Commuting into Boulder... (Denver, Greeley, Longmont: sales, live, dangerous)

[carlymac]

What is the drive like from Firestone, Frederick and some of those smaller towns?

What is the commute to Boulder like on snowy days? I would guess that the 4-6 lane freeways are highest priority for the snowplows but what about the highways or two lane roads? It looks like the commute would involve more smaller roads than freeways.

Is there any public transit from the outlying communities into Boulder?

[Katarina Witt]

Q. # 1: Try mapquest

#2/3: You are correct. There are no freeways into Boulder from that area. Highway clearance is a subject of much frustration around here. However, the number of snowy days that that would be a problem is small; sometimes none in a given winter.

#4: I don't know about public transit from Firestone. You could try the RTD website. (Google it)

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by carlymac

What is the drive like from Firestone, Frederick and some of those smaller towns?

What is the commute to Boulder like on snowy days? I would guess that the 4-6 lane freeways are highest priority for the snowplows but what about the highways or two lane roads? It looks like the commute would involve more smaller roads than freeways.

Is there any public transit from the outlying communities into Boulder?

The Commute into Boulder, from Firestone, on a snowy day would be terrible on a very snowy day. I-25 north may be closed because of blowing snow and Boulder Turnpike would be a mess or closed. The new 470 does not go into Boulder and end at 36. Their are no other major highways that will take you into Boulder.

The smaller routes, on a snowy day, would be windswept and dangerous but are alternates such as 287, and 119 that goes from Boulder, called the diagonal Hwy. to Longmont which goes into Firestone. On less snowy day, these routes would be slow, icy and the side routes would be the same.

In the past, I lived in Niwot on the Diagonal Hwy. and I had a sales job that took me from, Ft. Collins to Boulder, to Greeley and the areas along I-25, and it was many times "white knuckle driving".

Your Best bet for RTD options into Boulder from Firestone would be to drive into Longmont, west on Ken Pratt Blvd. (Hwy. 119) and take an express Bus from Longmont. Boulder has great access on public transportation from the major cities in Boulder County and Broomfield County; transportation to Denver is excellent on public transportation.

The Regional Transportation District does not extend north into Weld County, or anywhere north of Longmont in Boulder County or Brighton in Adams County. Public transportation in the new smaller communities are many, many years away as the talks about the formation of transportation districts, beyond the major cities like Greeley, Loveland and Ft. Collins, in the northern counties are just beginning.