Public transit needed across CO-WY border

CHEYENNE — Nearly six times as many people travel north to Cheyenne from Fort Collins as travel south to Colorado from Wyoming each day, new data shows. 
As a part of the CO/WY Transit Feasibility Study, consultants collected cell phone data showing how many people make daily trips across the border. 
“People go for shopping or for work or for medical appointments,” Tom Mason, Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization director, said. “They collected that data to find the traffic counts on the highway, and it showed quite a sufficient number of people going back and forth each day. 
“People go both directions, but there are more people coming to Cheyenne from the south daily than there are people going south. Quite a bit more, like a six-to-one ratio,” Mason said. 
The Colorado Department of Transportation, the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Wyoming Department of Transportation have now identified a recommended alignment for a potential public transit system in a part of the CO-WY Transit Feasibility Study. 
The study, which examined transit needs, routing, amenities and the overall benefits of transit between communities in the North Front Range region and Cheyenne, cost $180,000. 
Each state funded half of the study, with Wyoming’s half split between the MPO and WYDOT, each allocating $45,000 to the project.
According to Jordan Achs, senior public relations specialist with WYDOT, there are about 30,000 vehicle trips across the Colorado-Wyoming border every day. 
Past planning efforts and area stakeholders show support for the project, and transit services help reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and promote employment growth in the region. 
Achs said that WYDOT views its role in the project as a supportive one, as the MPO explores avenues for helping people get from one destination to another. 
“WYDOT supports all of our local communities, including our bigger ones, like Cheyenne, working toward their respective transit goals, especially when it comes to transit and other modes of transportation,” Achs said. “We support our local partners like the MPO and municipal organizations to help them with federal funds and goals for different transportation opportunities.” 
The recommended alignment essentially goes from downtown Cheyenne to downtown Fort Collins, with a possible stop in Wellington, Colorado, Mason said. 
A self-guided online meeting for community members to learn more about the study and provide input can be accessed until Monday at cowytransitstudy.com. 
“The project team has examined travel patterns, population and employment growth, and other infrastructure improvements across the two regions to identify the best route for the future transit connection between the north Front Range and Cheyenne,” Mason said. “We also evaluated the community input we received from the first online meeting to make sure the route can provide a convenient and equitable connection for all future users.” 
This second online meeting provides information on the chosen alignment, Cheyenne to Fort Collins, that was selected from a wide range of transit options. 
The evaluation process included various criteria to measure transit performance and considered survey results from the first public online meeting. 
In this second phase, the public will have the opportunity to provide input through a survey, including questions about if they would use the recommended transit service, how they would use it, if they would want optional stops included and what type of amenities they would want with the service. 
The CO-WY Transit Feasibility Study builds on recent and ongoing planning efforts, examines existing service models and evaluates how to maximize connectivity for users through integration with local transit providers. 
The study will be complete by the end of the year. 
Mason said that the “real work” will begin after the study closes, when consultants will determine the cost associated with various types of alternative transportation, starting a program or linking in with an existing Colorado service. 
“I haven’t seen those numbers. That will be in the final report,” Mason said. “There is also no timeline yet.” 
But based on robust previous input and traffic counts, there is a need, Mason said. 
“We’re asking that people go to the webpage to do the next round of public input. From there, it will show that there is justification for starting up a program. Then the hard work begins in how we get a program started,” he said. 
Achs agreed that any possible plan is in the early conceptual phase, but that there is demand. 
“Thirty-thousand vehicle trips across the Colorado-Wyoming border is a lot of traffic,” she said. “Finding ways to bring people to the same destination, just with a different means, can help alleviate some of the daily trips on that highway, especially with single occupancy vehicles.”
 
This story was published on Dec. 15, 2022.