Several major aspects of the project have to be completed before the new light rail and mall shuttle stations are operational. Still, we don’t have long to wait.
Streets need to be built for the mall shuttle. Chestnut Place will be rebuilt between 16th and 18th streets and over the top of the underground bus terminal. A new section of 17th Street will be built over the top of the 16th Street side of the bus terminal between Chestnut Place and the new mall shuttle station. Finally, a connector street will be built across the front of the mall shuttle station to 16th Street at the base of the Millennium Bridge. Those three streets along with the exiting end of 16th Street will form the new loop for the mall shuttle bus. In the photo below, you can see early stages of rebuilding Chestnut Place.
Electrical work and track work need to be done for the light rail station to be ready for use. The Overhead Catenary System has to be completed. The electrical sub-station, which is owned and operated by RTD, has to be moved from under the Millennium Bridge to the new concrete foundation immediately north of the Union Gateway Bridge. And, of course, the new tracks have to be connected to the existing tracks next to new DaVita Building.
According to Jerry Nery, RTD’s DUS Project Manager, the target date for making the mall shuttle station and the light rail station operational is July 20, 2011. After that, the current shuttle and light rail stations will be demolished in preparation for the digging the second half of the underground bus terminal.
And, once Chestnut Place is finished, Wewatta Street will be closed between 16th Street and 18th or 19th Street, and traffic will be routed to Chestnut across the top of the bus terminal.
