1. Northeast Area Transit Evaluation (NATE) II Update FasTracks Monitoring Committee
August 5, 2014

2. Original NATE Study
FasTracks plan included $7.5M for Corridor/Right-of-Way Preservation in Northeast Area of District (generally Denver to Brighton) for future, post-FasTracks, fixed guideway bus and/or rail transit

3. Original NATE Study
In 2007 RTD initiated Northeast Area Transit Evaluation (NATE) Study as a separate task of the North Metro EIS work
NATE investigated options to extend future, post-FasTracks, fixed guideway bus and/or rail transit between Denver and Brighton
Participants:
Brighton
Commerce City
Adams County
Denver
Thornton
CDOT, and RTD
Public Involvement through the North Metro EIS
Objectives:
Develop/analyze alternative concepts for transit service, technology
Identify potential investment opportunities
Consider strategies for preservation of ROW for future transit envelope

4. Original NATE Alternative Alignments
Study Identified Three Potential Alignments:
UP (parallel to US 85)
BNSF (along SH 2 and I-76)
“Cross Country” Routes between the UP and BNSF Corridors

5. NATE-II Purpose
Local jurisdictions requested that RTD expand/refine analysis of the original NATE study:
Better position RTD/Cities/County with more refined information on desired potential station locations and alignments to better inform local land use decisions
Provide a reference for communicating to staff, elected officials, general public (through local jurisdictional channels)
Research potential funding sources; e.g., grants, New Starts, Small Starts
Study being conducted in-house using RTD staff and on-call consultant resources

6. NATE-II General Scope Summarize the results of the original NATE study
Update environmental, transportation, land use and municipal plan information
Perform high-level fatal flaw analysis of Commuter Rail (CRT) and Light Rail (LRT) Alternatives
Develop BRT Alternatives and evaluate
Summarize BRT technology
Develop BRT Alternatives
Screening of BRT Alternatives
Develop implementation strategies
Summarize BRT transition strategies to LRT/CRT
Study outcomes would be subject to further study and environmental review prior to implementation

7. Challenges Opportunities
Connecting Activity/Regional/Community Centers
Connection to East Rail Line/North Metro Rail Line/Denver Union Station
Location of End-of-Line
Transition from Bus to Rail
Southern Alignment through Historic Commerce City

8. NATE-II Status / Next Steps
Kick-off Meeting: November 2013
One-on-One Jurisdiction Meetings: November 2013-February 2014
Alternatives Development: March 2014 to present
Modeling of Alternatives: August 2014
Next Steps
Develop BRT Alternatives for modeling
Develop BRT transition strategies to LRT/CRT
Meeting with Jurisdictions on alternative strategies and transition strategies
Develop Technology Fatal Flaw Evaluations
Develop BRT Implementation Strategies
Develop Final Report
Expect Completion Early 2015

9. Questions? Chris Quinn Planning Project Manager chris.quinn@rtd-denver.com (303) 299-2439