Anytime the topic of Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) comes up in Denver, inevitably someone laments the “devastating” impact on local businesses. While construction impacts are a fair concern, misinformation on this topic abounds, and is causing real harm.
Major public works projects can cause significant, temporary disruption to nearby businesses, whether we’re upgrading transit, replacing utilities or expanding roads. In fact, the U.S. has a long history of displacing both businesses and homes in pursuit of continually expanding our nation’s highway network. Just recently, the Colorado Department of Transportation demolished 17 businesses and 56 homes, mostly in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, in order to widen I-70 from 6 to 10 lanes.
By contrast, no businesses or homes were bulldozed to make way for the Colfax BRT project. And while some businesses have reported revenue drops of 20 percent or more during construction, the broader picture tells a different story. Along the 1.5-mile stretch of Colfax from Grant Street to Josephine Street, storefront occupancy was 81 percent before construction began in October 2024. By April 2026, it had risen to 84 percent. You read that right: More spaces are filled now than before construction started…