East Colfax's Cones Came Down West of Colorado Boulevard. October Is the First Test of the Finished Street.

At Colfax and Colorado Boulevard, the avenue now changes character from one side of the crosswalk to the other. To the west, RTD's 15 and 15L buses run in two center lanes, between station platforms with lighting, cameras and emergency phones, and a curb median separates eastbound from westbound traffic. To the east, the construction fencing is still up. Just past the intersection, Denver7 found Eastside Espresso cut off from the street by fencing and a trench, and its owner said business was down about 80%.

The line has existed since Sunday, September 27, when the Broadway to Colorado section of the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project finished construction and moved buses into the center lanes. The full corridor runs to I-225 in Aurora, and the city's construction schedule goes through the end of 2027. RTD expects full Lynx BRT service in early 2028. For anyone who lives near Colfax, the boulevard is now a seam. This month's event calendar is the first real test of whether people come back to the finished side.

The finished half has new rules

Two years of cones taught people to drive Colfax one way. The finished segment works differently, and the Denver Gazette reported confusion on the very first day. One rider waited at an old curbside stop that no longer had service. One driver turned left out of a bus-only lane while other drivers honked and swerved around them.

RTD lists these changes for the Broadway to Colorado stretch:

1. Cars, trucks and rideshares use only the outer lanes. The two center lanes are for buses.
2. You can turn left only where there is a left-turn lane and an arrow. The center curb median blocks every other left turn.
3. Buses use Transit Signal Priority, so traffic signals are timed around them.
4. New two-hour parking zones on Colfax and nearby side streets are free, with a time limit.
5. Bus riders board at the center platforms. You still pay at the front door, but you can exit from any door. Riders with bikes board at the rear and load onto racks inside the bus.
6. Pedestrians and cyclists cross at the marked crosswalks and bike crossings.

The left-turn rule is the one that catches people, including the apps. The Denver Post reported that Google Maps and other navigation apps sent drivers toward left turns that no longer exist. In August, during construction, a Waymo driverless car got stuck in the work zone for about an hour. A Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokeswoman told the paper the city is working with Waymo, Apple and Google to update their routing. Until that happens, if you get to your cross street and see no arrow, you have to keep driving.

The street held its occupancy, but not the same tenants

Two years of construction on one of Denver's oldest commercial streets left the overall number almost unchanged. Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, told the Denver Post the strip is still 84% occupied, the same as before construction began. Along the way, several businesses opened and closed. He said few closures can be traced directly to the project, and that the impact has been real but "tough to measure."

9News counted the closures and openings since construction started in October 2024. The Colfax BID, which runs from Grant Street to Josephine Street, reported 26 closures and 24 openings. Farther east, the Bluebird BID reported 4 closures and 5 openings over the same period. A three-block gap east of East High isn't counted by either district. That works out to about one closure for every new opening. Locantore pointed to three recent arrivals: Sadboy Creamery at Marion Street, Ma's Kitchen Dim Sum & Bar at York Street, and Pampered Paws at High Street.

The best-known names are still waiting to see what happens next. Alex Barakos, general manager of Pete's Kitchen and Pete's Satire Lounge, told Denver7 the finished street looks "beautiful," but said it's too early to judge:

"I think we owe it to the city to at least give it, give them the benefit of the doubt and see it through. We've come this far, we may as well, you know, really hope that it gets used properly and really brings different business to and from the area."

He told the station that the real test is whether customers come back, and that a quick rebound may not be realistic.

East of the boulevard, Segment 3 is still a work zone

Westword reported on August 6 that Simon Campari had revived the old Enzo's on Colfax space at 3424 E. Colfax as Enzo's Brick Oven Pizza, serving a thicker New York-style pie, while BRT construction went on outside.

The stretch from Colorado to Niagara is Segment 3, and that work didn't start this fall. City construction notices show Segment 3 crews starting at Locust Street and working east in fall 2025, with a second phase starting at Ash in April 2026. The first steps were roadway borings, lane changes, median removal and limited curb parking, and businesses stayed open throughout. The city's project page says it will keep at least one traffic lane open in each direction, keep access to businesses, and keep the 15 and 15L running with temporary stops as needed. It doesn't list a completion date for Segment 3, so expect fencing east of Colorado for a good while yet.

Farther east, the end of the corridor is taking shape. On October 5, the city closed Colfax in both directions between Ulster and Valentia streets so a crane could install the project's last two station arches at Uinta. The Fax Partnership, Sarahi's Kitchen at 8135 E. Colfax, and El Chalate marked the day with live art, a mural reveal at El Chalate, and new street banners.

October's comeback calendar, block by block

The Colfax BID calls its fall campaign "Anything Can Happen on Colfax." It describes the series as an invitation to rediscover the street and support the independent businesses that kept it going through years of disruption. The first two events, Opera Colorado at Champagne Tiger and the chili cook-off at Satellite Bar, have already happened. Here's what's left this month:

Every Grubhop deal is one item per person, walk-in only, while supplies last. Most of the month stays between the 700 and 2200 blocks. The pizza night and Halloween take the series out to the 3200 and 3400 blocks, where Atomic Cowboy, Enzo's and Hooked on Colfax sit a few doors apart.

Halloween closes the month in the Bluebird District

The Bluebird District lists its 20th annual Boo and Brew on Colfax for Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 4 p.m., across 12 blocks from Monroe to Elizabeth. The district promises costumes, candy, haunted basements and live music, all free for kids. The Colfax BID calls it the original Colfax block party for kids. It starts at Hooked on Colfax, a coffee shop that has been on the avenue since 2005, and continues through participating businesses down the street.

It's the first Halloween block party since the cones came down between Broadway and Colorado. If you're driving in on that finished stretch, turn left only where you see an arrow, and use the free two-hour zones on Colfax and the side streets. The 15 and 15L stop at center platforms on the finished segment and at temporary stops where construction is still going.

The new Colfax will change how blocks on both sides of the line are seen, and how people value homes near them, over the next two years. If you live near the corridor and want to understand how the new street factors into your own home's story, Ryan Haarer can walk you through it on camera and in person. Book a consultation.