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East Rail Line Progress – Ballasted Track!!

Posted by  on May 17, 2013

A very quick post with some very exciting news!

East Rail Line crews have begun laying the first sections of ballasted track! This section is just east of Sand Creek and the Central Park Boulevard bridge in Stapleton. You can get a great look at it as your drive across the new Central Park bridge – just take a look to the east as you go over the train tracks. Thanks to our friends at RTD for this picture!

This is a great sign of progress for the project! Additional ballasted track will be laid in the coming weeks out along Peña Boulevard, but it won’t be as visible as this segment. Check DenverUrbanism often for East Rail Line and other FasTracks corridor updates from both Robert Wilson and myself in the coming weeks!

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FasTracks – What’s Next?

Posted by  on May 1, 2013

Now that the West Rail Line is open and FasTracks has moved back into the limelight, a lot of you may be asking “what’s next?” Billions of dollars of public transit investment buys a lot – it’s time to take a look at what’s on the horizon for the largest infrastructure investment ever undertaken by metro Denver voters.

For those looking for a little context or those who are new to town (it’s ok, don’t be embarrassed), FasTracks was approved in 2004 by 58% of metro Denver voters. The plan authorized a sales tax increase of 0.4%, bringing the RTD tax from its previous 0.6% to a full 1% (equating to 10 cents for every 10 dollars). 0.6% of that sales tax is reserved for base system expenditures (existing buses and light rail trains, maintenance, etc.) and the new 0.4% was reserved for the FasTracks expansion project. The dollars cannot be transferred from base system projects to FasTracks and vice versa to help ensure that the base system would never be compromised to expand the system even farther while the FasTracks projects were protected by raids by the base system in the event of a drastic sales tax downturn (which we saw in 2009).

As seen in the map above, the FasTracks project included six new rail corridors (three light rail, three commuter rail), extensions to the (at the time) three existing corridors, over 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelopment of Denver Union Station into a multi-modal transit hub for the region, and a realignment of the RTD bus network dubbed FastConnects. The plan was to complete all of these components for $4.7 billion by 2017. FasTracks was a lofty and admirable goal. Obviously, a lot of controversy and conversation followed the revelation that FasTracks could not completed for the cost promised in 2004. That number has since increased to more than $6.5 billion. The scheduled completion of some components have even been pushed out to 2044 – 27 years later than expected. The exact reasons for that increase have also been well documented and will be the subject of a future post.

But moving on to better news – construction! It’s been almost nine years since FasTracks was approved by voters. So…what’s going on? The honest answer is A LOT.

  • RTD has 68 miles of rail (both light rail and commuter rail) under construction or under contract for construction, not to mention the 12.1 miles of the West Rail Line which opened last week. BILLIONS of dollars have been spent with billions more to go and thousands of people are hard at work on the multiple elements of FasTracks. Thousands have already benefited from this investment – and that’s before most corridors are even open.
 
  • Denver Union Station (nearly $500 million in construction) will be complete in May of 2014. DUS includes a new light rail station (complete), a new 22-bay underground bus terminal, and a new commuter rail terminal. The historic Denver Union Station building at 17th and Wynkoop Streets is also being transformed into a hotel. This new hotel will open sometime later next year.
 
  • The $2 billion Eagle Project (includes the East Rail Line, Gold Line, the first segment of the Northwest Rail Line, and the commuter rail maintenance facility) is under construction. The project is the first transit public-private partnership in the nation and received a $1.03 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement in 2011 from the US Department of Transportation.
 
  • The I-225 Rail Line is under construction by Kiewit Construction who submitted an unsolicited proposal to RTD in 2012.
  • The North Metro Rail Line will be constructed to 72nd Avenue. An unsolicited proposal was submitted in early 2013, which RTD deemed to have technical merit. The exact specifics of that proposal, including cost or which station the proposal would build to, have not been made public.
  • The Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) is underway to “develop consensus among RTD, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and corridor stakeholders on cost-effective mobility improvements to serve the northwest area. The analysis should provide RTD with a prioritized list of improvements which will have the support of all interested parties.”

That may seem like a lot of work – and it is. But make no mistake, there’s a lot left to do. The Northwest Rail Line from Denver to Boulder and Longmont, the Central Corridor Extension north along Downing to connect to the East Rail Line, the Southeast Rail Extenstion to Lone Tree, and the Southwest Rail Extension to Highlands Ranch are still in the works, but not funded. The future of these projects in the short-term remains up in the air. However, RTD is committed to completing ALL elements of the FasTracks project. Unsolicited proposals or other potential funding opportunities could always change the status of these unfunded projects. The North Metro and I-225 Rail Lines have both received unsolicited proposals and RTD has been at the forefront of engaging the private sector to help complete projects – there’s definitely interest out there.

When can we expect to see more projects complete? That’s a mighty fine question! Let’s take a look at the FasTracks schedule rundown:

  1. US 36 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Phase 1 (slip ramps, pedestrian bridges) – 2010 COMPLETED
  2. West Rail Line – 2013 COMPLETED
  3. Denver Union Station – 2014
  4. Downtown Circulator – 2014
  5. Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility – 2014
  6. US 36 Expansion (includes BRT capability) – 2015
  7. East Rail Line – 2016
  8. Gold Line – 2016
  9. Northwest Rail Segment 1 – 2016
  10. I-225 Rail Line – 2016
  11. North Metro to National Western Stock Show and 72nd Avenue – 2018

Not everybody agrees that FasTracks is a wise investment, and that’s to be expected. Multiple articles have been written (seemingly constantly) about how its a waste of taxpayers dollars, a boondoggle, or an investment in expensive technology and infrastructure that doesn’t justify its cost. FasTracks is a massive project – it’s bound to be controversial, yet everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Many people said the same thing about Denver International Airport in the early 1990s. We had an airport promised to be built for $3 billion which ended up costing nearly $5 billion – not to mention it was years behind schedule. I don’t think many can disagree that its economic impact on not only Denver, but Colorado as a whole, has been extremely positive. I’m not suggesting that FasTracks will have an impact similar to DIA – it’ll have a MAJOR impact, but not solely financial. This will fundamentally alter how thousands of us move on a daily basis, not to mention the environmental, economic development, and travel time savings benefits.

Infrastructure is complicated. It takes time. It is complex. FasTracks still has a ways to go before its full impacts can be felt. The West Rail Line (now known as the W-Line) is the first of what will be several major steps for the entire metro area. It’s taken a lot of money and energy to get where we are today, and we still have a long ways to go.

Get ready for a very exciting next five years for metro Denver!

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West Rail Line Construction Summary

Posted by  on April 25, 2013

We are only ONE DAY away from the newest RTD light rail line – and first FasTracks corridor – opening to the public! RTD will commemorate the completion of the corridor tomorrow morning at 10:30 at the Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station.

Time for a quick summary – this light rail corridor has been in the works for years as RTD bought the right-of-way in the 1980s. Funded as part of the voter-approved FasTracks initiative in 2004, this 12.1-mile, $707 million corridor will add about 5,000 parking spaces to the RTD park-n-ride network. The picture below gives a look at how RTD’s new light rail network maps will help guide passengers.

DenverUrbanism (and DenverInfill) have been covering the construction of the West Rail Line for a few years and it’s very exciting to see it almost complete. We’ve given a rundown to each station detailing design aspects and layouts. The 12 (11 new, 1 relocated) stations are listed below. For other non-station related information (bridges, economic impacts, etc), check out this link.

Auraria West Station (existing, but realigned and relocated for the West Rail Line) – 5th & Walnut Streets (no parking provided)

 

Decatur-Federal Station - Federal Boulevard & Howard Street (1,900 spaces)

 

Knox Station - Knox Court & 12th Avenue (no parking provided)

 

Perry Station - Perry Street & 12th Avenue (no parking provided)

 

Sheridan Station - Sheridan Boulevard & 12th Avenue (800 spaces)

 

Lamar Station - Lamar Street & 13th Avenue (no parking provided)

 

Lakewood – Wadsworth Station - Wadsworth Boulevard & 13th Avenue (1,000 spaces)

 

Garrison Station - Garrison Street & 13th Avenue (no parking provided)

 

Oak Station - Oak Street & 13th Avenue (200 spaces)

 

Federal Center Station - Routt Street & 2nd Place (1,000 parking spaces)

 

Red Rocks College Station - 6th Avenue Frontage Road & Arbutus Drive (no parking provided)

 

Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station - 6th Avenue & Johnson Road (705 parking spaces)

 

The West Rail Line was constructed by Denver Transit Construction Group (DTCG) and Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc. Swinerton Builders constructed the garages at both the Sheridan and Lakewood-Wadsworth Stations. I’ve mentioned the economic impacts of the corridor, but I believe they bear repeating. Especially in economic times like we are all in right now, public infrastructure projects such as the West Rail Line (and the rest of the FasTracks project) have a HUGE, positive, and lasting economic impact.

  • Direct wages paid – $71,020,000
  • Equipment, materials, and supplies – $98,131,000
  • Subcontractors (60-98% hired locally) – $250,000,000
  • West Rail Line construction provided employment to over 755 people
Some various construction facts about the entire West Rail Line project:
  • 10 light rail bridges
  • 3 street bridges (Decatur, Federal, and Sheridan)
  • 2 light rail tunnels (Simms/Union and I-70)
  • 4 pedestrian structures (3 bridges, 1 tunnel)
  • 115 retaining walls with more than 10,000 feet of noise wall
  • 20 at-grade crossings
  • 9 miles of double-tracked (bi-directional) and 3 miles of single-tracked light rail

Everyone should check out the line this weekend – the weather will (finally) be great. The entire light rail system will be free Saturday with parties at most stations along the corridor throughout the day on Saturday. Click here for more information on station parties. For those who can’t make it out Saturday, take advantage of two free light rail tickets by liking RTD on Facebook. RTD has also finalized the schedules for the W Line – those can be found here.

It’s hard to believe that FasTracks was approved 8 1/2 years ago, but this is the first major project completed as part of that multi-billion dollar vote. RTD now has 81 miles of light rail and commuter rail either under construction or under contract, not to mention the work going on at Denver Union Station, the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility, and US36. While the West Rail Line is huge in and of itself, it’s only one small piece of whats to come over the next three or four years throughout metro Denver.

Go west young man, go west.

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West Rail Line Progress – Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station

Posted by  on April 21, 2013

T-minus 5 days!!

Time to take a look at the last station on our newest light rail line. The Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station (quite possibly the longest station name ever) is located just to the south of the famed “Taj Mahal” Jeffco Courthouse at 6th Avenue and Johnson Road.

The station has a 705-space parking garage next to the platform for passengers. The garage is one of the nicest looking garages that RTD has constructed and it meshes very well with the architectural style of the nearby courthouse. The garage is ready for opening day – the spaces are already striped.

 

 

  

RTD has provided both racks and lockers for those who will be arriving or departing the station on their bikes. Easy connections to the Highway 93 bike path are ready to go to the north of the station as well.

  

One of the coolest features of this station is the tunnel created by constructing the garage over the tracks and into the hill to the west. The train come in on the first level of the parking garage, making this the only station in RTD’s light rail network where you can park above the train. Makes for some pretty interesting and unique sight lines as well.

Another very cool feature of this station is the fabricated concrete retaining wall to the west of the station. This was molded and painted to look like rock – I think they did an amazing job. There were several people fooled on the test trains I’ve ridden on.

 

DenverUrbanism will be West Rail Line-centric this coming week as we approach the opening. We’ll be taking a look at the history of the West Rail Line with Shawn Snow from History Colorado. Derek Berardi will give us a look at how some can live life without a car and focus solely on transit (including light rail). Ryan Dravitz will help us coast through biking along the West Rail Line. I’ll give a construction summary and what this light rail corridor could mean for the west side of metro Denver. Ken Schroeppel and Robert Wilson will keep us plugged in on the grand opening ceremonies and everything that goes on during the upcoming free fare day (April 27th). Make sure to check DenverUrbanism for the latest on the West Rail Line over the next week!

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West Rail Line Progress – Indiana Bridge

Posted by  on April 20, 2013

Time to take a look at the massive Indiana Bridge over 6th Avenue! Only 6 DAYS until opening!

This bridge is MASSIVE. We’ve taken a look at the bridge before in this DenverInfill post, but it’s time for a final update.

This bridge is located in the single-track section of the West Rail Line on the approach to the Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station. The trains will be running east and west intermittently along these tracks once the corridor opens next week.

 

The bridge is made of both concrete and steel and is the longest bridge on the corridor, spanning 1,531 feet. The 11-span bridge uses three independent construction frames – the first and third (those spanning the onramps) use a post-tensioned concrete box girder system while the middle span uses three steel plate girders. The center span over 6th Avenue is the longest single span in the corridor, reaching 270 feet. Notice the lack of ballast (rocks) on the bridge – this is done to make the bridge lighter. The tracks are directly fixed to the concrete. This bridge is only 20 feet wide.

 

  

 

The tallest columns are over 40 feet high, which allows for future construction of a ramp between 6th Avenue to I-70. Like the 6th Avenue Bridge, the Indiana Bridge uses the same “weathering steel” which will rust to a dark purple/brown color.  The 7.2 million pound bridge took 48,000 cubic feet of concrete and 128,000 feet of steel post-tensioning strand to complete. The steel in the frame weighs over 890,000 pounds – that’s 445 tons!!

  

This bridge is high above 6th and even higher above Indiana Avenue. If you’re afraid of heights, you may want to close your eyes as you travel across the bridge.

  

This bridge features a unique construction method. There are rubber ties at either end of the bridge. Of to 40,000 or so railroad ties along the new West Rail Line, about 200 of them are made of recycled rubber. These ties are being tested to see whether they will help spread the weight of the light rail trains out to avoid compaction and settling at the ends of bridges. For more information on these recycled rubber ties, check out this Denver Post article.

  

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Jefferson County Government Center/City of Golden Station, the end of the West Rail Line.

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