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Check out the Spring 2008 edition of the Northwest Rail Times!
GUNBARREL STATION WORKING GROUP MEETING, APRIL 3, 2008
On April 3, 2008, the Gunbarrel Station Working Group Meeting took place to discuss Gunbarrel's proposed commuter rail station. At the meeting, which attracted 35 participants, the RTD FasTracks Northwest Rail Project Team recommended setting aside the Gunbarrel East station site and carrying forward the Gunbarrel West station site for further evaluation in the Northwest Rail Environmental Evaluation. Click on the links below to view the materials from the meeting:
April 3, 2008 Gunbarrel Station Working Group Meeting Agenda
Gunbarrel Station Working Group Meeting Presentation
Gunbarrel Station Evaluation Matrix
Gunbarrel West Station Concept Plan (Recommended)
Gunbarrel East Station Concept Plan
April, 3 2008 Gunbarrel Station Working Group Meeting Summary
NORTHWEST RAIL ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION UPDATE, MARCH 4, 2008
Here is an update on the progress of the RTD Northwest Rail Environmental Evaluation since the circulation of the Winter 2007 Newsletter.
Recent FasTracks Developments
As you may be aware, as part of RTD FasTracks' system-wide negotiations with the railroads, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) recently presented RTD with a package of properties that is unaffordable. As a result, all four FasTracks commuter rail corridors (Gold Line, Northwest Rail, North Metro, and the East Corridor) will pursue refinements to the project alternatives that originally included UP properties. This includes refinements to the portion of the Northwest Rail corridor that will be shared with the Gold Line from Denver Union Station (DUS) to Pecos Street. RTD is examining this part of the Northwest Rail alignment in the Gold Line Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Click here to view a Northwest Rail corridor map.
The RTD FasTracks Gold Line team has identified four potential refinements to the shared Gold Line and Northwest Rail corridor between DUS and Pecos Street. Last week, after a preliminary evaluation of the four options, the RTD FasTracks Gold Line team recommended that one option, on the east side of the railroad tracks, be evaluated in the Gold Line Draft EIS. The Gold Line will gather public input on its recommendation at public workshops on March 4 and March 6, 2008, and will continue evaluating the potential refinement(s) through the spring.
Northwest Rail Schedule Update
The recent developments with the railroad negotiations have schedule implications for the Northwest Rail Environmental Evaluation (EE) because it will use the results of the Gold Line's examination of the alternative refinements from DUS to Pecos Street. We had anticipated releasing the draft environmental document for the Northwest Rail Corridor in the late spring or early summer of 2008. We now are working to release the draft document this fall. After we hold public hearings in the late fall to collect comment on the draft Environmental Evaluation, we expect to forward the final document to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency for the Environmental Assessment, in early 2009. By clicking on the link you can view a graphic describing the Environmental Evaluation's timeline.
In the meantime, the Northwest Rail Project Team will soon begin impact analysis for the rail corridor and station areas. This process involves identifying the impacts and mitigation measures associated with the implementation of the commuter rail project. For example, existing noise measurements will be taken throughout the corridor and at proposed station areas. Further analysis will then be conducted to determine the impacts of the additional noise from the proposed Northwest Rail project. In places where impacts are identified, appropriate mitigation measures (such as track improvements, noise walls, or Quiet Zone crossings) will be recommended. We will share the results of the noise impact analysis and all other impacts with you this summer at corridor-wide public workshops. This schedule will allow us to incorporate public comment on the project impacts and mitigation measures into the draft document prior to its release.
Current Project Activities
In addition to the above, the Northwest Rail Corridor study is also working on several other activities to move the project forward:
Recent FasTracks Developments
As you may be aware, as part of RTD FasTracks' system-wide negotiations with the railroads, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) recently presented RTD with a package of properties that is unaffordable. As a result, all four FasTracks commuter rail corridors (Gold Line, Northwest Rail, North Metro, and the East Corridor) will pursue refinements to the project alternatives that originally included UP properties. This includes refinements to the portion of the Northwest Rail corridor that will be shared with the Gold Line from Denver Union Station (DUS) to Pecos Street. RTD is examining this part of the Northwest Rail alignment in the Gold Line Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Click here to view a Northwest Rail corridor map.
The RTD FasTracks Gold Line team has identified four potential refinements to the shared Gold Line and Northwest Rail corridor between DUS and Pecos Street. Last week, after a preliminary evaluation of the four options, the RTD FasTracks Gold Line team recommended that one option, on the east side of the railroad tracks, be evaluated in the Gold Line Draft EIS. The Gold Line will gather public input on its recommendation at public workshops on March 4 and March 6, 2008, and will continue evaluating the potential refinement(s) through the spring.
Northwest Rail Schedule Update
The recent developments with the railroad negotiations have schedule implications for the Northwest Rail Environmental Evaluation (EE) because it will use the results of the Gold Line's examination of the alternative refinements from DUS to Pecos Street. We had anticipated releasing the draft environmental document for the Northwest Rail Corridor in the late spring or early summer of 2008. We now are working to release the draft document this fall. After we hold public hearings in the late fall to collect comment on the draft Environmental Evaluation, we expect to forward the final document to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency for the Environmental Assessment, in early 2009. By clicking on the link you can view a graphic describing the Environmental Evaluation's timeline.
In the meantime, the Northwest Rail Project Team will soon begin impact analysis for the rail corridor and station areas. This process involves identifying the impacts and mitigation measures associated with the implementation of the commuter rail project. For example, existing noise measurements will be taken throughout the corridor and at proposed station areas. Further analysis will then be conducted to determine the impacts of the additional noise from the proposed Northwest Rail project. In places where impacts are identified, appropriate mitigation measures (such as track improvements, noise walls, or Quiet Zone crossings) will be recommended. We will share the results of the noise impact analysis and all other impacts with you this summer at corridor-wide public workshops. This schedule will allow us to incorporate public comment on the project impacts and mitigation measures into the draft document prior to its release.
Current Project Activities
In addition to the above, the Northwest Rail Corridor study is also working on several other activities to move the project forward:
- RTD is continuing its negotiations with the BNSF Railway (BNSF) and anticipates having an agreement in place by the end of 2008.
- The Northwest Rail Project Team is currently working with the local communities along the corridor to identify "footprints" and refine the plans for the station areas, which will be available for public review. The Project Team will use these "footprints" to identify impacts associated with the station areas and develop mitigation measures for them.
- The Northwest Rail Project Team has completed its inventory of the rail crossings along the corridor. The Project Team will use this information to identify the safety upgrades that RTD will need to make at each crossing in order to implement commuter rail service. RTD will also use this information to identify the infrastructure upgrades that would be required to implement Quiet Zones.
- RTD has developed a Quiet Zone Work Plan that identifies the steps that RTD will take to assist local communities in the Quiet Zone application process. RTD will develop grade crossing inventories, diagnostic reviews, and cost estimates for all crossings along the Northwest Rail corridor and will work with local jurisdictions to determine an implementation approach for each individual grade crossing.
We will continue to update you as the study progresses and new developments occur. In the meantime, feel free to submit a comment, ask a question, or sign up for our mailing list if you haven't done so already.
We thank you for your continued interest in the project.
We thank you for your continued interest in the project.
