DENVER | Transportation Thread

[SnyderBock]

As an independent, I do not think voting is a bad idea, nor do most of the independents which I know. We do tend to think voting for something simply because of political party affiliation is a bad idea. I hate to admit it (as lousy as both our two major political parties are most of the time), they both do come up with good ideas from time to time. Neither party is right about everything. Neither party is wrong about everything. maybe Independents should form a political party called the, "Cherry Pickers."

[OhioGuy]

Is there an estimate out there regarding how much time it will take to ride the light rail line from Golden to Union Station? I'm just curious. Also, I was reading some information about the switch to single track between Federal Center and Golden that will drop frequency down from 5 minute intervals to 15 minute intervals. Is that only along that final stretch of the line? Will they still run light rail trains between Union Station and Federal Center on 5 minute intervals & just send every 3rd train the final leg to Golden? And if that's the case, what is the travel time estimated to be between Federal Center & Union Station?

[SnyderBock]

West Corridor:
Vehicle Type: Light Rail
Length (miles): 12.1
Stations: 12
Parking: 646 (existing), 5,054 (new)
Capital Cost: $635M*
2030 Ridership: 31,200 - 36,500
Proposed Frequency of Service (Rail):
5 min (peak)/15 min (off-peak) Denver to Federal Center
15 min (peak and off-peak) Federal Center to Jefferson County

The West Corridor is a 12.1-mile light rail transit corridor between the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver and the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden, serving Denver, Lakewood, the Denver Federal Center, Golden and Jeffco.

The West Corridor completed the Environmental Impact Statement in 2003 and began Final Design in November 2005, and will complete final design in early 2008. It will be the first corridor to be completed in the FasTracks program, opening in early 2013.

RTD broke ground for the first time on the FasTracks program when the West Corridor began construction on May 16, 2007 when removal of the old trolley tracks along 13th Avenue. Project will be completed in early 2013.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Travel Times

[OhioGuy]

^^^ Thanks!

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Online... eh, I'm on vacation here at Warhorse... the internet isn't nearly so easy out east. I'll leave the throat-slitting to you fellas... I'm a weenie diplomat

Awww, are the manuver commanders giving the PRT's the shaft again?

[wong21fr]

Here it comes, the quest for money:

Tolls possible for Peña Blvd.
Road to DIA could be tolled as RTD hunts money for FasTracks
By Jeffrey Leib
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/03/2009 12:30:00 AM MST
Updated: 03/03/2009 07:36:39 AM MST



People driving to and from Denver International Airport on Peña Boulevard could be asked to pay a toll to help defray the surging cost of RTD's FasTracks project, according to officials who are wrestling with ways to close a more than $2 billion funding gap for the program.
As higher vehicle-registration fees embedded in the FASTER transportation bill signed by Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday get consumers' immediate attention, a less-discussed element — one that allows tolling of existing highway lanes — is seen by some as a way to help.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper floated the concept of tolling Peña Boulevard at a Metro Mayors Caucus retreat, according to Broomfield Mayor Pat Quinn and others who were there.
"Others have posited that as a potential solution," said Thornton Mayor Erik Hansen, whose community is worried that its FasTracks line — the North Metro train from Union Station to 162nd Avenue — could become an underfunded afterthought to the DIA line and the Gold Line train to Arvada/Wheat Ridge.
Hickenlooper spokeswoman Sue Cobb said the mayor was traveling Monday and was not available to comment.
The Regional Transportation District has said it must complete the airport train and the Gold Line by the original FasTracks completion date of 2017 or risk losing an expected $1 billion from the federal government.
Officials say tolls on Peña Boulevard could be used to help offset some of the cost of the $1.7 billion DIA line, making more money available for other FasTracks lines. About 100,000 vehicles travel in and out of DIA on Peña per day, the airport says.
RTD hopes to get a team of private firms to build and operate the DIA and Gold Line trains and attract at least $1 billion in additional private financing.
Thornton's Hansen and Broomfield's Quinn are among mayors worried their FasTracks lines could be shortchanged if money is diverted to bail out future gaps in the budgets of the airport train and the Gold Line.
Quinn and Louisville Mayor Chuck Sisk represent cities in the Northwest rail corridor, a 41-mile train line from Union Station to Boulder and Longmont.
As communities consider tolling of existing lanes to help make up for the FasTracks shortfall, tolling Peña Boulevard "is one of the logical ones that can be considered," Sisk said.
"This is a metropolitan system we're building," Sisk said of FasTracks, "and certainly Peña Boulevard is part of the metro system."
Peña "gets users from all of the (RTD) district," he said, adding that tolling the airport-bound artery "is not singling anyone out."
If a plan to toll Peña Boulevard were enacted, it likely would have to be part of a wider strategy to raise more money for FasTracks, possibly including a sales-tax increase.
The FASTER bill signed by Ritter includes a provision that allows RTD to levy a sales tax "at any rate that may be approved by the board."
Before FASTER changed existing law, RTD needed to get the legislature's approval if the agency wanted to hike its sales tax above the current 1 percent.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or [email protected]

[bunt_q]

Good, toll the thing.

[bcp]

cars only or does $1 get added to train fare as well?

[wong21fr]

Good point. Right now Pena Blvd has about 100,000 count vehicle traffic. Charge $2 per car and you're looking at about $70 million in funding per year. Maybe put a fixed-lifespan on tolling to pay for infrastructure improvements in designated corridors. It would a end-user tax where there would be a direct benefit.

I-70 reconstruction? Done. I-225? Done.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Good point. Right now Pena Blvd has about 100,000 count vehicle traffic. Charge $2 per car and you're looking at about $70 million in funding per year. Maybe put a fixed-lifespan on tolling to pay for infrastructure improvements in designated corridors. It would a end-user tax where there would be a direct benefit.

I-70 reconstruction? Done. I-225? Done.

Wow... this idea is getting ripped apart in the public comments section:

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=111002&catid=339

Typical comments are "Democrats out of control"... "Here comes Socialism" - the basic obtuse arguments that one finds on the comment section.

Regardless - the cost is going to be large to connect DIA to Dener and their will be some public backlash. I wonder if the city is 2nd guessing their decision to put DIA so far out there these days.

[wong21fr]

^Probably not as it gave the city it's only avenue of horizontal growth that it will ever get again.

Until the Poundstone Amendment goes bye-bye.

[SnyderBock]

so a $2 per car toll on Pena Blvd. over 20 years (assuming n traffic volume increases), would generate a total of $1.4 billion. A toll of only $1 per car would generate $700 million over 20 years.

So go with the $1 toll to be conservative. Add the $100 million in savings from the new maintenance facility site and that's knocked off $800 million from the $7.9 billion estimate--left with $7.1 billion.

Okay, now take into consideration the funding boost in Obama's new transportation budget. Cities such as Denver and Los Angeles (which have major projects underway), are expected to get funding boosts. That means the East and Gold lines should be getting at least $100 million more , each over the original projection. That knocks FasTracks budget down to $6.9 billion.

But then we have commodities continuing on their downward spiral from their historical highs last summer when these cost estimates were made. Granted, sales tax collections are in decline, but probably much less than the decreases in copper and steel and concrete. Overall, FasTracks should costs about $200 million less in materials alone, from last summer's estimate. And that would take FasTracks budget down to $6.7 billion.

Actually, it would increases the funds expected to $6.7 billion and decreases the estimated cost down to $7.6 billion. A difference of $900 million, of which $700 million could be funded simply by charging a $2 toll on Pena Blvd. instead of a $1 toll.

[Strange Meat]

Originally Posted by Fritzdude

Typical comments are "Democrats out of control"... "Here comes Socialism" - the basic obtuse arguments that one finds on the comment section.

I want to just go on a freaking tirade with these people. Maybe it's because I lived in Sweden for a bit, you know, a nation with a high tax rate, yet, SHOCKINGLY, an amazing infrastructure, education, health, whatever system.

Republicans are straight up masochistic when it comes to taxes and things like that. They seem to expect that you can have low taxes and still fund things to have a 'nice' country. It's absolutely unbelievable.

Fine, pay low taxes, keep all of "YOUR" hard earned money, and live in a county that resembles freaking Namibia.

[bcp]

hey mods - i know i kinda started the tax thing (but not the politics thing) can we move these political party bashing comments elsewhere or point folks to skybar?

[diablo234]

I am not sure tolling Pena Blvd, would be a good idea since making the only road out of DIA a toll road would force everyone to pay a toll, possibly souring the reputation of Denver to out of state tourists and business travelers who visit the area. Personably I think the airport, as well as proceeds from the vehicle registration fees, sales tax and gas tax should be used to fund the east line.

[diablo234]

I am not sure that making Pena Blvd. a toll road is a good idea, since it is the only route into DIA thus potentially giving the city a bad name to out of town tourists and business travelers. Using the proceeds from the airport improvement fee, sales tax, gas tax, and vehicle registration would be a better way to go.

[FrancoRey]

I'm all for it. Ever heard of the East Coast? These spoiled people out west need to get used to the idea of toll roads. More people=more infrastructure=more money needed to pay for that infrastructure. For cryin' out loud, it's not like they're going to charge $5.00 to go over a bridge or through a tunnel like NYC. Even Chicago has some expensive tolls on regular interstates. A dollar is a steal, especially for a road that most people only use half a dozen times a year at MOST. I won't fan the political flames, but these morons crying 'socialism' need to get a brain.

[Octavian]

http://www.9news.com/includes/tools/print.aspx?storyid=111047

Hickenlooper says tolls on Peña Blvd. at 'bottom of list'
written by: Jeffrey Leib, The Denver Post, and Jeffrey Wolf
Date last updated: 3/3/2009 5:24:27 PM

DENVER - Mayor John Hickenlooper backed off an idea on Tuesday afternoon to create a toll for people driving to and from Denver International Airport on Peña Boulevard.

Hickenlooper had floated the idea to help defray the surging cost of RTD's FasTracks project, which is facing a funding gap of close to $2 billion.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper floated the concept of tolling Peña Boulevard at a Metro Mayors Caucus retreat, according to Broomfield Mayor Pat Quinn and others who were there.

Tuesday at a news conference, Hickenlooper said that a toll was only one of many possibilities of how to fix the FasTracks budget problem.

"I think it's very unlikely that anybody is going to toll Peña Boulevard. I don't think the technology is in place," Hickenlooper said. "I think it would be down near the bottom of the list, but it was something that has been discussed by a number of people over the last six months as one of many possible funding efforts."

"Clearly from the reaction both in the media and by the public, it seems to be perhaps the least popular," he said. "But certainly, it is one of those possibilities."

Hickenlooper says the biggest obstacle to putting a toll on the road is because it wasn't built with state funding.

"The first thing is, we don't have a right to put a toll on Peña Boulevard anyway," he said.

Hickenlooper says because the road was built with funds from the federal government, the money from the toll would go to the FAA, to pay the agency back for the road, before any of the resources could be put toward FasTracks.

"People have been talking about every possibility that they can for how we can close the gap between the resources, the funding necessary to build FasTracks and the present state of our economy," he said.

The Regional Transportation District has said it must complete the airport train and the Gold Line by the original FasTracks completion date of 2017 or risk losing an expected $1 billion from the federal government.

Officials say tolls on Peña Boulevard could be used to help offset some of the cost of the $1.7 billion DIA line, making more money available for other FasTracks lines. About 100,000 vehicles travel in and out of DIA on Peña per day, the airport says.

RTD hopes to get a team of private firms to build and operate the DIA and Gold Line trains and attract at least $1 billion in additional private financing.

[Octavian]

This will add to RTD's costs.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11822472

DENVER AND THE WEST
Union, RTD hit impasse in contract talks.
The Denver Post
POSTED: 03/03/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

Officials of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 said Monday that they and their counterparts in RTD management have reached an impasse in efforts to negotiate a new labor contract and that unresolved issues will be submitted to binding arbitration.

Last week, the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment issued a ruling that prevents about 1,900 Local 1001 members from striking the Regional Transportation District.

[Octavian]

New cost and revenue estimates this month.

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11822381

DENVER AND THE WEST
Prices retreat, but so do revenue forecasts
By The Denver Post
POSTED: 03/03/2009 12:30:00 AM MST
UPDATED: 03/03/2009 02:29:08 AM MST

The need to find more money for completing all FasTracks rail lines by 2017 is expected to get even more acute today as RTD is updated on costs and revenues.

Last summer, RTD said the cost of building six new train lines and other FasTracks elements had jumped to $7.9 billion, yet the agency said its revenue forecast identified only about $5.8 billion for that construction by 2017.

Today, RTD is expected to revise its construction cost estimate down, perhaps by as much as $1 billion — reflecting a steady decline in the cost of construction materials.

However, some officials close to the number-crunching say declining sales-tax forecasts mean RTD's estimate of the money it will take in to build FasTracks by 2017 will drop even further, expanding the $2.1 billion gap between cost and available revenue from last year's estimate. Jeffrey Leib, The Denver Post