As a follow-up to my April blog regarding progress toward completing the US 36 BRT system, I am please to report that my RTD Board colleagues voted this month to immediately commit $30 million toward further advancing elements of the full system.  This decision is expected to leverage sufficient funds to construct high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, in both directions, between the Wadsworth interchange in Broomfield and the existing HOV lanes in Westminster.

This was not a simple vote for the RTD Board, as there is some risk that committing $30 million now will threaten the ability to complete the final design work on the remaining unfunded FasTracks corridors.  However, as RTD staff and most of my RTD Board colleagues agreed, there are many countervailing reasons for taking that risk:

1)  The $30 million from RTD will leverage about $130 million in funding from a variety of other sources toward a total investment in the US BRT system of $160 million;

2)  The communities along the US 36 corridor have been a model of cooperation in RTD’s efforts to secure additional funding sources, culminating in their successful advocacy for additional federal and state support; and,

3)  The investment in US 36 will initiate concrete progress on an element of the FasTracks system, with immediate construction activity that will achieve significant transit benefits.

There are still some elements of the full $160 million financing package that need clarification before we get the final green light to proceed toward construction on this next phase in the US 36 BRT project.  This includes insuring that the private contractor bids for the Eagle P3 project, which will outline the extent of RTD’s financial commit to construction of the East and Gold rail lines, are within budget expectations.  I am confident that all of these pieces will fall into place and we will begin digging dirt in 2011.

In the meantime, I want to extend my thanks to the coalition of local governments along the US 36 corridor that has worked so hard to bring this exciting opportunity to our doorstep.  I also applaud my RTD Board colleagues, particularly Lee Kemp and Bill Christopher who joined me in advocating strongly for the $30 million commitment, that voted to seize this financially responsible opportunity to advance another element of the FasTracks plan.

In case you don’t receive my quarterly FasTracks newsletter (and let me know if you want to receive it in the future), I am pasting below the cover story I wrote about the RTD Board’s decision not to move forward with a 2010 ballot initiative to increase the FasTracks sales tax:

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Last month, the RTD Board decided not to seek additional funding support for FasTracks in 2010.  I believe it was the right decision, but it wasn’t an easy one to make.

There were several appealing reasons for taking our case to the voters this November.  First, as we begin to recover from one of the worst economic recessions in history, the region would benefit tremendously from the jobs that additional FasTracks construction activity would create.  It also is unlikely that construction costs will ever be lower than they are today. 

Still, as I said prior to the Board decision to postpone another FasTracks election, “The voters are reeling.”  It seems that nearly everyone is suffering from the economic downturn.  Poll results confirm this impression, with about half the respondents telling us that they are having difficulty keeping up with personal household bills.  Clearly, this is not the time to ask citizens for additional financial support.

Despite the Board consensus to forgo a FasTracks vote during the 2010 election, I did not want to lose momentum on completing this transit investment program within a reasonable timeframe.  Seventy-seven percent of voters in the Denver metro area continue to support the goals of FasTracks.  I also believe that metropolitan regions, such as Denver, which invest in infrastructure during these difficult economic times will be among the first to recover. 

To that end, I asked my colleagues to support a resolution I drafted, “Commitment to Path Forward.”  (You can access a copy the resolution by clicking on the following link:  Commitment to Path Forward.)This resolution outlines a clear course toward providing voters with the opportunity to support additional FasTracks funding as early as 2011.  The resolution further details the steps leading to a final RTD Board decision on an election date, including the pursuit of all avenues of alternative financial support, identifying opportunities for cost efficiencies, preparing all FasTracks corridors for construction and working with stakeholders to draft the necessary ballot language.

With unanimous Board support for my resolution, we close the books on a FasTracks vote in 2010, but commit ourselves to a path forward in pursuit of timely build-out of the FasTracks transit network.

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Further coverage regarding the RTD Board decision concerning a FasTracks ballot initiative is available through the following links:

Littleton Independent:  FasTracks hike won’t be on 2010 ballot.

Denver Post:  http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14879221.

Sometimes activity in the US 36 corridor is so fluid, it is hard to know when to provide an update, for fear that it will be outdated by the time I hit the “post” button.  There has been so much positive progress in recent weeks, though, that I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it.

First, it was recently announced that the US 36 corridor will receive $10 million from the federal government to put toward improvements associated with the bus-rapid-transit (BRT) system through the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program.  More detailed Daily Camera coverage of this grant award is available at the following link:  http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_14416635?IADID=Search-www.coloradodaily.com-www.coloradodaily.com#axzz0kgSKEvE5. 

There is no question that $10 million is far removed from the total cost of completing the BRT system, let alone all the other planned transportation investments for the US 36 highway.  However, these funds are expected to leverage additional dollars from RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), allowing us to begin work on lengthening the HOV lanes between Denver and Boulder.  I also am working with other leaders in the US 36 corridor to pursue low-interest federal loans to cover further corridor improvements.

Most importantly, the TIGER grant is evidence of the positive attention the US 36 improvement plans are receiving, both locally and nationally.  As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during a recent celebration of the TIGER grant, ”The recovery act was designed to reward effectiveness, to reward entrepreneurial thinking, to think in new fresh different ways.  You are entrepreneurial in your thinking.”  The Speaker’s words are a great inspiration to me as I work to complete the full vision for transit improvements in the US 36 corridor.

While we are making progress in the pursuit of funding to cover some of the major infrastructure investments for the BRT system, the other good news is that real improvements in bus service between Denver and Boulder already are moving forward.  In particular, the new Broomfield park-n-Ride is expected to be completed in May.  You can read more about the work on that project through the following link:  http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/media/uploads/us36/Broomfield_pnR_Fact_Sheet_VF_21010.pdf.

I can hardly wait for the first time that I realize the local B bus no longer needs to take the long, circuitous jog off US 36 to reach the current Broomfield park-n-Ride along Wadsworth.  The travel time savings will be upwards of 15 minutes, which will mean a lot to me on those late-night return trips from my RTD Board meetings, as I am sure it will for those of you who ride that same bus route. 

There are other planned investments in the works for the US 36 corridor, including construction of a new passenger pick-up area at the Table Mesa park-n-Ride.  That project is expected to break ground shortly and, at completion, also will lead to significant travel time savings.

So, while I will continue to look for every opportunity to move all of our planned transit improvements for the US 36 corridor forward, as quickly as possible, I am pleased to report that there has been a lot of progress.

I want to express my deep sadness for the terrible loss of life associated with the three recent RTD bus accidents.  

I do not have any more detail to offer regarding these incidents beyond what has been covered in recent news reports:  http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14841187.  Investigations into the accidents are ongoing, though, and I will share any new information they disclose. 

Regardless, there is no escaping the concern that I know everyone associated with the RTD organization has for any role we had in these incidents.   As the following letter indicates, RTD is taking immediate steps to ensure that our operations are safe:  Safety is RTD’s Top Priority.  You can be sure that I will join with my RTD Board colleagues and RTD staff in addressing any shortcomings that further investigation of the three accidents reveals.

In the meantime, I want to express my personal sorrow for the tragic loss of life and to offer my sympathies to the bereaved families.

I have been invited to participate in a PLAN-Boulder County forum, “Does it Take a Village to Raise a Bus . . . or a Train?”

Aside from me, the panel will include:  Boulder Mayor Susan Osborne, Boulder Councilmember Matt Appelbaum, and City Planner Louise Grauer.  

The fireworks start at Noon on February 12 in the Creekside Room of the Boulder Public Library on Arapahoe Avenue.

Please join me for this important discussion regarding the future of FasTracks investments in Boulder and plans for the Boulder Transit Village.

A few weeks ago, addressing my Board colleagues, I noted it was highly unlikely I could support asking the voters in November of 2010 for additional tax support to complete the FasTracks program.  This was against my initial inclination, as I would prefer to get an early read from the public regarding their willingness to invest the resources to complete full build-out within the initial 2017 timeframe.  A win or loss at the ballot box would end the speculation and expedite planning for the agency’s future progress on FasTracks.

The way things are falling into place, though, it is clear that heading to the ballot box this year would severely handicap a favorable voter response.  It is unlikely that public confidence in the economy, a key success factor for votes on infrastructure initiatives, will turn around by the end of the year.  This also does not appear to be a good time to secure financial contributions toward another successful FasTracks campaign.  

In a signal that others recognize these same barriers, the Denver Post covered the comments of my fellow Board members regarding a potential 2010 election, http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14290768?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com, and followed-up with a editorial the next day, http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14306877?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com.

Delaying a future FasTracks vote likely will lead to increased costs for the program, as we will not be in a position to capitalize on the low construction rates available during this recessionary period.  Phil Washington also reports that there is a risk RTD will lose some of the talented staff it attracted due to the excitement of the FasTracks program.  These are all negative consequences of a delay in going to the voters, giving further weight to the gravity of this difficult decision.

The RTD Board is scheduled to make a formal decision regarding a 2010 vote in the next two months.  In the meantime, you can see the balance of issues at play and how I am leaning.  It would be great to hear your perspective on this matter as I move toward a final position.

.  .  . or, at least, it is making it’s final approach.

No matter how you slice it, the news RTD received from the Federal Transportation Administration yesterday is a big leap forward toward realizing the full vision of the FasTracks plan.  You can read about all the developments at the following link: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14345646.  The summary, though, is that the federal government has agreed to take the following steps in support of the East and Gold train lines (collectively known as the Eagle project) and the Union Station project:

     – The President’s recently released proposed 2011 budget recommends $120 million dollars for the FasTracks program – $40 million dollars each for the East Corridor, Gold Line and West Corridor projects. 

     – In addition to these specific funding recommendations, the President’s budget also signals its intent to sign Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA) totaling about $1 billion for the East Corridor and Gold Line. 

     – The $40 million recommendation for the West Corridor is part of the full $308 million FFGA approved in 2009. 

     – FTA also announced the U.S. Department of Transportation’s approval of about $300 million in federal loans to help fund the Denver Union Station project.  

Our financial plans always calculated that we would receive this level of federal financial support, but it is great to see it coming to fruition.  The promise of a billion dollars in federal transportation funding was the basis of my agreement to the financial plan that committed RTD to fund the East line with most of the remaining FasTracks dollars we have available for the foreseeable future (which also led to my proposal for the the Regional Equity Compact Resolution:  http://www.johntayer.org/2009/09/19/the-regional-equity-compact-resolution/).  The upshot is that we can now move forward with three substantial elements of the entire FasTracks system.

Of course, none of this funding does anything to finance the two arms of the FasTracks system that are slated for Boulder County, the Northwest Rail line or bus rapid transit (BRT) service.  Securing these resources, without an intolerable waiting period, likely will entail further federal support and/or additional taxpayer funding.  I also will push RTD to explore other creative financing mechanisms and cost-cutting measures. 

However, now that we have a clear path toward financing the East and Gold lines in hand, along with the Union Station development, we know the Boulder County lines will not be competing for additional resources with those FasTracks projects.  The other benefit for our corridor is the confidence the federal government is demonstrating in RTD’s capabilities through these new funding commitments.  This bodes well for further federal support. And it serves as an encouraging vote of confidence for RTD and its ambitious FasTrax project.

The picture isn’t any brighter, but at least our challenge is much more clear . . . 

That is the best you can probably say about the 2010 Annual Program Evaluation (APE).  This document, which RTD prepares annually for the Denver Regional Council of Governments, provides the most recent snapshot of the financial picture and technical adjustments to the FasTracks program. 

You can access a summary of the 2010 APE document at the following link: http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/media/uploads/main/1_5_10_APE_Presv_Final.pdf. 

Most critically, the new APE finds that costs for the entire FasTracks program have dropped $400,000, to a total of $6.5 billion.  This cost reduction is due primarily to lower material prices and more refined system designs. 

Unfortunately, sales tax revenue continues to drop, as well.  The new estimates for the life of the program fell another $1.3 billion.   The resulting gap between revenue and costs for the FasTracks program is about $2.4 billion, $200 million more then previous estimates.

What makes this year’s APE particularly noteworthy is the great effort RTD staff made to test its financial numbers.  Specifically, you may remember that I previously advocated for a new look at RTD’s sales tax projections.  Staff responded by recruiting groups of subject-matter experts, in both construction cost inflation and sales tax revenue modeling, to scrutinize RTD figures.  As a result, this year’s APE numbers reflect the input from some of the area’s best forecasting minds.

So, as you can see, we still have a difficult financial hurdle to overcome as we work toward build-out of the FasTracks system . . . but at least there is reason for greater confidence that this is the hurdle, as we now have much greater confidence in the financial picture for the full program.

I am typically pretty focused in my transit advocacy, as an RTD Board Director, on influencing RTD policy.   However, when the actions of outside agencies threaten our transit goals, I feel it is my duty to speak-out.  Such is the case with respect to current maneuvers to complete the Denver metro beltway.

Specifically, proponents of the beltway are asking the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) to add a significant roadway link to the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the Jefferson Parkway.  Getting the Jefferson Parkway in the RTP is the green light the project needs to begin moving toward implementation.  This includes securing the necessary financial support for what is designed to be a privately funded toll road.

You can learn more about the Jefferson Parkway proposal, including the many concerns communities like Golden and Boulder are raising, at the following links:  http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/12/jefferson_parkway_a_weird_disc.php and http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13895972.  It was many of these same concerns that drove me to testify at the DRCOG public hearing regarding this matter.  Most troubling to me, the Jefferson Parkway will create the need for about $1 billion in additional roadway improvements, beyond what the private sector is offering to handle.   These are unfunded transportation needs that will compete with other critical projects, such as the HOV lanes for US 36 that are the foundation of bus-rapid-transit service between Boulder and Denver.

You can read my public hearing testimony at the following link:  Jefferson Parkway Comments.  The DROCG Board will issue a final decision regarding the proposal to add the Jefferson Parkway to the RTP at its meeting in January.  I am hopeful that they will send the beltway proponents back to the drawing board.