Longmont begins construction on 1st & Main Transit Station (Times Call)

Construction has begun on Longmont’s 1st & Main Transit Station, a downtown transportation hub planned to bring together bus service, an eventual rail connection, parking and bicycle connections. The city broke ground on the project on Friday afternoon.

The $70 million transit center and Coffman Street extension are targeted for completion by the end of 2027. The five-story facility will include 10 bus bays, approximately 700 parking spaces and bicycle storage.

The station is intended to support future bus rapid transit service between Longmont and Boulder, and Front Range Passenger Rail service, along with connections to the city’s pedestrian and bicycle network.

“This groundbreaking represents the culmination of years of planning, partnership and investment in Longmont’s future,” Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring said at Friday’s event.

Funding includes $16.4 million from the Regional Transportation District for transit improvements and a $4 million Transit-Oriented Communities Infrastructure Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. City officials also reported investing more than $17.6 million in property acquisition and other project-related costs.

The city will finance the remainder through certificates of participation, with payments supported by tax-increment revenues from redevelopment, private development parking fees and money from the city’s Public Improvement Fund and Street Fund.

In September, the Longmont City Council unanimously authorized up to $38 million in certificates of participation for the parking garage and other capital improvements. The council also unanimously approved the 29.5-acre 1st and Main Urban Renewal Plan, allowing tax-increment financing to support public improvements.

The transit station is one part of a broader redevelopment effort that includes new housing, commercial development and a planned Front Range Community College campus. The Coffman Street extension will connect First Avenue and Boston Avenue.

The parking garage project is estimated to cost $70 million total. That figure covers the transit center and Coffman Street extension.

City Manager Harold Dominguez said staff would coordinate construction of the garage, street extension, railroad quiet zones, Boston Avenue connections and planned multifamily housing to reduce traffic and other disruptions.