T-REX closes out light rail portion of project $3.7 million under budget

Under-budget finish allows for additional work

Denver –The Transportation Expansion (T-REX) project, which opened to the public in November 2006, has completed the final close-out on the project. The transit portion of the T-REX project is being completed $3.7 million under budget. The Regional Transportation District (RTD's) Southeast Light Rail line was built as a part of T-REX, which was a combined highway/light rail expansion project and successful partnership between RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The project was also completed 22 months ahead of the original schedule and included several additional enhancements along the corridor that weren't part of the original project.

The transit portion of the T-REX project is being closed out $3.7 million under budget even after incorporating the following additional elements into the project:

• Three pedestrian bridges
• Access to Park Meadows Mall
• Commissioned art at various stations
• Louisiana/Pearl Station plaza
• Power upgrades to the entire system
• New track crossover and tail track at Lincoln Station
• Power switches at the Southmoor Station
• Overhead Catenary System (OCS) overlaps
• Additional lightning protection for electrical equipment
• Additional safety barriers
• Dayton Station access to Boston St.
• Arapahoe Station plaza
• Dry Creek pedestrian bridge extension
• Nine Mile canopy

The highway portion of T-REX was also completed under budget. For more information contact Toni Gatzen in the CDOT Public Relations Department at Toni.Gatzen@dot.state.co.us or 303-550-0354.

The Transportation Expansion Project or T-REX was a $1.67 billion project that included widening of I-25 and I-225 in the southeast corridor of the Denver metro area, building the Southeast Light Rail transit line, construction of several bridges and interchanges, drainage improvements, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian access, and the addition of transportation management elements.

The Southeast Light Rail Line was budgeted at $879 million, with $525 million funded by the Federal Transit Administration. Since the light rail line opened in November 2006 the number of passenger trips continues to surpass ridership projections for the year 2020.

For route and schedule information, please call RTD’s Telephone Information Center at 303.299.6000. Call 303.299.6089 for the speech and hearing impaired. Visit RTD’s web site at www.RTD-Denver.com.