DENVER | Transportation Thread

[TakeFive]

D-MET Transport
the revised, amended, updated, streamlined, amazing plan for Denver transportation.

It may not be the $50 billion plans already voter approved for metro Seattle and for metro/City of Phoenix. But it is a nice Denver-sized style and plan. Plus it may be on top of Denver Chamber voter initiative which will add a little more.

Grand Total of new revenue: (the same) $15.5 billion over 25 years.

DRCOG
will now have a simplified more specific purpose. 12.5 percent of new revenue or $1.938 billion will go to DRCOG to fund riparian preservation and restoration and regional trails. This should especially appeal to outlying areas like Parker, Longmont, Brighton, So JeffCo etc.

I guarantee there will be lot of fishing boats full of people that will vote affirmative because of this inclusion. Lots of people who may be only marginally interested in transit but more interested in repaving the street in front of their house will go wild over this provision. Whether it's the High Line Canal, Sand Creek or the Platte River, etc there's no shortage of potential projects.

The balance of revenue
or over $13.5 billion will be split with 65% going to RTD and 35% spread among local cities and counties. Roughly $8.75 billion will go to RTD while the balance of$4.7 billion will be allocated locally for transportation. To summarize:

DRCOG: $1.94 billion
RTD: $8.75 billion
Local: $4.7 billion

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

bunt... bunt..., he's our man; if he can't do it nobody can.

Yeah, it's doable.

SnyderBock... Nice comments; thanks for joining in.

Not enough leaders run on the platform of, "it's insulting and chickenshit that my opponent doesn't think you are smart enough to make your own decisions and vote no on a tax." That's why I'll sign a petition to put almost anything on a ballot. If it's stupid, I trust people to say so at the ballot.

And yes, in Colorado this is mostly a Republican problem. They hate taxes. But aren't sure their constituents are quite smart enough to stick to the party line and keep government small.

Not to say Democrats aren't equally arrogant on certain issues. Just a patent distrust of voters on economic issues isn't one of them here locally. (Social issues, maybe different. Dems like to hide behind courts for those.)

[TakeFive]

How to sell the D-Met sizzle

One good way is to front-load the plan. For example a 1% increase in sales taxes (or equivalent) for 7 years, then five-tenths percent for 5 years and finally dropping to .25 percent to fund ongoing RTD operating costs and reserve accounts. Srsly, people love and crave immediate gratification and will pay the pain if it's well defined and time-limited. Then the balance needed to complete $15.5 billion over 25 years can be calculated (estimated upfront) and will be smaller and less (depressing) by front-loading the revenue. This should also lower the amount that would otherwise be bonded which is money saved for additional investment.

As for spreading some tasty flank steak among the suburbs we can look at that later.

[TakeFive]

DIA sets passenger record for first quarter of 2018
By Ben Miller, Contributing Writer 3 hours ago/DBJ

DIA officials said March saw an all-time record for international passenger traffic, with a [nearly] 14 percent increase in international traffic compared with March 2017.

That's impressive.

It's a good thing I oiled my mechanical calculator last night because it turns out all of the record setting 1st quarter passenger traffic was up nearly 14%.

[bunt_q]

TakeFive - Question for you. Is Valley metro using P3s at all as it moves ahead with the Prop. 104 light rail program, any idea?

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

TakeFive - Question for you. Is Valley metro using P3s at all as it moves ahead with the Prop. 104 light rail program, any idea?

The short answer is nope.

Had to do a quick-check as it's now referred to as Transportation 2050 (I linked to the funding page). This is just for the City (not metro) and the only near term light rail is the 5.5-mile South Central Extension which is to break ground next year. Cost is ~$750 million. After that is the Northwest Phase II Extension currently in the EA phase. It's only a 1.5 mile extension but it will go over I-17 to Metrocenter.

Afaik, the first P3 in AZ was ADOT's South Mountain Freeway which is a design-build/manage that will open as a 22-mile 8-lane freeway in 2020 with only the standard HOV lanes (no tolls).

With respect to general Valley Metro future plans they've got cute boxes for misc. plans. Projects outside of Phoenix wouldn't involve Transportation 2050 funds. The Phoenix NE and West corridors really should be BRT IMO.

[TakeFive]

Let's go to the mountains
You mean through the new tunnel?

CDOT proposes fixes to I-70 mountain corridor bottlenecks
May 15, 2018 By Cathy Proctor – Reporter, Denver Business Journal

The Colorado Department of Transportation on Tuesday said it wants to bore a tunnel through the mountain at the bottom of Floyd Hill to smooth away a major bottleneck for westbound I-70 travelers.

The proposed tunnel is part of a set of proposed actions that would reconfigure the I-70 and U.S. 6 interchange, improving westbound travel through the mountain corridor.

Video Link

[TakeFive]

Tote that barge, lift that bale...
How many can recall Showboat from 1936?

Colorado coalition to rally support for sales tax hike for transportation on fall ballot
May 18, 2018 By Greg Avery – Reporter, Denver Business Journal

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and a large coalition of groups from around Colorado will push to get a .62 percent, 20-year sales tax increase on this fall’s ballot, asking voters to fund billions of dollars worth of transportation infrastructure projects.

“Our research says they’re ready,” said Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Everybody wants to know "how will the money be spent"?

If successful, 45 percent of the revenue raised by the tax increase would back up to $6 billion in Colorado Department of Transportation bonds for state highways. Another 40 percent of the new tax revenue would be split between counties and municipalities around the state for transportation projects, and the remaining 15 percent dedicated to transit and multi-modal projects.

This structure is certainly a departure from the tradition of allocating funding primarily to CDOT for the state's highway investment and maintenance needs. But life and times have changed. While CDOT still needs more funding this is never-the-less a significant amount that can accomplish a lot.

The structure of this proposal should dramatically improve the odds of meeting voter approval since counties and municipalities will receive funding for local needs. Given the backdrop of TABOR and the requirement that all tax increases need voter approval passing this would be historical for Colorado.

Once approved by voters CDOT should have the necessary funding to proceed with the above fixes to I-70. That will excite many voters.

[TakeFive]

Let the political games begin

I-25 toll lane proposal between Castle Rock and Monument might ease traffic jams, but it’s inflaming anti-tax passions
May 21, 2018 By JOHN AGUILAR | jaguilar@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

“That’s just taxing people for no reason,” said Craig Sawall, one in a parade of residents who criticized the idea to loud applause during a public meeting in Colorado Springs last week. “And that’s just wrong.”

Sounds like the whacky El Paso crowd was out in full force.

bunt... would you have a (personal) opinion on if voters approve the 'Chamber' tax increases in November if that might change the need for 'managed lanes' on the 'I-25 Gap' project? I suspect not but I wondered if that might be good motivation to vote for voter initiative tax increase. Good chance though that the same clowns who hate the 'toll tax' would also vote 'No' on the initiative as well.

Candidate For Governor Walker Stapleton, Republican, On The Record
MAY 21, 2018 BY MICHELLE P. FULCHER/CPR
Where he stands on dueling proposals to fund transportation, the "single greatest problem Colorado faces":

"I support the bonding proposal. I do not support the sales tax proposal in its current form. I believe the department can and should do more. I believe we have dedicated sources of revenue in the general fund that we could and should be using for further bonding for our roads and infrastructure. And before you actually ask government to be an equal player, or a large player, in spending ... I believe asking voters for a tax increase is the cart before the horse, and if you look, it has not worked when it's been referred to the ballots."

Hardly a surprise; in fact I predicted that Republican's 'November Strategy' would focus on a 'no new-tax roads-for-free' solution. It's a standard rote-reflexive position for Republicans to take.

It's also a risky strategy. If enough voters say: "Sounds nice but it will never fly; it's fiscally irresponsible" then it could tip the elections to Dems. If Republicans were to succeed on the basis of this opposition then the presumed 'bond funding election' in 2019 would likely see a flood of voters out to protect the integrity of education, healthcare, etc. At that point Republicans will have wasted two years with no solution in sight for years to their supposed number one concern - transportation.

[Cirrus]

I have a present for the forum.

I recently came across a cache of ephemera from the 1994 opening ceremony of Denver's first light rail. I scanned it. Here you go.








Check out the mall shuttle!






Metro Area Connection.

[CharlesCO]

Fascinating! This is the first time I've ever heard the term "Metro Area Connection." I wonder when the "MAC" term fell by the wayside.

Ah, the original line. Gates to Five Points. Or as my dad always said at the time, "from where nobody worked to where nobody wanted to go."

[BG918]

Pretty cool to see for us Denver newbies. So the original line was finished in 1994 was the southwest line completed in 1999? I remember the southeast line opening in late 2006 as part of T-REX and have been a resident since the opening of the W, R, A and B lines.

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Let's go to the mountains
You mean through the new tunnel?

CDOT proposes fixes to I-70 mountain corridor bottlenecks
May 15, 2018 By Cathy Proctor – Reporter, Denver Business Journal

Video Link

Screen shots of the new tunnel proposal at the bottom of Floyd Hill.

[twister244]

One of the massive DIA projects is about to get underway....

http://kdvr.com/2018/05/23/1-5-billi...gin-next-week/

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

Screen shots of the new tunnel proposal at the bottom of Floyd Hill.

.. ..

Originally Posted by twister244

One of the massive DIA projects is about to get underway....

http://kdvr.com/2018/05/23/1-5-billi...gin-next-week/

39... 39... 39... 39... new gates. Impressive.

I had to chuckle that Eric Ruble used year-old passenger numbers.

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I have a present for the forum.

I recently came across a cache of ephemera from the 1994 opening ceremony of Denver's first light rail. I scanned it. Here you go.

Check out the mall shuttle!

Thanks for the awesome trip down memory lane!

That's quite the mall shuttle bus... Oh but those horsies; don't think they use horses anymore.


Denver just trying to keep up with D.C.


Photo credit: David Sachs/Denver Streetsblog

Electric Scooter-Share Arrived in Denver This Morning
May 25, 2018 By David Sachs

Before dawn on Friday, Lime deployed nearly 500 electric scooters throughout Denver.

The first 30 minutes on the scooters, dubbed Lime-S, cost $1, and the price is 15 cents per minute after that. They max out at about 15 mph.

[DenvertoLA]

those old cop uniforms! haha everyones clothes are so baggy

[SnyderBock]

Media Play, I member, do you member?

[llamaorama]

They still had those buses in 2008 when I visited.

I think the 16th street mall is underappreciated, its some kickass urban design. Most cities still don't have spaces like it.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Electric Scooter-Share Arrived in Denver This Morning

My thoughts on scooters:

1. In theory I like them. I'm a huge fan of e-bikes, because e-bikes eliminate the hard work of cycling, making biking as easy as driving a car. Grandmas that will never get on a normal bikeshare bike could ride an e-bike and feel comfortable doing it. But if you're going to have e-bikes, why bother with the expense of pedals and gears? Scooters are a naturally cheaper version. So they make sense.

2. In practice, having ridden them around DC a few times, they are a LOT less sturdy than a bike. Every tiny bump on the pavement is a dangerous-feeling jostle. You have to be pretty confident in your balance to feel safe on one. Grandma isn't going to use it.

Ultimately I do think scooters have a niche, and I'm happy to see them permeate our cities. But because they're really not comfortable to ride, I don't see them as having nearly as high a ceiling as e-bikes. I could see e-bikes boosting bike mode share in US central cities up to European-like levels, but I can't see scooter mode share ever getting that high.

[CameraShy]

The side of the bus says: "Light Rail is Coming"