Denver Regional Transportation District broke ground this month on the $70 million 1st & Main Transit Station in downtown Longmont, Colorado, a five-story facility set to open by the end of 2027.

The transit center will deliver 10 bus bays, approximately 700 parking spaces and bicycle storage, anchoring a planned bus rapid transit corridor between Longmont and Boulder and reserving capacity for Front Range Passenger Rail.

What is RTD actually paying for?

RTD has committed $16.4 million to the project. The agency directs those funds to transit improvements inside the building rather than to the surrounding streetscape.

The city of Longmont has pledged more than $17.6 million, covering property acquisition and related costs. A separate $4 million Transit-Oriented Communities Infrastructure Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) closes out the publicly identified commitments.

Longmont will fund the remaining gap with certificates of participation. Repayment draws on tax increment revenues from the redevelopment, private development parking fees and allocations from the city's Public Improvement Fund and Street Fund.

How big is the build?

The station measures five stories. It sits at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Main Street, directly adjacent to a planned Front Range Community College campus. Designers have folded in pedestrian and bicycle links to Longmont's existing multimodal network.

RTD pegs the companion Coffman Street extension between 1st Avenue and Boston Avenue at $13 million. That corridor work runs in parallel to the station package.

Why now?

The groundbreaking closes more than two decades of regional planning. Longmont Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring framed the project as a downtown anchor.

"This groundbreaking represents the culmination of years of planning, partnership and investment in Longmont's future," Hidalgo-Fahring said. "The 1st & Main Transit Station will connect people to more transportation options while helping transform this part of our downtown into a vibrant place to live, work, learn and gather."

Who else is at the table?

Denver RTD Board Chair Patrick O'Keefe tied the facility to the broader CO 119 corridor. "RTD is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the city of Longmont on this significant investment in both the community and our regional transit network," O'Keefe said. "The 1st & Main Transit Station strengthens mobility options for Longmont residents and serves as a vital link to the CO 119 corridor and future transportation improvements across the Front Range."

The Colorado Department of Transportation contributed access and right-of-way planning work. CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew positioned the station within a wider state program.

"This community-led and state-supported work will add to the state and local efforts to build communities that offer residents and visitors great ways to live and get around," Lew said. "CDOT is proud to have contributed to this work, from access and right-of-way planning and coordination, to building this hub that will not only serve the people of Longmont and Boulder County but the entire Northern Colorado region."

What service outcomes are projected?

RTD and Longmont describe the station as a future BRT node. The corridor to Boulder remains in planning, with no opening date confirmed in the groundbreaking materials.

Front Range Passenger Rail, the state-supported intercity service under study along the I-25 and U.S. 85 corridors, has no committed stop at 1st & Main. RTD says the facility will accommodate that service if and when it launches.

Parking ratios translate to roughly one space per 70 daily transit trips at current ridership, an indicative figure that will shift once BRT begins operation.

What gets built first?

Coffman Street extension work began alongside the station groundbreaking. The five-story structure follows, with vertical construction expected through 2026. Substantial completion is targeted for late 2027.

The city has not disclosed the general contractor for the station. RTD's $16.4 million contribution is structured as a capital grant to the municipality rather than a direct construction contract.

What to watch next

RTD and CDOT are tracking BRT implementation funding along CO 119 separately from the station project. A service launch between Longmont and Boulder would convert the 10 bus bays from local service into a regional transfer point.