RTD Downtown Rail Reconstruction Begins Day Before Memorial Day (2024)

At the intersection of 15th and California streets in downtown Denver, buses experience turbulence thanks to degraded light rail tracks that cut across the intersection.

RTD plans to start fixing those tracks on Sunday, May 26, the day before Memorial Day, as the agency works to complete the first full reconstruction of the downtown light rail loop since the rail system began operating three decades ago.

From May to September, RTD plans construction updates to five intersections: 15th and Stout streets, 17th and Stout streets, 15th and California streets, 17th and California streets and Broadway and Welton Street.

“We're in a situation where we are living in an older home now, and we need to ensure that we are investing in that home, modernizing some features of the house,” Debra Johnson, RTD CEO and general manager, said to media on May 20 while likening the rail lines to a thirty-year-old house. “We need to repair the roof. We need new plumbing.”

The tracks, designed to last thirty years, were laid in the early 1990s before rail service began in 1994, according to RTD.

The L Line will be shut down during the project, but RTD is rerouting multiple rail lines and increasing bus service downtown.

Stout and 15th will be the first intersection to undergo construction. Johnson said RTD had planned to stagger each intersection but has since learned it could be more efficient to begin construction on some at the same time. However, shedidn't say which intersections were coming next or when construction would begin.

At 15th and California alone, seventeen bus routes and three light rail lines traverse the intersection. Johnson acknowledges that there will be “pain points” during construction, but points to the track lines shifting to the naked eye as evidence that the railroad ties beneath may be loose and require a full redo.

“Downtown is bustling,” Johnson said. “We want to ensure that we're managing expectations. … We're on the precipice of change relative to ensuring that our $9 billion in assets are in a state of good repair.”

This will be the first time RTD repairs more than a small stretch of track and comprehensively tackles rail reconstruction. A holiday weekend could make for a busy downtown, but Johnson says this is the right time for the project because people are going out of town, there's now a lack of college and high school graduations, and weather is getting hotter.

RTD system service changes kick in on May 26, so RTD was able to make some updates to services to help compensate for disruptions, according to the agency.

RTD to Shut Down L Line, Change Routes

To account for construction to light rail tracks this summer, RTD is supplementing its rubber tire fleet and rerouting rail lines.

RTD will shut down the light rail's L Line on May 26, too, and reroute the D and H lines to Union Station instead of their usual routes through the Central Business District until September. There will also be safety updates made to light rail lines outside the city center, so service will end at midnight on weeknights for all six light rail lines (other than the L Line) and 2 a.m. on weekends for all but the R Line.

To help make up for lost rail services, RTD is upping service on the 0L bus route, which goes from Broadway and Interstate 25 through downtown Denver, to run all day, every day instead of only during peak periods on weekdays as it does now.

It's also bringing back the free MetroRide to help people get around downtown during construction. The service was suspended in 2020 for pandemic-related operation adjustments.

The MetroRide runs between Civic Center Station and Union Station along 18th and 19th streets, with seven stops in each direction. It will come every ten minutes and operate every day.

During public hearings, residents have argued that rerouting to Union Station and adding extra options mostly in downtown doesn’t compensate for the shutdowns, but Johnson explains that the agency does not have the people power that would be needed to reroute the rail lines differently.

“We made the decision to divert trains at Union Station, recognizing that that is a major, large intermodal transit hub whereby people can get connections to go about the region on other modes,” Johnson said, pointing to the bus options available.

Although the intersections will close, the middle of the blocks impacted by construction will still be open so people can access businesses and even park there.

This phase of construction is expected to wrap up by September, with phases two through four of rail reconstruction scheduled for next year. Those phases will include mid-block track reconstruction, a Colfax Avenue alignment reconstruction and updates on the Welton Street corridor.

In total, the track updates are expected to cost $152 million.

The RTD NextRide App will have information for riders impacted by construction, and RTD will have 35 volunteers out and about during peak transit times to help customers navigate the changes, according to Johnson.

RTD 'Managing Expectations' on Construction Timeline

Johnson said RTD expects to wrap up intersection work by September, but delays could occur if the project isn't finished when service changes end on September 18. There are gas, steam, water, communications and electrical lines under the various intersections that workers must carefully work around, as well.

“While we're providing you with insight relative to our anticipated timeline, we don't necessarily know what lies beneath,” Johnson warned, referencing lessons learned during the 16th Street Mall construction project.

Construction on the 16th Street Mall is delayed by at least six months because of the discovery of unexpected underground utilities, though Mayor Mike Johnston recently promisedthat sections of the mall would open this summer. Johnson said RTD could meet with similar problems.

But RTD has a test case of the curved part of the light rail track on 15th Street, in front of the Colorado Convention Center, which was reconstructed over two weeks during 2023. That part of the rail line posed a heightened safety risk because of its curved nature, so the district didn’t want to wait to repair it; now workers know it can be done quickly, barring unexpected complications.

“There could be an instance where it could be more expeditious or it could take a little while longer. Who knows what Mother Nature has in store?” Johnson said. “We get some torrential thunderstorms, but for all intents and purposes, we believe that will be the time frame.”

Johnson also promised that RTD will communicate with the public and nearby businesses if problems arise. It has liaisons with businesses that could be impacted, including the Colorado Convention Center, although RTD predicts the convention center will be minimally impacted.

Pointing to the bus service's capabilities,Johnson doesn’t believe these shutdowns or route changes will drive away riders.

“What we're trying to do is showcase that there is a myriad of other viable mobility options that can be leveraged to get people around the metro area,” she said. “Light rail is a very important part of our network, but our rubber tire fleet is equally important and provides more service.”