ARBOR DAY WEEKEND MULCH GIVEAWAY

Residents living between Sheridan Boulevard and Oak Street and between 6th Avenue and Colfax Avenue will be eligible to participate in Denver Transit Construction Group’s Arbor Day mulch giveaway. Trees that have been removed for construction of the West Corridor were mulched and will be available for eligible residents to pick up on a first come/first served basis. This is not beauty bark, simply wood chips directly from the trees.

The giveaway will take place at the Quail construction yard, located at 1305 Quail St. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Crews will be on-site from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. to help residents load their trucks. Residents must show a current ID that shows proof of residency within the required boundaries and sign a general release of liability. DTCG employees will load the mulch into your vehicle. For more information, click here.
 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Tree Removal
As DTCG prepares for full blown construction, crews have begun to “clear and grub” areas. This includes the removal of vegetation, including trees and shrubbery. Trees have been removed from Nelson Street to Wadsworth Boulevard and in areas of the Lakewood Dry Gulch. Crews are now moving west to east to clear only those trees obviously in the right-of-way.
Lakewood Dry Gulch
Work on the channel continues in the Dry Gulch. Crews have rerouted the first segment of the channel by installing a ‘Pump Around’ that moves the water flow out of the work area. The storm sewer improvements will continue in phases as areas are complete. The final phase of this work will be the construction of retaining walls to hold fill back from the tracks.
Kipling Walls
Construction of the MSE walls continues on both sides of Kipling Street. Construction of the Pikeview tunnel has also begun, and will continue through mid-May. This tunnel will go under the light rail tracks and provide access for bikes and pedestrians. Traffic impacts in and around the area are minimal.
Jefferson County Government Center
Crews completed the replacement of the water line under Earl Johnson Road and the parking lots of the Jefferson County Government Center. DTCG and the City of Golden anticipate closing Earl Johnson Road between 6th Avenue and 10th Avenue from May 1 through June 30 for road improvements in that area. To get up-to-date information on road closures and traffic impacts, click here.
Storm Sewer/Storm Drainage Upgrades
Crews are reconstructing the water line under Knox Court, which requires the complete closure of Knox Court from 12th Avenue to 13th Avenue. The closure will remain in effect through July. Pedestrian access is allowed on the west side of Knox Court in this location.
Right-of-Way Fencing
As RTD’s right-of-way division purchases land to accommodate the West Corridor light rail line, vacant properties will be fenced off for future demolition. Denver Transit Construction Group will begin this process in late April at Umatilla, Sheridan and Wadsworth. Crews will not impact traffic for this activity. Once these areas have been environmentally inspected and released, RTD will turn them over to DTCG for demolition.
Union Boulevard
The West Corridor will be crossing under Union Boulevard at 6th Avenue in a tunnel. To accommodate this, the agricultural ditch on the south side of 6th Avenue is being relocated. Crews are currently boring a new path for this ditch under Union Blvd. The work area has been blocked off on the west side of Union and in mid-May, as crews move to the east side, approximately eight parking spaces in the Cold Springs lot will become unavailable.
Denver Federal Center
Denver Transit Construction Group will be installing a new security fence north/south along the west side of the Federal Center from 2nd Avenue to 6th Avenue. This new fence will put RTD’s work area outside of the confines of Homeland Security and enable DTCG to set up a storage and staging area and build a new road that will feed the light rail station. This activity will start on April 20 but should not impact traffic in the area.
Utility Relocations
Qwest, Comcast and Xcel Energy continue their relocation activities along the light rail line. To see a current schedule of their utility relocations, click here.
 

DTCG SPOTLIGHT

Jon Brazeal is the Project Engineer for DTCG on the West Corridor project. His duties are vast and far-reaching and include assuring that the project is built according to plans and that DTCG completes construction on time. He is also responsible for working with the field superintendents to develop the ongoing schedule and change resolution.

Jon came to DTCG in August, after working 10 years at Granite Construction in Orange County, California. His experience includes an array of high profile projects including the realignment of US20 in Oregon from Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville. Jon served as the Deputy Project Manager on this job and facilitated change orders, managed field and office engineers, project cost forecasting, long-term planning and scheduling, and subcontractor management.

Prior to his position in Oregon, Jon worked for Granite on the HOV widening of SR22 in Orange County. The work on this project included vertical retaining walls, bridge widening, bridge replacements, city street undercrossings and major freeway interchange improvements.

Jon is a welcome addition to DTCG. His proven track record of managing large, fast-paced projects and his extensive experience and integrity will add strength to DTCG’s management team
 

HOW CAN I GET (OR STAY) INVOLVED?

 One of the best ways to get the latest information on the West Corridor is to ensure we have your e-mail address. Our periodic e-mails will provide you with information essential to being an active participant. As full construction gets underway, it will be important to keep all members of the community informed on construction activities. Tell your friends and neighbors to sign up on our e-mail list to receive up-to-date information, and if your e-mail address changes, please notify us.