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Denver awards contract for commuter line design
Is this a new rail line? I noticed they said 8 bridges.
Still nothing for the Boulder corridor?
Much of this line will eventually be over existing roadbed used currently by Union Pacific; however, the first part of the line which is to go to the National Western Stockshow area is no more than about 3 miles and will be new roadbed.
They won’t begin building this segment until 2014, but even when done that leaves about 15 miles of line unstarted, and
unfinished. RTDs latest estimates show that the majority of the line (about 15 miles) may not be done until 2041 or thereabouts.
So much for the promised “Fast Tracks” that promised voters all the new commuter and light rail lines would be finished in 2017 when RTD asked for a sales tax increase which was approved by the voters. Another example of “promises, promises” by a government type agency that then reneges and backtracks.
The northern metro area of Denver is once again left in the lurch by the regional governments and agencies who seem to be in the pocket of the southern and western suburbs.
The right of way already exists for the rest of the line from the National Western Stockyard area, so all that needs to be done is to remove the existing rails and ties (they are so poor that speeds are restricted to 10mph by UP) and then regrading the roadbed and laying new ties and rails and building the stations. Much less work than the new designing and building the roadbeds and tracks for the other lines that for whatever reason has been given higher priority.
In the meantime I-25 the only complete thru route from the north into downtown Denver will become a complete gridlock and taxpayers in the north will continue to shell out taxes above and beyond the 1.5 billion dollars they have already collected for their share of this layout with nada to show for it.
For more information, see www.rtd-denver.com/nm_2.
I guess you didn’t notice this on the 3rd sentence; “The new line will run…”