Any notion the Regional Transportation District had of nixing completion of the Northwest Rail line to Longmont and Boulder County has earned a rebuke from Gov. Jared Polis.
In a letter sent Friday to RTD CEO and General Manager Debra Johnson, Polis stated, “I write to remind you of RTD’s responsibility of fulfilling their obligations to the taxpayers of the District and urgently request you begin the planning necessary to complete the construction of the corridor by 2025. Please keep this priority in mind, particularly, as the District evaluates how to spend significant additional dollars that have been unexpectedly provided directly to RTD via federal stimulus payments.”
Johnson, speaking at a Jan. 15 event organized by Boulder Transportation Connections, questioned whether an extension of the B Line from Westminster to Longmont — now estimated to cost $1.5 billion — is the best option, CPR News reported.
"While we're fixated on rail because it's sexy and everyone wants to ride the iron horse, we have to keep in mind what might be more viable," Johnson said.
Johnson made similar comments to the Denver Business Journal in November, and a podcast in December, according to CPR News.
She told the Boulder group the "ridership is not there," for RTD to get federal money to help complete the project, according to CPR News, which reported the agency's most recent estimate put daily ridership at 5,400 and just 1,400 for a rush-hour-only service plan.
Johnson and Erik Davidson, who in October was appointed by Boulder County commissioners to fill the RTD board seat for District I, made similar comments to Longmont City Council on Jan. 12. They told council members the city’s status within the FasTracks plan is not going to change anytime soon.
Longmont was slated to be part of RTD’s Northwest Rail project, a segment in the FasTracks expansion program. But unforeseen costs and other miscues have pushed the anticipated completion date of the rail line to 2050.
FasTracks, specifically the 0.4% tax voters approved in 2004 and which Longmont residents have been paying, has been a sore point for local officials. Through 2019, the total Longmont portion of the RTD tax for FasTracks was $60,299,232, according to Jim Golden, Longmont’s chief financial officer.
In September, RTD officials proposed dipping in to the $120 million fund tucked away to help complete the northwest corridor rail service and redirect the money toward other projects. While it never came to pass, the consideration earned strong criticism from city council as well as the Northwest Chamber Alliance, which includes the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce.
Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley in a news release announcing Polis’ letter to RTD, reiterated the city’s stance.
“Longmont and I appreciate the Governor's persistence on this important issue. RTD must fulfill its commitment to the voters. They have a statutory obligation to comply and use Longmont's tax dollars to complete the NW Rail,” Bagley stated in the release.
In the same release, Jonathan Singer, former state representative, stated, “Now is not the time to pump the brakes on finishing FasTracks. At every town hall I convened, we heard the anger and disappointment from Longmont constituents not getting what they paid for. There are new opportunities with the Biden administration to finish what was promised to us 15 years ago. Let's put our heads together and make rail a reality.”
In his letter, Polis wrote, “RTD has a statutory and ethical duty to the voters” to complete FasTracks. “The state’s economic vitality depends on our ability to connect all of our communities to affordable and efficient mobility options. And my administration is committed to seeing it completed by RTD,” he wrote.
The completion of Northwest Rail and projections of 8,600 to 10,100 rail riders by 2025 were incorporated in the state’s Greenhouse Gas Roadmap, he added.
“I encourage you to immediately consider viable opportunities that can get this corridor operational by 2025,” Polis wrote.
