Last week in Update #86, I wrote about the start of landscaping work near the new light rail station. More has happened since then. On Friday, about 50 trees arrived via two tractor trailers (see the first photo below). Today, the first tree was planted, and it’s on the west side of Chestnut Place between 18th and 19th streets (second photo). The other 49 or so trees are also destined for Chestnut.
Also referring to Update #86, the DUSPA renderings that I posted were not the best representation of the future landscaping. Ken was kind enough to find some better ones including the two below (courtesy of Hargreaves Associates).
Still more news: Work has resumed on the section of 16th Street along the front of the building at 1900 16th Street. Here is a day-old photo of that part of the project.
In answer to Corey’s question on September 16 about the mall shuttles, the prototype mall buses are due to arrive in October.
Finally, as you know, from time to time I like to post interesting, downtown photos unrelated to the DUS project. You may remember the fog last Friday (September 16). To enjoy the following, you need to click on it to enlarge it. Then strain your eyes to see the top of the Four Season Hotel in the center of the frame. (I flirted with an idea of playing “Where’s Waldo” but thought you might be tiring of silly games.)
Impressive update and thanks again for the work you put into keeping us all updated! I have a question somewhat unrelated to DUS in that I haven’t read a whole lot in the west corridor updates about the auraria west station reconstruction. How is that progressing? Has service began at the new station yet?
Very excited to get to see some true FasTracks progress first hand in November!
Brennan, I did an Auraria West Campus update in July here: http://denverurbanism.com/2011/07/auraria-west-campus-station-area-infrastructure-reconfiguration.html
I don’t think the new station is open yet but it’s close.
The campus is being told that the new Auraria West station could open the 1st or 2nd week of October.
Right! Thanks Ken! I remember reading that but I guess I forgot about it. I never realized just how close it was to the Invesco Field station.
On the Mall shuttles – they won’t be in trial service in October, right? Something about extensive testing that will put the first ones in service in January or February, right?
It’s nice to see the DUS neighborhood starting to get a bit more green! On an unrelated topic, I have a question about Amtrak logistics. How will Amtrak lugguage, etc. get moved from the station to, I believe, Track 3, where Amtrak will be placed? Will there be an underground utility ramp leading to the Amtrak platform? Or a walkway (path) a bit north of the train shed going across the tracks that will enable Amtrak crews to get the luggage, etc. to the train? Just curious.
Rick, I like your silly games.
Of course looking at the triangular space for being the small size that it is (I have used the new DUS Light Rail station at least 15 times), the greenery designs appear to be for almost current rider levels. Once the place gets real busy- as early as the winter of 2013- too many people are going to use the space to be able to have such small scale greenery. However, such greenery can be removed in a day or two, concrete laid down in a couple of weeks, and, the space could then easily handle 10,000 people per hour (or more) during rush hours.
It is an awfully small space, very close to the light rail station.
Rick or Ken,
I look at the web cam for Union Station pretty much every few days and have noticed that the hole has had ground water sitting at the bottom of it for a couple weeks. Are they having a problem with pumping it out like in the previous hole? Has excavation been put on hold?
It is hard to tell what’s going on at this site since the panoramic view hasn’t been updated since Sept 19th. Any ideas??