Residents of the Globeville, Sunnyside and River North neighborhoods north of downtown Denver expressed strong preference Thursday night that RTD build a commuter rail maintenance center on industrial land near West 48th Avenue and Fox Street rather than on a site near 31st Street and Brighton Boulevard that has been under consideration for about a year.
Regional Transportation District officials say the agency might be able to save as much as $100 million by putting the maintenance center at the Fox Street location since it will not require moving RTD’s bus repair and storage operation now located on the 31st Street site.
At a public meeting Thursday night held to gauge community preference, Sunnyside resident Eugene Howard said he wondered “why we’re having this conversation” given the economic problems RTD is facing with its FasTracks transit expansion program. The agency is short about $2 billion for its effort to build six new train lines.
With one site for the maintenance center offering the opportunity to save $100 million, it seems like the question of which site to choose is “answering itself,” Howard said.
RTD’s board may select a preferred location for the maintenance center next month. At the meeting, board member Chris Martinez said, “We have to take every opportunity to save money very seriously.”
