Denver's Union Station is poised to become a major transportation hub once more, but faces a lot of challenges before opening its doors.
"(A)fter years of planning, financing for the station's redevelopment is nearly in place. A final price - around $477 million - should be set by the end of the year, and construction will begin soon after. Then progress could move quickly - a sprawling new train shed, a light-rail terminal, an underground bus terminal and pedestrian walkway, an extended mall shuttle and a renovated historic station, all surrounded by lively new public spaces - with everything expected to be complete by summer 2012 and ready for the 200,000 daily passengers that FasTracks is expected to bring to the station.
That is, if everything goes as planned.
Though some of the region's most powerful figures and a well-regarded local developer are leading the project, the rebirth of Union Station will be one of the most complex and challenging undertakings ever attempted in Denver: a convoluted labyrinth of rail lines, bus infrastructure, pedestrian walkways and private development that needs to fit into a crowded corner of downtown."
Thanks to Joe Tone
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research