fewer stops and goes faster to/from Boulder.

I would definitely take the Bus and as a CU student, I believe you get a free Bus pass which is paid by student fees. This route is now being upgraded to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor under Fastracks which is the improvement to bus and commuter rail in the Denver Metro area. BRT is an improvement for faster access to stops along the route and an extension of a dedicated lane for the BRT. Some improvements have already been done. There has existed for years a dedicated High Occupancy Lane (HOV) for the this Route along I-36/Federal and through I-25 to Downtown. So the bus avoids much of the traffic congestion.

If Boulder is not for you to live, you can live near any station along I-36 and have easy and fast public transit to Boulder. Denver is very nice and the B Route leaves from Market Street Station with a stop at Union Station. This route is heavily used and there is stops in front of CU on Broadway. Many people commute from Denver on this Route.

Livecontent

[jcolgrove99]

I want to thank everybody for their guidance on this issue. Another reason we are being pushed into Denver is my wife is a nurse and jobs are harder to come by in the smaller towns in and around Boulder.