Thornton Transit Study
Project Overview
The City of Thornton is leading a community-driven Transit Study to evaluate options and develop a plan to implement transit improvements over the next 10 years as envisioned in the Thornton Transportation and Mobility Master Plan. Half of Thornton’s population and land area is not currently served by transit, and current transit routes do not provide convenient access to key destinations in the City for many residents, including access to food, medical services, education, employment, recreation, or visiting other people. The Thornton Transit Study will provide clearly defined actions that the City will implement over the next 10 years to increase access to more areas of Thornton in a timely manner without using a private vehicle.
Project Goals
The goals of the Thornton Transit Study include:
Bring Thornton closer to implementing the Transportation and Mobility Master Plan’s Vision
Provide clear direction on how to implement transit improvements throughout Thornton over the next 10 years
Make transit a more viable mode choice for residents that do not currently have access to transit
Better serve those who are mobility challenged, but not served by RTD’s Access-A-Ride
Transportation and Mobility Master Plan (TMMP) Transit Vision
Analysis Areas
The study will analyze and address the following:
How to serve more of Thornton with transit
Provide ridership projections for various alternatives to be considered
Determine the best type of transit service to meet the Community’s vision
Evaluate impact of trip frequency as part of the alternatives analysis
Provide integration with Thornton’s active transportation system
Provide a cost magnitude and phasing for implementing the study
Integrate environmental justice and geographical equity in the development of the alternatives
Timeline and Key Milestones
The project began in November, 2022 and will be completed over an 18-month period ending in April, 2024 to allow sufficient time for analysis, public engagement, and review by stakeholders. The schedule is divided into four distinct phases as shown below, including a phase for: Visioning, Alternatives Analysis, Preferred Alternative/ Draft Plan, and Final Plan. There will be three opportunities for the public to provide input as part of each major phase of the project. In addition, the project will be guided by a Stakeholder Group that will include representatives from the City of Thornton, RTD, CDOT, and DRCOG that will also meet during key milestones of the project.
Anticipated Project Outcomes
Key elements of the final plan will include:
A transit operating plan
Performance measures
A financial plan for implementing transit
A 10-year implementation/phasing plan
Service delivery strategies
Supporting infrastructure
We Want to Hear From You!
Do you use transit service in Thornton? Do you wish you could? Do you have ideas for how it could be improved? Would you like to use transit for more of your trips? Then we want to hear from you!
How to Participate
Please stay tuned for additional details on how to participate.