Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. held a groundbreaking ceremony for RTD’s I-225 Light Rail Line extension. The event, with a theme “New Dawn. New Day. New Train. New Connections on the Horizon,” kicked off construction on the complete light rail project from Nine Mile to Peoria.

The ceremony kicked off construction along the I-225 Line from Iliff northbound to Peoria and Smith Road. After a competitive bidding process following an unsolicited proposal by Kiewit Infrastructure Co., the RTD board of directors awarded a contract to Kiewit in July 2012 to complete the full I-225 Rail Line by the end of 2015. The line will open in 2016 after about six months of testing.

Construction has been underway from Nine Mile to Iliff since spring 2012 as part of a joint contract with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Constructing this segment as part of CDOT’s expansion project allows both RTD and CDOT to efficiently build the rail line segment and expand the highway by sharing construction resources. It also minimizes inconvenience to the public by expanding the light rail and the highway at the same time.

The I-225 Rail Line is a 10.5-mile light rail extension that will travel through the City of Aurora and make key connections to the Anschutz Medical Campus and the future VA Hospital.

The line, part of RTD’s FasTracks program, will link the existing Southeast Light Rail Line at the Nine Mile Station with the planned East Rail Line at the Peoria Station and will include eight stations.