RTD closed out the books on its part of the T-REX project with $3.7 million leftover out of the final budget of $939.4 million.

The final close-out of the project had the funds left over even after RTD spent some of the surplus on extra items after the project opened, including access to Park Meadows mall, three pedestrian bridges, and upgrades and art at stations.

T-REX Project Map

T-REX was a total $1.75 billion project done in partnership by RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation. The multimodal approach to widening Interstates 25 and 225 with 17 miles of new lanes and a big new interchange plus extending the light rail system for 19 miles was unique in the nation. Using a design-build method of contracting to speed up the process, contractors Kiewit and Parsons Transportation Group brought the project in 22 months ahead of the initial schedule.

The project extended along Interstate 25 and 225 between Broadway, Parker Road in Aurora and Lincoln Avenue in Douglas County. The initial budget of $1.67 billion grew not because of cost overruns or budget-busting, but because RTD, CDOT and third parties such as Denver, Greenwood Village and others including private developers paid for additional items they wanted built concurrently.

Among the items RTD added to the project with the budget surplus:

• Three pedestrian bridges
• Access to Park Meadows Mall
• Commissioned art at various stations
• Louisiana/Pearl Station plaza
• Power upgrades to the entire system
• New track crossover and tail track at Lincoln Station
• Power switches at the Southmoor Station
• Overhead Catenary System (OCS) overlaps
• Additional lightning protection for electrical equipment
• Additional safety barriers
• Dayton Station access to Boston St.
• Arapahoe Station plaza
• Dry Creek pedestrian bridge extension
• Nine Mile canopy

During the project, managers absorbed extra work while remaining on schedule. RTD’s budget at the start was $879 million, but added elements as extra funding became available to get up to the final total.

For instance, RTD landed a federal grant for $11.5 million for an electronic data system that was an upgrade to the initial project.

CDOT also added project element s into the project as it went along, successfully replacing the Colorado Boulevard and Hampden Avenue bridges over I-25 after it got a $15 million loan from the state Transportation Commission, since repaid. Those bridges hadn’t been included in the original [project because of a lack of funds.

Third parties that wanted enhancements also added to the total. Greenwood Village came up with $7.4 million for several upgrades, including better looking bridges and rail stations and a new design for the Arapahoe Station to lure development, and Denver paid $2.92 million to add a concrete plaza over the Louisiana-Pearl light-rail station, which is down at the highway level. A private developer paid to add two floors to the Lincoln Avenue end-of-line station.

Some of the add-ons were much smaller. The University of Denver paid $7,588 to have T-REX paint the school’s colors at the University light-rail station. And the Parliament Apartments, atop a hill at the I-225 interchange, paid $3,652 to lower the noise wall so it doesn’t obscure the brick sign and flagpoles advertising the complex.