DENVER | Transportation Thread - Page 455

DUPio · #**9081** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 6:34 PM**

One has to think that if Denver/west Aurora continues growth at a healthy pace the area will hit critical density at which they will be pressed to start some serious discussions, no? I live in Lowry and frankly getting downtown, or Anschutz, is already a huge pain in the ass. I cant imagine in another 10-20 years people wont be up in arms calling for some options.

wong21fr · #**9082** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DUPio

One has to think that if Denver/west Aurora continues growth at a healthy pace the area will hit critical density at which they will be pressed to start some serious discussions, no? I live in Lowry and frankly getting downtown, or Anschutz, is already a huge pain in the ass. I cant imagine in another 10-20 years people wont be up in arms calling for some options.

I'd argue that bringing enhanced bus lines to the major corridors in Denver is more important. For the cost of 1-2 streetcar lines, we could have extensive bus service with 5-min headways, transit lanes, queue jumps, enhanced stops, real-time route information, etc. on Broadway, Colorado, Colfax, Federal, Alameda, and Speer/Leetsdale. That's more important in the mid-term.

RyanD · #**9083** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 9:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DUPio

I live in Lowry and frankly getting downtown, or Anschutz, is already a huge pain in the ass. I cant imagine in another 10-20 years people wont be up in arms calling for some options.

Hey! I just moved to Lowry! I'm amazed with the lack of connections and reliable / stable transit.. I've never felt so disconnected only being ~5-6 miles from downtown. It's such a sad feeling.

But my car sure has gotten some love!

The Dirt · #**9084** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 9:33 PM**

Just take 8th to downtown. Colfax can also be surprisingly empty in the mornings. Alameda is well connected to Cherry Creek but, it's a cluster-fuck to get through it. Speer isn't any easier either. A Speer/Leetsdale enhanced bus service would be very welcome.

CastleScott · #**9085** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 10:34 PM**

[QUOTEHey! I just moved to Lowry! I'm amazed with the lack of connections and reliable / stable transit.. I've never felt so disconnected only being ~5-6 miles from downtown. It's such a sad feeling.][/QUOTE]

Cool! I worked at Building 444 (triple 4)-the ole air force finance center (DFAS-DE) back in the 90s and one of the big mistakes I did once was take the RTD 15 instead of the 6 and I bailed off just before downtown as the teens next to me and behind me started talking about doing a gang hit on some poor soul..

Oh don't know if building triple 4 is there anymore-it was huge!

wong21fr · #**9086** Posted **Dec 8, 2015, 11:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CastleScott

Oh don't know if building triple 4 is there anymore-it was huge!

It was torn down a few years ago. It's being infilled as houses, retail, and apartments in a development called Boulevard One.

DFAS is the devil.

CastleScott · #**9087** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

DFAS is the devil.

Were you in the military?

CastleScott · #**9088** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 10:53 PM**

Hey just a question:

Does anyone know if the new FAST act will do a bit more than bandaid help for Colorado transportation? Maybe its too early for CDOT, RTD, DRCOG, Pike's Peak Cog and other planning agencies throughout Colorado to report.

I'm sure funds will be in the ring for RTD's SE extension and some CDOT projects, I wonder if there could be some $$$ for possible BRT from downtown to Cherry Creek and some for rail to Broomfield or the rest of the north metro line??

Like TakeFive I'm always baffled of how weak transportation funding is in Colorado- I guess blame those who voted for TABOR back in the early 90s!!

EngiNerd · #**9089** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 11:14 PM**

A $6.5 billion dollar rail transit project is considered "weak transportation funding"??

wong21fr · #**9090** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 11:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CastleScott

Were you in the military?

I dabbled in the profane profession.

Cirrus · #**9091** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 3:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CastleScott

Does anyone know if the new FAST act will do a bit more than bandaid help for Colorado transportation?

FAST Act basically continues the status quo. The same pots of money that have been available will continue to be available, more or less. There will not be a sudden huge infusion of federal dollars.

TakeFive · #**9092** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 5:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

FAST Act basically continues the status quo. The same pots of money that have been available will continue to be available, more or less. There will not be a sudden huge infusion of federal dollars.

A 20 percent increase is nothing to sneeze at although it is somewhat back-loaded. Transit is getting slightly more than 23 percent increase which allays fears that transit would suffer cutbacks. It continues the increased funding for transit initiated when Obama was elected which has been well received. Furthermore, it would seem to secure this funding for five more years which may be the biggest benefit. The hope would be that even if there's a change of scenery in the White House that there will be plenty on their plates that they won't try to screw with transit/transportation.

But I would agree that to make a significant difference funding would need to be doubled or increased by 50 percent at a minimum, especially when you consider inflation.

TakeFive · #**9093** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 5:29 PM**

With respect to the new fare structure and especially for the A Line, it seems straight forward and appealing enough to hopefully become a positive topic for Happy Hour/cocktail conversations. That's what is needed to get lots of riders rather than just a few.

TakeFive · #**9094** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 9:40 PM**

So DIA had it's own Nutcracker ballet performance

• Video Link

PLANSIT · #**9095** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 11:24 PM**

Brighton Blvd. Update:

via Streetsblog

Reminder: this is fully funded and at 95% design/engineering.

• Video Link

TakeFive · #**9096** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 2:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

Brighton Blvd. Update:
Reminder: this is fully funded and at 95% design/engineering.

Pretty sure I recognized a couple of those gals. Nasty accident; I kept waiting for the emergency vehicles to come flying through there.

The Dirt · #**9097** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 3:27 AM**

I was expecting a center median.

Cirrus · #**9098** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 3:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeFive

A 20 percent increase is nothing to sneeze at...

That's not going to produce the kind of infusion CastleScott seemed to be asking about.

Cirrus · #**9099** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fort Collins Coloradoan

Pieces in place for Fort Collins to Denver Amtrak route

What if you were told we didn’t need to spend $1.2 billion to build a commuter rail from Fort Collins to Denver, that we essentially already have it and at far less the cost? Amtrak runs mainly on BNSF tracks, which run next to the Fort Collins Downtown Transit Center right through the center of town to Denver. Amtrak doesn't currently run on those tracks but could.

What needs to happen: Money and someone to spearhead the effort to get municipalities along the track to agree to put their chips in for the route. But in this case, the needed funding is a surprisingly small amount, in comparison to other commuter-rail options on the Front Range.

David Krutsinger, a CDOT projects manager who oversaw the recent study for a commuter rail from Fort Collins to Denver, said an Amtrak route between the two cities on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks would cost $320,000 annually if running one round-trip per day. Three or four round-trips a day. That would cost $1.28 million annually.

Currently, Amtrak receives funding from 18 states under 19 operating agreements to fund 29 short-distance routes.

Yes! That is a very doable project. 18 other states do projects exactly like it. There would be some up-front capital costs this article doesn't mention, to bring stations up to the point where they can handle passengers, but it would be a few million dollars.

wong21fr · #**9100** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 5:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Yes! That is a very doable project. 18 other states do projects exactly like it. There would be some up-front capital costs this article doesn't mention, to bring stations up to the point where they can handle passengers, but it would be a few million dollars.

I was looking for this article after I heard about in on NPR. I'd support this for a couple of million a year and a <$100 million in upfront costs. Seems like you could get stops in Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Boulder and Denver at the least and it would also allow for the NW corridor to get it's choo-choo as a lot of the trackage is the exact same that would be used for that train. It would also establish a commuter train precedent in the area that would likely vote to upgrade it (double-tracking, increased grade separation, higher speeds) in the years to come.

Me likely.