"The traffic's actually still pretty bad," Bo Porytko of Molotov Kitschen & Cocktails told Westword a few days after the cones came down on East Colfax. He's not worried about this week. He's worried that people will sit in a 40-minute crawl and decide that's the future of the street.
That worry gets at what changed on Sept. 25, when two years of construction ended between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard. The street is new. The bus service on it is temporary, the driving rules are different, and the corridor's own fall events are planned around small purchases and short distances. For anyone who lives within a few blocks of Colfax, the stretch works best right now for people who walk, ride the 15, or park once and stay.
What actually opened on Sept. 27
On Sunday, Sept. 27, RTD's Routes 15 and 15L moved into the two center lanes between Broadway and Colorado. RTD calls this "Bus-Only Lane Operations," or BOLO. It is a step toward the full Lynx Colfax BRT, not the full system. The finished stretch has seven center stations in each direction.
The two phases differ in ways that matter if you ride:
| Interim service, now | Full Lynx Colfax BRT | |
|---|---|---|
| Routes | 15 and 15L in the center lanes, Broadway to Colorado | Union Station to the R Line station at I-225 |
| How often | About 14 buses an hour combined, or a 4 to 5 minute wait | Every 4.3 minutes during the day |
| Paying | Board and pay at the front door, exit from any door | Pay before boarding, board at any door |
| Bikes | Board at the rear door and use racks inside the bus | Same racks, on new BRT buses |
| Timing | Running since Sept. 27 | RTD says early 2028 |
The stations also have near-level boarding. For riders who need it, the bus rises and deploys a ramp. Buses carry Transit Signal Priority equipment that works with traffic lights to move them through intersections faster. RTD's fares page lists a standard three-hour fare of $2.75 and a discount fare of $1.35. Riders 19 and under ride free. To get to a platform, use a marked crosswalk.
For a short trip along Colfax, such as Cap Hill to a dinner near York, a bus every few minutes changes the plan. You don't need a parking spot at either end.
Why driving still feels slow
Cars now use only the outer lanes. A curb median separates eastbound from westbound traffic, and you can turn left only where there's a left-turn lane with an arrow. Navigation apps haven't fully caught up. The Denver Post reported that Google Maps and other route apps have sent drivers to left turns that no longer exist. In August, a driverless Waymo got stuck in the construction zone for about an hour. A Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokeswoman said the city is working with Waymo, Apple and Google to update their routing.
If you drive in from a side street, plan your approach so you can turn right, or know where the signaled left turns are before you go. The parking rules help. New two-hour parking zones on Colfax and nearby side streets are free, with a time limit. Two hours fits a coffee and an errand, or dinner and one more stop, all on foot.
Anna Nguyen of Sap Sua put the change in simple terms: "It's kind of a sense of freedom. I can just turn, like, normal, you know." Turning normally, in the right places, is the new driving pattern.
A fall calendar built for short walks
The Colfax Ave Business Improvement District is marking the end of construction with a fall campaign called "Anything Can Happen on Colfax." The BID calls it an invitation to rediscover the avenue and support the independent businesses that got through the disruption. The October lineup is mostly cheap, quick and walk-in. Every event with an address is on or just off the finished Broadway-to-Colorado stretch:
- Thursday, Oct. 8, 5 p.m. Opera Colorado performs slightly spooky music at Champagne Tiger, 601 E. Colfax Ave., hosted by regular Gila Moonstar. The cover is $5. The Post also lists this as the first event in the series.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 2 to 6 p.m. The 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off at Satellite Bar, 308 E. Colfax Ave. Tasters pay $5 at the door and vote for the Chili Champ of Colfax. The cook-off is capped at 12 competitors.
- Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6 p.m. The Colfax GRUBHOP: a $1 falafel dish at Shish Kabob Grill, 1503 N. Grant St.; $1 pita and hummus from GyroItUp inside Tight End, 1501 E. Colfax; and $3 lentil or tomato soup at Yahya's Mediterranean Grill and Pastries, 2207 E. Colfax.
- Thursday, Oct. 15. A morning GRUBHOP with $1 lattes at Besito's Latin Coffee, 1912 E. Colfax; Convict Coffee, 2260 E. Colfax; Doppio Coffee, 1245 E. Colfax; and Good Bones Coffee, 1201 E. Colfax.
- Thursday, Oct. 22. $1 slices at SliceWorks and Atomic Cowboy.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28. The King Penny Radio Show, an improvised 1940s-style radio program built on audience suggestions, at the Learned Lemur, 2220 E. Colfax. The BID says more details are coming.
The GRUBHOP deals are one item per customer, walk-ins only, while supplies last. All four coffee shops on Oct. 15 sit between 1201 and 2260 E. Colfax. That's a stretch you can walk end to end, or ride with a couple of stops on the 15.
The newer names on the strip
Through the cones, the corridor kept filling its storefronts. Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave BID, told the Denver Post in late September that occupancy is 84%, the same as before construction began. He said few closures could be traced directly to the project. He pointed to three recent openings:
- Sadboy Creamery, 1502 N. Marion St., which announced a Sept. 19 grand opening for its storefront.
- Ma's Kitchen Dim Sum & Bar, 2301 E. Colfax Ave., which moved into the former Okinawa Japanese Cuisine space after Okinawa closed the December before the Post's March 2026 report.
- Pampered Paws, a pet spa and boutique at 1900 E. Colfax Ave., near High Street.
Two longtime spots are still uncertain. Nob Hill Inn at 420 E. Colfax faced a Sept. 30 closing deadline. A Sept. 10 Westword update said a fundraiser had met its first goal, but called the reprieve temporary. Bruz Beers announced Sept. 24 as the last night for its Off Fax location at 1495 York St., as the brewery moves its flagship operation to a planned site in Golden. Check either one before you go.
Owners say business hasn't come back yet. Steven Waters of FiNO, inside the All Inn, said they haven't seen a large influx since the reopening. He sees something good in who's filling the empty spaces:
"A positive is that we haven't seen large chains or big national retailers, or things that are not local and small and independent, retake those spaces. It's really great to see everything there maintain its character and a little bit of grit."
Alex Barakos of Pete's Kitchen described the past few years as "hell and back twice," first COVID and then construction, with days when his front door couldn't be reached. His request was direct: "get their butts out on Colfax and spend some money." At Champagne Tiger, Chris Donato pointed to the brighter lighting, the new trees, and the stations designed with local artists. Westword's photo caption notes that Sunday drag brunch kept the bar going through construction.
The city gave grants to 152 businesses affected by the construction, nearly $2 million in total, according to Denver Economic Development & Opportunity. The grants helped businesses survive the construction. The calendar is trying to bring regulars back.
The cones move east next
With bus-only lanes open, the project is more than halfway complete. The next phase covers Colfax from Colorado Boulevard to Niagara Street. After that come Niagara to Yosemite and Yosemite to I-225, with work in Aurora already underway. Denver's Broadway-to-Colorado segment cost about $115 million, and the city has spent $100 million so far. The whole project is budgeted at $280 million.
Sources give slightly different dates for the full launch. RTD's September update says late 2027 or early 2028. Denverite reports January 2028. Either way, the stretch west of Colorado will run on interim service for more than a year, while construction moves to the blocks east of it.
Nguyen is already looking ahead to the next corridor. She supports a planned BRT on Federal, but warned that without more support for businesses there, construction could harm "the heart of Vietnamese culture in Denver." Business owners east of Colorado Boulevard are about to face the same two years that Pete's Kitchen and Champagne Tiger just finished.
If you live near the new Colfax and are trying to figure out what it means for your block, whether that's parking, foot traffic, or what the next construction phase could mean for your plans, Molly and Sean at Gather Realty are glad to talk it through over coffee at one of those four shops. There's no agenda. Schedule A Consultation whenever you're ready.
