Purchase of Burnham Yard will give Colo. regional rail space to move … and add
Written by RT&S Staff
Burnham Yard, pictured as the green space, will provide valuable land for the Regional Transportation District and the Colorado DOT.
Colorado DOT
Colorado’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) is giving up something to add something. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Union Pacific have produced a preliminary agreement on the sale of Burnham Yard. High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), which is owned by CDOT, approved a non-binding term sheet on Feb. 19.
The yard was abandoned by Union Pacific four years ago, and the purchase of 59 acres of railyard south of Denver will allow Interstate 25 to expand. A rail line is located just east of I-25, but a sold Burnham Yard will open up space for those tracks to move further east, and additional tracks could be built. RTD has five lines that meet near 10th Street and Osage in Denver, creating delays during rush hour. The purchase of Burnham Yard would allow RTD to construct additional track to alleviate the rail congestion.
The state of Colorado now has around three months to execute environmental tests, which could cost as much as $7 million.
HPTE, CDOT and Union Pacific need to approve a final agreement. RTD says it is ready to spend $6.9 million for the Burnham Yard property when the environmental analysis is done.
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