FasTracks Funding Gap Grows to $2.5 Billion in Denver

The Denver Regional Transportation District is forecasting an increasing gap between what it will cost to complete the region's FasTracks light rail system and how much taxpayer money will be available to fund its construction.

1 minute read

January 8, 2010, 6:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"RTD also is using a lower forecast for sales-tax collections, which are a key component of the revenue stream that will pay for FasTracks, the nation's most ambitious mass- transit expansion program.

The agency now is forecasting that it will have about $4.2 billion available from tax collections, federal funds and other sources to build the project by 2017 unless metro Denver voters approve a doubling of the existing 0.4 percent FasTracks sales tax in November.

Last year's revenue forecast was $4.8 billion."

RTD expects to be about $2.5 billion short of what it needs to complete the system by 2017.

Thanks to Reconnecting America

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 in The Denver Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

6 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Streetcar and bus stopped at station on Market Street in San Francisco with Ferry Building visible in background.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street

If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

3 hours ago - San Francisco Examiner

Parklet with wooden benches and flower boxes on street in Ireland.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces

Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

4 hours ago - Streetsblog San Francisco

Bronze statue of homeless man (Jesus) with head down and arm outstretched in front of St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington D.C.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.

5 hours ago - The New York Times