Transportation consultant 36 Commuting Solutions was recently awarded a $160,000 Transportation Demand Management Partnership grant by the Denver Regional Council of Governments to carry out services to mitigate traffic congestion along the U.S. Highway 36 corridor.

The grant covers transportation demand management planning, outreach and marketing activities over the course of two years through February 2018.

Along with general traffic mitigation plans, 36 Community Solutions Executive Director Audrey DeBarros said the grant will help fund a project directly related to Westminster’s most notable upcoming development.

“A specific part of the grant will be focused on developing a TDM plan for the new Downtown Westminster site, where connectivity, parking and the build environment are being planned to create a walkable, pedestrian-oriented place,” DeBarros said.

The partnership grant is directly linked to Denver Regional Council of Governments’ long-term transportation and emissions goals. Notably, these goals aim to reduce the percent of trips to work by single occupancy vehicles to 65 percent by 2035 (per U.S. Census) and reduce the annual per capita greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 60 percent by 2035.

The partnership creates regional collaboration for the entire Denver metro area and is implemented through DRCOG and seven geographically-located Transportation Management Organizations or Associations.

“The (Council of Governments’ TDM Partnership) is a regional program to reduce congestion in the Denver metro area,” DeBarros said. “Through a regional brand identity called Way to Go and services implemented uniformly across the region, we are able to build awareness in a cohesive manner.

“As part of our implementation of the grant in the (Highway 36) corridor, we focus on reducing travel demand by primarily focusing on work commuting trips, since this is when the region experiencing the highest traffic congestion,” she added. “Through employer outreach, community events and educating the public about their commute options, we are a part of behavior change regionwide.”

This is the fourth time 36 Commuting Solutions has received the TDM Partnership grant.