Concerns FasTracks' north line may be way off track

DENVER - Tuesday, RTD will announce a $118 million investment in the FasTracks program for its north metro corridor.

The northern section of the project is expected to cost $1 billion.

The northern line would run from Denver through Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton and part of Adams County.

Thornton's mayor Erik Hansen says he'll believe it when he sees it. He doubts he'll ever see a north metro line run through his city.

"It's not going to happen, unless there's a paradigm shift," Hansen said.

Hansen says he has serious concerns over RTD's sources of program funding.

Hansen brought town officials from Frederick and Erie before reporters on Monday to share their concerns on the future of the northern line.

Hansen says the problem goes back to 2004 when voters approved the project and RTD started planning during an economy much different than today.

A group of north metro officials, the North Area Transportation Alliance, hired a consulting firm to study the numbers.

The review found poor planning.

"We should be prepared if some of these revenues are not realized in the manner that we all hope they are," Ford Frick, with BBC Research & Consulting, said.

Sales tax revenue and federal government funding both declined drastically in the last few years and now the FasTracks deficit has climbed to $2 billion.

"No one has a crystal ball, and when we developed the FasTracks plan, it was with the best available information that we had at the time," FasTracks spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas said.

Fast forward to 2009 and the program is forced to consider adjustments to the program.

Hansen says: why not modify the plan?

"Instead of building one corridor or two corridors, how do we shorten all of the corridors, so that everybody gets a little of the benefit?" Hansen said.

Tonilas says it depends on various factors, including the number of riders using the line.

"It's not that easy to just say, 'Well we're going to divvy up the pot of money and all corridors are going to go this far; go three miles or five miles,' because some corridors are going to end in a spot where it's not conducive or logical for ridership," Tonilas said.

The RTD Board of Directors will have an update on January on the timeline and costs of the overall FasTracks project.