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Last updated: 11/07/06 | Longmont Diagonal Rail Environmental Evaluation | |
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RTD completed the Longmont Diagonal Rail Environmental Evaluation (EE) in August 2006. The environmental and engineering analysis performed during the Longmont EE process is being merged with the rail elements of the US 36 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and carried forward as a single project – the Northwest Rail Environmental Assessment. If you would like to follow this process, please visit www.rtdnorthwestrail.com for more information. Final Report Chapters for the Environmental Evaluation Sections or chapters of the Final Report are available for your review. Please follow the links below. If you have any questions, please contact Meghana Shah at mshah@mediate.org or 303-442-7367 x214. Chapter 1: Project Goals and Objectives Chapter 2: Alternatives Considered Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Chapter 4: Environmental Next Steps |
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What is the RTD Longmont Diagonal Rail Environmental Evaluation? The Regional Transportation District (RTD) FasTracks program is conducting a detailed environmental and engineering study for the Longmont Diagonal rail corridor. The study area for this Environmental Evaluation (EE) includes the 13-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad alignment and the communities of Boulder, Gunbarrel, Niwot, and Longmont. Community involvement is important to the success of this study. How is this Environmental Evaluation related to the RTD FasTracks program? This Longmont Diagonal rail corridor is also known as the Longmont Extension in the RTD FasTracks program – a voter supported tax initiative and transit plan for the Denver metro region. The Longmont Extension to the US 36 (Denver to Boulder) corridor is part of this overall transit plan for the Denver metro region. How is the Environmental Evaluation different from the Longmont Diagonal Rail Feasibility Study? RTD completed its Longmont Diagonal Rail Feasibility Study in May 2005. This Study was conducted to determine the feasibility of potential commuter rail service in the Longmont Diagonal corridor. The study examined alternatives, identified station locations, community impacts and developed capital and operating costs. Click here to read the Executive Summary from the Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study was a planning study about "whether" passenger rail service would be possible as an extension from Boulder to Longmont. With voter approval of the RTD FasTracks program in November 2004, and overall community support for rail service in the Boulder and Longmont communities – the issues identified in the planning study will now be explored further in a detailed environmental and engineering study. This next study phase, the Environmental Evaluation (EE), will further focus on the “how” questions associated with providing rail service to the Diagonal communities, including Boulder, Gunbarrel, Niwot, and Longmont. |
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Public involvement plays an important role in the success of the Longmont Diagonal Rail Environmental Evaluation (Longmont EE). We encourage you to learn about the study and welcome your comments and feedback. To enable continuity, public involvement activities for the Longmont EE will build upon those conducted during the Feasibility Study. In addition to continuing to involve the representatives from the community that were active during the Feasibility Study, public involvement for the Longmont EE will proactively seek to involve representatives from those segments of the community that can add new and valuable perspectives to the study. The graphic below illustrates the type and timing for the public involvement activities for the Longmont Diagonal Rail Environmental Evaluation.
What will happen with my input? During this study, we will be tracking public and community issues and will create an ongoing compilation of this input. We will collect public input from various sources: public meetings, project website, letters, faxes, and telephone conversations. In order for public input to be integrated into the study as it progresses, the ongoing public input compilation and summaries of the key issues and concerns will be shared with the project team including the RTD decision makers and the study’s advisory committee at key junctures in the study process. |
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This stakeholder advisory committee is comprised of representatives from local jurisdictions (City of Boulder, City of Longmont, Boulder County); community, business, and neighborhood organizations; and other transportation entities. Building upon the efforts of the Feasibility Study advisory committee, the LDRAC will consider technical information, provide input, and formulate recommendations for consideration by RTD decision makers. The second meeting of the LDRAC was held on June 9, 2006. Agenda The first meeting of the LDRAC was held on December 6, 2005. |
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Public meetings were held at key junctures in the study process. June 21, 2006 Public Meeting A public meeting was held in south Longmont on June 21, 2006. Click here to see the public meeting announcement. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a corridor wide update to the environmental and rail design work that had occurred thus far; discuss the candidate layover facility sites in Longmont; discuss the rail station concepts and recommendations for station locations in Longmont and Gunbarrel; provide information on RTD’s commuter rail technology evaluation process; and to gather public input. Using the comments received during the public meeting, the following summary by topic of issues and concerns has been prepared: Click here for the 6/21/06 Meeting - Summary of Public Input Click here for the 6/21/06 Meeting - Presentation December 2005 Public Meetings Public meetings were held in Longmont and along the Diagonal in Niwot during December 2005. Click here to see the public meetings announcement. The purpose of these meetings was to review the outcome of the Longmont Diagonal Rail Feasibility Study; talk about the new environmental and engineering study; and identify ongoing and new community issues, needs, and concerns to be addressed as the project moves forward. Using the compilation of comments received during the public meeting, the following summaries by topic of issues and concerns have been prepared: Click here for the 12/7/05 Longmont Meeting - Summary
of Public Input |
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The Longmont Working Group and the Diagonal Working Group will focus on specific issues in each of these localities. In addition to participating in station planning, working group participants will provide input on how to address potential impacts of the rail project. The working groups will consist of advisory committee members and members of the local communities. As illustrated in the Public Involvement activities graphic, they will function as subgroups to the advisory committee and forward their conclusions to the advisory committee for consideration. Each working group also has the option to hold a public workshop to present and collect input on its work. The second meetings of the Working Groups were held in April 2006. Diagonal Working Group Longmont Working Group The first meetings of the Working Groups were held in January 2006. Diagonal Working Group Longmont Working Group |
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What is the relationship between the Longmont Environmental Evaluation (EE) and the US 36 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)? The US 36 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is identifying multi-modal transportation improvements between Denver and Boulder. Its study area includes an 18-mile roadway alignment (US 36 from I-25 in Denver to Boulder) and a 30-mile railroad corridor (Burlington Northern Santa Fe from Denver Union Station to Boulder). Since the US 36 EIS is identifying multi-modal improvements and using a combination of highway and transit alternatives in its evaluation and comparison of these alternatives, the railroad corridor study area boundary was defined as between Boulder and Denver. For current purposes, the railroad corridor extending from Boulder to Longmont is being studied separately. There is an overlap in stakeholders (neighborhoods, jurisdictions, etc.) and issues between the Longmont EE and the US 36EIS. The project teams for both these studies are coordinating their efforts and sharing information. Please visit the project Web site, www.us36eis.com for more information or click here to sign up for the US 36 EIS mailing list. |
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Project Management Team RTD FasTracks: Liz Telford Karen Morales URS Corporation: CDR Associates: |
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RTD homepage (www.rtd-denver.com) RTD FasTracks (www.rtd-denver.com/fastracks/) Northwest Rail Environmental Assessment (www.rtdnorthwestrail.com) US36 Environmental Impact Statement (www.us36eis.com) City of Longmont (www.ci.longmont.co.us) City of Boulder (www.ci.boulder.co.us) Boulder County (www.co.boulder.co.us) Click here to see information from the Longmont Diagonal Rail Feasibility Study. |
