Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Joins Adams County Officials for Pecos Avenue Overpass Opening |
|---|
Topics: Greg Nadeau
|
Federal Highway Administration
17 November 2011
FHWA 63-11
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Contact: Doug Hecox
Tel: 202-366-0660
DENVER - Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau joined state and local officials to officially open the overpass at 62nd Parkway and Pecos Avenue, which will improve safety for drivers, trains and pedestrians.
"Investments like this create jobs in the short term and lasting economic benefits in the long term," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We must continue to invest in roads and bridges to keep our economy moving forward."
The route serves an estimated 23,000 drivers each day. The substantial growth in trains crossing through the area over the last several decades contributes to increasingly lengthy traffic delays for drivers on area streets and worsens noise and air quality for local residents.
"The jobs this project created helped put people to work and bolstered Denver's economy," said Deputy Administrator Nadeau. "By reducing traffic delays, this project enhances safety for pedestrians, allows people to spend less time in their cars, and opens the door to continued economic growth."
Though construction on this project began in late 2009, planning for it began more than a decade earlier. The $38.2 million project constructed a bridge over the railroad tracks near Pecos Avenue north of Denver.
The project relied on $15.6 million in federal funds, including $4.45 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Union Pacific contributed $14.4 million, while funding from two area water districts and the Denver Regional Council of Governments made up the difference.
The new overpass and 62nd Parkway, a new access road for it, will serve as a transfer point for RTD bus riders at Denver's new Pecos Junction station. The station will serve the city's FasTracks Gold and Northwest light-rail lines beginning in 2016.
At nearby Guardian Angels School, teachers integrated much of the project's construction into curricula for students, including math, civics and art. Ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, students created hundreds of artfully decorated ceramic tiles for display on a special fence near the overpass.