The RTD staff has recommended that the board choose Kiewit Infrastructure Co.’s proposal to build a key section of Denver’s FasTracks project in Aurora.
Kiewet says it could complete the Interstate 225 section of light rail for a fixed price of $350 million and do it by November 2015.
No final decision was scheduled for Tuesday night. Instead, the RTD board, meeting as the FasTracks Monitoring Committee, huddled in executive session with Regional Transportation District staff to discuss the pros and cons of the two competing bids.
The board will hear community input and recommendations at a meeting Tuesday and then take action as a committee July 17. A final board vote would take place July 24.
The final 10.5 mile segment would go through Aurora and join the East Rail Line at Smith and Peoria. It would connect major destinations including the Aurora City Center, the Anschutz/Fitzsimons Medical Campus and Denver International Airport.
Kiewit Infrastructure’s bid team also includes Mass. Electric Construction Co., AECOM, and RBC Capital Markets. The competing proposal was by Balfour Beatty Ames Joint Venture, which includes Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets, Orric, Herrington & Sutcliff LLP, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Markets.
“We had two very sound proposals, but all things considered, the Kiewit proposal provides the better value and allows us to complete another FasTracks project,” said RTD General Manager Phil Washington in announcing the recommendation. “The connectivity between major employment and medical centers and DIA will benefit the entire region.”
The Kiewet plan envisions completing the entire project, while the Balfour Beatty Ames option did not.
Kiewit submitted an unsolicited proposal in March, which interested the board enough to move forward with a competitive-bid process.
Both firms are familiar with RTD projects. Kiewit led the design-build construction team on the expansion of Interstate 25 in the south-metro area known as T-Rex. In addition, Kiewit is building transit improvements at Denver Union Station, which are more than 50 percent complete.
FasTracks is RTD’s massive voter-approved transit expansion program. Rising costs and lower-than-expected revenues have hurt FasTracks, but RTD recently decided against putting a tax increase on the November ballot in order to complete the project on time. RTD said that without new funds the project wouldn’t be finished until 2044. However, RTD says Kiewet’s plan would allow the timely completion of the I-225 line using only existing funds.
“The Kiewit team appreciates that RTD leadership and staff recommended we deliver this exciting project,” said Hunter Sydnor, spokeswoman for Kiewit. “We know there is still work to do and respect that the board will make the final decision later this month.”
