"It kind of gets them off of the sidewalk, and it allows businesses to be more visible," Jonathan Stewart, the East Colfax BRT project director with Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told Denver7 the week before the cones came down. He added that the city expects the change "to encourage more pedestrian traffic on the on the sides of the road."
Six weeks in, his idea has turned into a calendar. The buses have moved to the center of Colfax, and the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District is filling the edge of the street with pie contests, comedy nights and $1 dog nail trims. On Capitol Hill, most of what's planned for the rest of the year sits in a short run of blocks in the 1900s through 2300s of East Colfax.
How the middle of the street works now
The first phase of Colfax bus rapid transit opened on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, after two years of construction. It covers about two miles from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard, Denverite reported. Stewart told Denver7 the opening came "more than 12 months ahead of schedule."
RTD's 15 and 15L buses now use the two center lanes. Riders board at raised center platforms under white steel arches. According to the City of Denver's project page, the seven stations on the reopened stretch are Pennsylvania, Downing, Franklin & Park, Josephine/York, Fillmore, Madison and Colorado. Denver7 reported that stations sit about six blocks apart and that buses stop every four to five minutes. The old curbside stops on both sides of Colfax closed when the new service started.
For a typical errand along the avenue, a few things have changed:
- Getting to the bus means crossing to the middle. Denverite reported that the city upgraded 27 intersections to make it easier to walk out to the center platforms, and asks riders to use the marked crossings.
- Bikes ride inside. RTD says it moved the bike racks on its articulated buses to just inside the rear door, so riders roll their bikes on and off. The platforms are 13 inches high for level boarding.
- Drivers get one lane each way. Denver7 reported that the two general traffic lanes in each direction are now one.
- Left turns depend on the intersection. The Denver Post reported that left turns off Colfax are now limited, and that apps such as Google Maps had been sending drivers to turns that no longer exist. The city has been working with Google, Apple and Waymo to update their routing.
- Parking moved partly to the side streets. Parallel parking near the center stations was removed. The city says about 180 spaces remain on this stretch of Colfax, and the project added free two-hour parking zones on nearby side streets.
What runs now is an interim setup. The full Lynx Colfax service will replace the 15 and 15L, with tickets bought on the platform before boarding. RTD puts the full opening in late 2027 or early 2028, and Denverite reported a launch expected by January 2028.
The curb is being programmed on purpose
With the bus stops gone from the sidewalks, the storefronts have the curb to themselves. The business district has a plan for it. Its fall campaign, Anything Can Happen on Colfax, describes "small-scale events, creative surprises, artist-led activations, and community moments" at businesses along the corridor "as major Bus Rapid Transit construction wraps up." The campaign is pitched as a way to support "the independent businesses that carried the avenue through years of disruption."
From mid-November on, most of the Capitol Hill dates fall between the Franklin & Park and Josephine/York stations, a walk of just a few blocks.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 to 4 p.m. | Pie Palooza: pie-eating contest, local bakers taking holiday orders, music from The Pie Pals. Free, all ages | Courtyard behind Convict Coffee and The Learned Lemur Carriage House, 2260 E. Colfax Ave. |
| Sundays, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 | $1 dog nail trims, by appointment | Pampered Paws Dog Spa, 1900 E. Colfax Ave. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Adam Cayton-Holland on Colfax, with Joshua Emerson | Pete's Satire Lounge, 1920 E. Colfax Ave. |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Kerri en Fuego | The Learned Lemur, 2220 E. Colfax Ave. |
Some details are worth having before you go. The Pie Pals feature Justin Lansing of The Okee Dokee Brothers, along with David Burchfield and Chris Koza. Pampered Paws books the nail trims by phone at 303-393-1900 or in person, and asks owners to bring current rabies, distemper and parvovirus records. For the two December shows, check the BID's series page for times and tickets.
The restaurants around that cluster are new. Ma's Kitchen Dim Sum & Bar, at 2301 E. Colfax Ave. near York, kicked off the series' November events with a $6 dumpling special. DNVR Bar sits just west at 2239 E. Colfax Ave. Westword's September roundup listed Neo's Latin Kitchen at 1818 E. Colfax Ave. among the month's openings. A little farther west, Sadboy Creamery opened its first retail shop near Marion Street in September, according to Westword's review.
The west end gets a walk instead of a show
Near the Pennsylvania station, the one Capitol Hill date in the series is a walk instead of a sit-down event. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Rainbow Socks Nature Tour starts at 11 a.m. near the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 401 E. Colfax Ave. It heads east toward Champagne Tiger at 601 E. Colfax Ave. It is free and family friendly, and registration is through the BID's series page. Rainbow Socks is the science-and-nature group from Jeff & Paige.
Past Capitol Hill, the series moves into the Bluebird District. Goosetown Tavern, at 3242 E. Colfax Ave., hosts Strange Brews, an evening of magic with James Lopez, on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Doors open at 8 p.m., the show starts at 9, and it's 21 and over.
What the storefronts carried to get here
The events are meant as a thank-you as much as entertainment, and the numbers explain why. The Denver Post reported that the city gave grants to 152 businesses hurt by construction, totaling nearly $2 million. Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, told the paper that occupancy along the street was 84% when the bus lanes opened, the same as before construction began, even though some businesses opened and closed in between. He told the Post that clearing out the cones, barrels and fencing "is really going to be welcomed with a great sigh of relief."
The city runs its own version of the same idea. Under Denver's We Back The Fax campaign, the free Fax Pass booklet is handed out at scheduled pop-ups. Shoppers earn stickers for qualifying purchases at participating East Colfax businesses and redeem prize tiers at later pop-ups. The city also holds a monthly raffle for social posts tagged #WeBackTheFax, with Colfax Cash gift cards among the prizes. Details are on the city's Colfax BRT page.
The money involved is large. The Denver Post reported a construction budget of about $115 million for this segment, out of $280 million for a project that will eventually run from Union Station to I-225. The Capitol Hill section is built and running. This holiday season is the first real test of whether shoppers come back to the sidewalks the buses left, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving starts at the Cathedral Basilica at 11 a.m.
When we look at how a Capitol Hill street is changing, we start with what people see on the ground: which blocks are getting busier and which businesses are moving in. If you'd like to talk through what the new Colfax means for your plans, Horizon Home Group is glad to help. Let's connect and build your real estate strategy.
