The Colorado Department of Transportation purchased Burnham Yard, seen here in 2015, from Union Pacific in 2021 after the railroad ceased using it. (Denver Post file photo)
Denver wants to strike a potentially $50 million contract that will help determine the future of a rail yard near downtown.
The city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has issued a request for qualifications seeking a firm that will provide on-call professional services related to Burnham Yard, a 58-acre site that the state acquired in 2021.
The selected firm will assist with planning and infrastructure projects as the city and state look to “transform an abandoned rail yard into a thriving center that connects multiple neighborhoods,” according to the bid request documents.
Burnham Yard is located in a largely industrial area east of Interstate 25, generally between 4th and 12th avenues. It’s next to an RTD light rail line. Those driving on the 6th and 8th Avenues bridges pass over Burnham Yard.
Omaha-based railroad Union Pacific ceased using Burnham Yard in early 2016. The Colorado Department of Transportation purchased it from the company five years later for $50 million.
This is the first RFQ that the city has issued related to Burnham Yard, according to city spokeswoman Tiffany McCree.
The contract with the selected firm is expected to run up to three years and cost up to $50 million, according to the documents. Responses were due June 30 and a firm could be selected as soon as August, records show. The deal would then go to the City Council for approval.
The scope of the contract includes the creation of an area plan, made with input from Denver residents, that “will provide a holistic vision that encompasses equitable growth and development, mobility and access, and major infrastructure improvements,” according to the bid documents.
The project could ultimately allow for the expansion of RTD light rail lines and the creation of a long-proposed passenger rail system along the Front Range, according to documents. It could also allow for changes to the nearby I-25 aimed at relieving congestion. The project is also expected to free up land that could be developed.
“The realities of this project are that funding will be uneven, arriving through grants and annual budgets in ways that may feel incomplete, constrained, and overly focused,” the bid documents state. “The ownership and regulatory responsibilities of partner agencies, while having common aspirational goals, will often have differing perspectives on what is important and when things can or should be accomplished.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation purchased Burnham Yard, seen here in 2015, from Union Pacific in 2021 after the railroad ceased using it. (Denver Post file photo)
Denver wants to strike a potentially $50 million contract that will help determine the future of a rail yard near downtown.
The city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has issued a request for qualifications seeking a firm that will provide on-call professional services related to Burnham Yard, a 58-acre site that the state acquired in 2021.
The selected firm will assist with planning and infrastructure projects as the city and state look to “transform an abandoned rail yard into a thriving center that connects multiple neighborhoods,” according to the bid request documents.
Burnham Yard is located in a largely industrial area east of Interstate 25, generally between 4th and 12th avenues. It’s next to an RTD light rail line. Those driving on the 6th and 8th Avenues bridges pass over Burnham Yard.
Omaha-based railroad Union Pacific ceased using Burnham Yard in early 2016. The Colorado Department of Transportation purchased it from the company five years later for $50 million.
This is the first RFQ that the city has issued related to Burnham Yard, according to city spokeswoman Tiffany McCree.
The contract with the selected firm is expected to run up to three years and cost up to $50 million, according to the documents. Responses were due June 30 and a firm could be selected as soon as August, records show. The deal would then go to the City Council for approval.
The scope of the contract includes the creation of an area plan, made with input from Denver residents, that “will provide a holistic vision that encompasses equitable growth and development, mobility and access, and major infrastructure improvements,” according to the bid documents.
The project could ultimately allow for the expansion of RTD light rail lines and the creation of a long-proposed passenger rail system along the Front Range, according to documents. It could also allow for changes to the nearby I-25 aimed at relieving congestion. The project is also expected to free up land that could be developed.
“The realities of this project are that funding will be uneven, arriving through grants and annual budgets in ways that may feel incomplete, constrained, and overly focused,” the bid documents state. “The ownership and regulatory responsibilities of partner agencies, while having common aspirational goals, will often have differing perspectives on what is important and when things can or should be accomplished.”
