The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) determined a confidential unsolicited proposal for the North Metro Rail Project has technical merit.

The proposal was submitted in February by a team led by Graham Contracting Ltd. RTD staff spent the last month conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the proposal consistent with the agency’s Unsolicited Proposals Policy. Given that RTD staff believes the proposal has technical merit, the agency plans to accelerate the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the North Metro project.

In January, RTD announced it would release an RFP in October to build North Metro up to 72nd by refinancing some of agency’s debt, issuing new sales tax bonds and using available local funds. However, given that Graham’s unsolicited proposal has technical merit, RTD plans to move up the RFP process for the North Metro Line to this summer.

“We’re very encouraged by some of the ideas in the proposal, so our goal is to get things moving as soon as possible and see how the market speaks,” said RTD GM Phil Washington.

The North Metro project is an 18.5-mile electrified commuter rail line that will connect Denver and Adams County by serving Commerce City, Northglenn and Thornton.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit expansion program to build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county district. Currently, RTD has 81 of the total 140 miles of rail and BRT either under construction or under contract.

The first FasTracks rail line, the West Rail Line, will open eight months ahead of schedule on April 26, 2013.

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