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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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East Rail Line Progress – DIA Construction

Posted by  on February 26, 2013

By Robert Wilson

Forgive the lack of order in this update but, today we will take a look at the construction progress on the East Rail Line’s terminus at Denver International Airport (DIA).  Construction crews have been very busy south of the main terminal preparing this area for one of this region’s most impressive construction projects. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to look over Ken’s post from last week - especially the construction sequence video at the end of the post that gives this update some reference.

Over the past few months, the majority of the work here has been focused on constructing the piers that will support the new automobile and bus entrance ramps on the west side of the terminal (the Level 5 bridge on the east side is also being reconstructed at this time). Construction of these piers is almost complete and over the next few months, we should see the girders installed and ramp roadways near completion.

 

 

The circulation system will remain the same once the project is complete. On the west side, cars and buses will approach from the south and exit on the north. The departure and arrival levels will also remain the same.

The most exciting development that we can now see are the first components of the train station and hotel’s foundation. The area that was used for construction staging and assembly has now gone vertical. Over the next few month crews will continue pouring the foundation and constructing the framework that will make up the first level of the South Terminal construction. This will become the ground level of the Westin Hotel and the future DIA Station, with access to downtown Denver and rest of the Denver metro area.

As with the rest of the East Rail Line, this spring and summer will bring a dramatic transformation at DIA. The completion of the ramps, first two levels of the future DIA Station, as well as installation of the canopy over the rail platforms is all scheduled for the next few months so keep checking back here for monthly updates or take a trip out to DIA to see it for yourself.

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East Rail Line Progress – 38/Blake Station and 40th Avenue Work

Posted by  on February 19, 2013

By Robert Wilson

Progress along the East Rail Line has been slow and steady over the winter months. Some significant progress has been on a number of bridges (18 currently under construction). The majority of the work over the winter months, however, has been less noticeable utility relocation work and preliminary construction that will allow for a very busy spring and summer construction schedule on our line out to DIA.

Between Denver Union Station (DUS) and the the first stop (38/Blake) the final overhead catenary system (OCS) foundations have been installed while basic utility work is being completed. The ground here is graded, compacted, and nearly ready for construction of the station and track installation.

 

Crews have completed the girder placement for the 38th Avenue Bridge just north and east of the 38th/Blake Station site. Construction crews closed 38th Avenue over night in December to install the load baring girders and have since completed the abutment connections. Over the next few months, crews will continue working on the bridge while a a pedestrian bridge is designed just to the northeast prior to 2016 to connect the park-n-ride lot with the station platform. 38th Avenue will likely be closed a few more times before this bridge is completed. However, these closures usually occur at night so its impact to traffic should be minimal.

 

One road closure that has been the exception to that statement has been 40th Avenue, which is still closed between Walnut and Josephine Street and will be for the next year. Where the paved 40th Street was just a few months ago crews have excavated twenty feet down to install an upgraded fiber optic network, a new sanitary sewer system and storm sewers. In the coming months crews will continue implementing drainage improvements and reconstruct 40th Avenue in concrete (complete with 8 foot sidewalks on the south side of the street) allowing for the East Rail Line to be constructed on the north side. The new 40th Avenue will be an interesting streetscape design as there will be no pedestrian space along the north side of 40th Avenue, unlike its pre-construction state (if you can call a dirt pad for bus stops a pedestrian space). This will keep all pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the south side of 40th Avenue. 40th Avenue should open again to traffic sometime early next year.

 

 

Very large (more than ten feet tall) box culverts will form the foundation of the new sanitary sewer system underneath 40th Avenue. Crews are hard at work completing the improvements, however, construction of this magnitude will take time.

  

  

For a sense of scale, check out the tractor next to the box culverts.

The culverts interlock and seal – just like giant blocks complete with a rubber seal.

 

Next, we will take a look at the progress at the Colorado Station and the Quebec Bridge approaching Stapleton.

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East Rail Line Progress – Construction!!

Posted by  on December 26, 2012

By Robert Wilson

The progress between Central Park Boulevard and Peoria Street is less noticeable as there are no bridges or major street crossings under construction yet. East of about Quebec Street, the easement shared by the freight and commuter rail tracks opens up and there is no need to relocate the existing UPRR freight tracks. There is, however, a lot of earthwork going on in this area. Below is a picture taken on Smith Road about a quarter mile west of the future Peoria Station. The Peoria Station will be an important transfer point between the East and I-225 Rail Lines. No major progress short of some earthwork has been made on the Peoria Station as seen in the photo below. However, preliminary utility relocation has closed 37th Avenue just north of the rail easement on either side of Peoria Street. The overhead catenary system (OCS) foundations can be seen in the picture below – these are what the poles holding the power lines for the trains will be anchored to.

 

A lot of progress has been made between the Peoria and 40/Airport Stations and the last stop at Denver International Airport. Just to the west of the existing RTD 40th Avenue Park-and-Ride, the ground has been prepared for where the commuter tracks will be. The 40/Airport Station will be nearly 20 feet above the ground once completed, so there’s a lot of work remaining at this station.

The bridges that will span Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, 56th Avenue, Tower Road, E-470 and Pena Boulevard are all under construction. Over the past month or so, all of the wingwalls, abutments, pier columns, and caps have been competed on these four bridges. However, only some of the beams and girders have been installed – that work will continue over the next few months.

  

 

A few months back the northern half of girders for the Peña Boulevard bridge were installed. Crews will now focus their attention on the southern approach with work spanning Peña Boulevard to occur sometime mid-2013.

 

Anyone traveling in or out of DIA over the holidays may have noticed that there is a HUGE hole on the south side of the main terminal – that is the site of the South Terminal Redevelopment Program. Also, the East Rail Line’s future approach to the airport is clearly delineated as crews have graded nearly all of the corridor between 40/Airport and DIA.

 

 

The view from inside the main terminal, just before the main security area, provides great views into the construction site. Near the center of the large southern facing windows is a scale model that should help visitors envision what is in the works. If you happen to traveling through the airport this holiday season or anytime afterwards,  make sure to stop by a take a look. Lastly, for a more in depth discussion of how the new terminal will operate and other developments along the East Rail Line, check out this podcast posted last month by Ken.

Check back in January when I will give updates on all the segments as construction activity continues into what will be the busiest year yet. Also check in soon for more updates on the Northwest and Gold Lines as well as the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

 

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East Rail Line Progress – Stapleton

Posted by  on December 14, 2012

By Robert Wilson

After leaving Colorado Station the East Rail Line parallels the soon-to-be relocated Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks and Smith road to the south. After the alignment passes to the east of Quebec Street, the corridor widens, allowing for more space between the trains and less need for relocation activities. At Quebec Street, crews are building a new bridge, pictured below, for RTD’s East Rail Line. The girders for this bridge were put in place over the summer across Quebec Street and sandwiched between the existing UPRR freight and Smith Road bridges. The bridge will be double tracked allowing RTD trains to travel in either direction.

 

Crews have (finally) placed the girders for the new Sand Creek bridges. Crews are building two separate bridges – one double-track bridge for RTD and a separate bridge for UPRR to use as a second mainline across Sand Creek. Spanning across both bridges is the new Central Park Boulevard bridge which connects the Stapleton neighborhood to I-70 and the Northfield shopping center to the north.

 

Finally, one look west along Smith Road showing all of the relocation efforts and other construction going on in anticipation of the East Rail Line.

Next time, we will take a look at the work going on near the Peoria Station.

 

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