DENVER—Regional Transportation District staff are recommending using both commuter rail and buses to provide rapid transit between Denver and Longmont, until there’s money to build a full rail line.
RTD originally hoped to build a 41-mile northwest rail line from Denver to Longmont by 2020, but ballooning costs and lower-than-expected tax revenues to help fund construction prompted RTD to reconsider.
About 6.2 miles of the line, from Denver to south Westminster, is already funded and scheduled for completion in 2016. Staff recommended Monday that the line be extended 6 miles to Church Ranch Boulevard in Westminster by 2022, with buses going the rest of the way to Longmont. The plan requires that voters approve a 0.4 percent sales tax increase.
The board is scheduled to consider the recommendation March 20.
