The Denver City Council approved a $2 million addition for post-design services related to the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project on Monday. 

The move amends an existing design services agreement with Parsons Transportation Group, bringing the total value of the contract to $27.2 million.

According to Colfax BRT Program Director Jonathan Stewart, the additional funds will be used for “kind of a lot of little things” that are additional services that were not included in the first contract.

The additional tasks include new lighting along the east part of the corridor for crime prevention, more green infrastructure, such as water-mitigating trees, design support during construction, including adjustments to plans when hidden utilities require changes, and designs for a new public address system that connects to a central command center. 

The public address system would permit RTD to communicate with people at the bus station, enhancing public safety, Stewart said.

Video cameras are already part of the contract, but the PA system also enables those at the center-running stations to communicate in real-time.

While not opposing the contract amendment, District 8 Councilmember Shontel Lewis did ask Stewart about the measures being taken to address the traffic overflow in the East Colfax area because of construction.

Along with making sure traffic lights aid in the flow of traffic, Stewart said efforts are being to made to mitigate problems as soon as they arise.

“One example would be something like there was a lane closure along York Street that happened, and that was very impactful to the neighborhood,” Stewart said. “We asked the contractor to work overtime to try and get that work done as quickly as possible, and that has since passed, and that road is now fully open again.”

Stewart added that efforts are being made to mitigate traffic from flowing through the neighborhoods by using signage.

“But I would say that one of the unfortunate circumstances is that traffic has to go somewhere, so they typically go to other parallel streets where they can continue to go east-west, and there’s a limited amount that we can do, because Colfax is under construction right now.”

The center-running bus rapid transit (BRT) line on East Colfax Avenue aims to reduce travel time and create a reliable transit option for workers and residents in the area.

The concept is a popular and cheaper alternative for cities nationwide to improve public transportation compared to building a new rail line. 

In the long term, city and transit officials said the completed project will be a significant economic boost for development and businesses in the area.

Denver Gazette reporter Bernadette Berdychowski contributed to this story.