Stapleton-colorado.com

The Associated Press
DENVER—Commuters who use Regional Transportation District buses or light-rail trains may have to start paying to park their vehicles, but how much and when depends on where they catch their ride.

RTD’s parking management program took effect Monday for lots including Airport Boulevard and 40th Avenue, and Stapleton, where travelers park at the old Stapleton International Airport parking garage and ride buses to Denver International Airport.

Parking fees for users who live outside RTD’s eight-county service area range are $2 or $4 per 24 hours. In-district users can park free for 24 hours , then pay $1 or $2 for each additional 24 hours.

Other park-and-ride lots will join the program over the next three months, but many lots will remain free for all users.

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On the Net:

Regional Transportation District: http://www.rtd-denver.com

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11610062

Planners of the $1.7 billion FasTracks commuter train to Denver International Airport say the project needs to acquire 56 full commercial and residential properties for rail stations and the track alignment.

All but five of the properties needed are operated as commercial or industrial businesses, according to a draft environmental impact statement produced by the Regional Transportation District.

The five residential properties are needed for construction of the east-corridor train line’s Colorado station, which will be just west of Colorado Boulevard near East 42nd Avenue in Denver.

The 24-mile-long commuter-rail line will run from Union Station in the Blake Street corridor to East 40th Avenue, then east paralleling Union Pacific Railroad freight tracks and Smith Road. The line then follows Peña Boulevard north to DIA.

RTD plans to have east-corridor train stations at 38th and Blake streets; Colorado Boulevard; Central Park Boulevard and Smith Road in the Stapleton area; Peoria Street and Smith Road; and East 40th Avenue and Airport Boulevard in the Gateway area.

In addition to needing 56 complete properties for the DIA train line, RTD will need portions of 44 other industrial and commercial properties for rail stations and portions of 14 nonresidential properties for the track alignment, according to the environmental document.

RTD typically tries to acquire properties for transit purposes through negotiated purchases from landowners. When such negotiations fail to produce a deal, the agency can take the land through eminent domain. RTD says it will pay fair market value for such purchases.

Property owners along the east-corridor rail line and others interested in the project will have a chance to comment on the draft environmental study at two public meetings scheduled for early next month.

To view the draft study and get information on the public meetings, go to www.eastcorridor.com.

RTD is hoping that the DIA train and the Gold Line train to Arvada/Wheat Ridge will be financed, built and operated by a consortium of private companies that will bring at least $1 billion in private financing to the project. RTD also hopes the federal government will contribute another $1 billion to this FasTracks project led by private companies.

Construction of the DIA train line is scheduled to begin in 2011, and it is to open in 2015.

Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11606123