The air in her northwest Denver neighborhood reeks of freeway fumes and industrial smog some days, says mother-of-two Amy Broken Leg.
But she and her family figure it will only get worse if a FasTracks rail line proposed near their home ends up using diesel-powered trains to take commuters in and out of the city.
“We don’t feel like sacrificing our children’s health,” she said Tuesday.
Broken Leg has joined other metro-area residents in writing letters and e-mails to try to persuade Regional Transportation District officials to go electric.
She says electric-powered trains are more in line with Denver’s efforts to reduce pollution.
And though two lines in other parts of the area – one headed to Longmont and the other north to 162nd Avenue from central Denver – are already expected to use diesel, Broken Leg hopes residents can change officials’ minds.
Otherwise, she said, there are places where “you’re going to be literally in the midst of a diesel cloud.”
It might be a tough sell, though.
The planned rail lines are expected to cost taxpayers $1.5 billion more than originally thought, bringing the total to $6.2 billion.
Because of that, officials are trying to find ways to keep costs low. One way, they say, would be to use diesel trains on the two lines – to Aurora and Denver International Airport – that were previously expected to be electric.
Using only diesel trains would save $135 million, according to FasTracks analysts.
Tuesday evening, RTD general manager Cal Marsella said that seems to fit in a situation that is “cash flow and capital challenged.”
But, he added, if RTD is able to find the money to pay for electric, voters who approved the project back in November 2004 still expect it to happen.
Marsella made the comments as part of a packed RTD board meeting in which he answered several questions about the differences between diesel and electric.
Broken Leg is part of a neighborhood group called Highland Unified Neighbors Inc. that opposes diesel.
Like many other Denver neighborhoods, Highland sits between a freeway (Interstate 25) and a major thoroughfare (Federal Boulevard). It’s these kinds of neighborhoods that have dealt with pollution for too many years, said Denver Councilwoman Judy Montero, who is backing the neighborhood groups.
“I just feel like (RTD board members) need to look at other possibilities because the neighborhood has suffered so much with environmental justice and health issues,” she said.
Marsella said the RTD board will likely vote on whether to use electric or diesel trains at its July 24 meeting.
Staff writer Nick Martin can be reached at 303-954-1698 or nmartin@denverpost.com.
