07-30-07
Contact: Paul Griffo
Telephone: (202) 366-4064
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today announced two Denver rail projects will take part in a U.S. Department of Transportation pilot program to evaluate the benefits of forming public-private partnerships for federally-funded transit construction projects.
“Transit projects like this one not only prove that partnerships can work, they set a precedent for implementing new and innovative practices,” Peters said. “By partnering the public-private sector you combine the best of both worlds to effectively and efficiently lower costs and decrease build times.”
The East Corridor extends 23.6 miles from Denver Union Station (DUS) in downtown Denver to Denver International Airport (DIA), and connects DUS and DIA with existing residential, commercial, and industrial areas. DIA is a critical link in both the regional and national transportation network. DUS is the central hub of the multi-modal network proposed in Regional Transportation District’s FasTracks regional rail system.
The Gold Line, a proposed 11.2-mile rail transit corridor, will begin at DUS, passing through Northwest Denver. Upon completion there will be six park-n-ride facilities and 2,050 new parking spaces. Construction on both the East and Gold Line Corridors is scheduled to begin in 2011, with service to both corridors commencing in 2015.
Unlike conventional procurement methods for new construction, in which specific jobs are bid out separately, public-private partnerships transfer responsibility for performing construction and operating responsibilities to a single private entity or a consortium of private companies. This allows for greater innovation and project integration, as well as lessening the burden on taxpayers.
The Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program, known as Penta-P, was authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (“SAFETEA-LU”) for certain new “fixed guideway capital projects,” meaning public transit systems that use rail or a dedicated road, such as a bus rapid transit system.
The pilot program will allow the USDOT to study whether public-private partnership projects speed completion, allow more reliable projections of project costs and benefits, and improve project performance.
The pilot will study projects that, among other things, use methods of procurement that integrate risk-sharing and streamline project development, engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance. The amount and terms of private investment in such projects is a significant factor in selecting projects to participate in the program.
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