NOTICE TO PROCEED ON FULL CONSTRUCTION

RTD anticipates giving the Notice to Proceed on full construction to DTCG before the end of the month.  If this happens as anticipated, you can expect construction starts in several areas within the next 30 days. Wall construction along 6th Avenue east and west of Ulysses, along with the closure of Ulysses north of 6th Avenue to Mt. Vernon Road should begin later this month. Beginning stages of the construction of the I-70 tunnel (which will take light rail under I-70 near its intersection with 6th Avenue), phase one of the Federal Boulevard Bridge construction and construction of both the Indiana Flyover Bridge and the Colfax Avenue Bridge should be apparent in late June or early July. Once again, the West Corridor Public Information Team will provide advance warning of these activities prior to construction starts. Late this summer, crews will begin clearing brush and grading the corridor along 13th Avenue in Lakewood.

EMERGENCY SERVICE TRAINING SIMULATIONS

Emergency service crews from the cities of Lakewood and Denver, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department will be collaborating with RTD and Denver Transit Construction Group to use recently acquired vacant buildings for internal training and emergency simulations.

Buildings recently purchased by RTD on the west side of Sheridan Blvd.(between 10th and 12th) will be demolished this fall, with training exercises currently scheduled in September and October. Many buildings on the east side of Wadsworth Blvd. between 13th and 14th will be demolished in 2010 and training exercises will start there prior to demolition.

Fire departments drills will include the use of explosives, search and rescue tactics training, high-rise operations training and room and content fires. The police department’s SWAT Teams are planning on blasting holes in the walls and using munitions and liquid gas for training purposes. Adjacent buildings and homes will not be impacted and will be notified with detailed information prior to the training exercises.

DTCG and RTD are pleased to provide these buildings for emergency training before their demolition. Both the police and fire departments are anticipating joint-operation simulation training activities that will include all affected jurisdictions at the Wadsworth properties. By allowing these types of training exercises we help our emergency responders to prepare for future similar situations.
 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Jefferson County Parking Lot
Work on a parking lot at the Jefferson County Government Center will begin early next week. Crews will begin by grading the area to level it off. The parking lot will be located along the southern side of the court house and administration offices. This work should not interfere with everyday business at the Courthouse.

Lakewood Gulch
Construction in the Lakewood Dry Gulch now encompasses the entire gulch from Sheridan Blvd. east to Federal Blvd. Mechanically Stabilized Earth (retaining) wall construction has begun around Tennyson Street and storm sewer replacement continues in several areas. The bike path between Sheridan and Perry has now been closed and a detour is in place. Xcel Energy is removing light poles to facilitate DTCG’s work and the reconstruction of the concrete box culvert under Knox Court is moving along as scheduled. Storm sewer replacement east of Perry Street has also closed 12th Avenue between Perry and Newton.

The gulch area is experiencing major construction activity and this will continue through the summer. Please use extreme caution if you are in or near the gulch as heavy equipment is constantly on the move. The safety of residents is very important to DTCG and RTD during construction of the West Corridor.

Construction of a light rail bridge east of Decatur Street on Howard has begun. For the most part, work on the bridge will be contained to the RTD right-of-way and should not impede traffic; however some traffic flaggers may be utilized for material deliveries. The pedestrian path through this area has been rerouted to 10th Avenue.

Placement of the pedestrian bridges at Tennyson Street and Hazel Court is tentatively scheduled in July. The structures are being built off site, and once completed; they will be moved to the area and set in place. By early fall, these two bridges should open to the public to provide pedestrian and bike access over the construction zone in the gulch.

Kipling Walls
Construction of the Kipling MSE walls is expected to be completed in July. Construction on the Pikeview pedestrian tunnel is nearing completion as well. As we mentioned last month, the tunnel itself will remain closed throughout construction and open when trains begin running in 2013. The tunnel, which is at ground level, but under the trackway, will enable bikes and pedestrians to cross under the tracks to access the north and south side of the tracks in a very safe manner.

Collins Avenue Utility Work
Construction has begun on the concrete box culvert (CBC) on the north side of Collins Avenue. This new culvert will carry storm water underground in this area.  This activity should not impact traffic but drivers may see occasional lane closures to accommodate material deliveries.

Union Boulevard
The realignment of the agricultural ditch on the south side of 6th Avenue continues. Crews are boring a path for the ditch under Union Blvd and should completely cross Union into the Cold Spring parking lot in early July. Eight parking spaces in the Cold Spring lot will be cordoned off for construction purposes. In July, DTCG will close the eastbound off ramp from 6th Avenue to Simms/Union over a weekend to cross the ditch under the ramp. Variable Message Signs on 6th Avenue and Union will be placed prior to the closure and traffic will be rerouted to Kipling or Indiana.

Denver Federal Center/6th Avenue Bridge
Installation of the new security fence north/south along the west side of the Denver Federal Center continues. Early construction on the 6th Avenue Bridge will begin by the end of June. Bridge construction should not impact traffic until the structure is rolled over 6th Avenue later this year. A coordinated Public Information effort with CDOT will give advanced warning of the closure of 6th Avenue, which will happen during non-peak traffic hours.

Utility Relocations
Qwest, Comcast and Xcel Energy continue their relocation activities along the light rail line.
 

PERMANENT STREET CLOSURES IN LAKEWOOD

Signage indicating the closures of Nelson, Holland, Vance and Otis Streets has been placed as an early warning of their upcoming closure. All four of these streets will close permanently at 13th Avenue on June 26, 2009. Brentwood, Ammons, Allison and Marshall Streets are slated to close as well, but will remain open until later this year. These closures were determined early in the West Corridor process to minimize locations where automobiles will cross the tracks.

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 changes, please notify us.

Don’t forget to visit our Web site, where you’ll find all the latest information about the West Corridor.