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This page contains an archive of the last 100 entries posted to ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest in the Transporation and Infrastructure category. They are listed from newest to oldest. You can find older entries using the search box below.

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Transporation and Infrastructure Archives

February 29, 2008

Loveland man charged with odometer tampering - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8400224...
A federal grand jury in Denver has indicted Roch Allen Croteau, 43, of Loveland on charges of odometer tampering. Croteau was a used-car dealer in metro Denver, operating Sun Sports RV & Marine.
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February 28, 2008

Durango Herald Online - Photo-radar act memorializes worker

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
Drivers are supposed to slow down and move to the left when they see highway work crews. And if they don't, they could find a hefty ticket in the mail, if state lawmakers win approval of two bills. The "Charles Mather Highway Safety Act" would set up photo-radar vans statewide in highway construction zones. It is named for a Colorado Department of Transportation worker who was killed on the job in 2006 south of Pueblo. A companion bill would increase traffic fines. Photo-radar vans measure a car's speed and snap a picture of speeding vehicles. Police use the photos to trace license plates and mail tickets to speeding drivers. Mather, 34, died two months before the birth of his first child, a son named Chuckie. Mather's widow, Leena, said Wednesday her husband was "a victim of carelessness."
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Pueblo lawmaker unveils bill to protect highway workers

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204213176/3...
Rep. Buffie McFadyen and Leena Mather are trying to slow traffic through the state's highway construction zones. The Pueblo West Democrat and the Beulah widow are doing that in the name of Charles Gabriel Mather, the Colorado Department of Transportation worker killed while on the job on Interstate 25 in 2006. "Five hundred and forty- six days ago, I was directly affected by the everyday dangers our (CDOT) workers face," Leena Mather said through tears at a press conference in the Colorado Capitol on Wednesday. "That was the day that was the end of life and love for me, the end of all my dreams and the end of a perfect life. It was the day my husband was killed as he was doing the job he loved. He became the victim of carelessness," Mrs. Mather said. On Aug. 30, 2006, more than a month before his son who shares the same name was born, the 34-year-old Mather was part of a CDOT crew working on paving a section of the highway near Colorado City. A semitrailer crashed into the construction zone, killing Mather and injuring four of his colleagues.
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Craig Daily Press / Rail service possible

http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2008/feb/28/rail_service_possible/...
The cities of Steamboat Springs and Craig have joined a group exploring high-speed, passenger rail service that could include a spur extending from South Routt to Craig. The Hayden Town Board also has voted to join the multi-jurisdictional governmental entity known as the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority. Hayden’s membership will become official once it’s ratified by the authority, which is exploring the possibility of modern rail track along the Interstate 70 and Interstate 25 corridors. The system could continue into Wyoming and potentially tie in to similar rail networks already in the works in Utah and New Mexico. It is anticipated the I-70 stretch would include two major spurs: one to Aspen and another through South Routt, Steamboat and Craig. Routt County already has joined the authority. County Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush said she is glad that all other incorporated municipalities in Routt and Moffat counties have decided to join.
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Full fare for bus-rapid transit? : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/28/full-fare-for-bus-rapid-transit/...
Regional Transportation District officials are trying to reassure cities along U.S. 36 that the district still fully supports bus-rapid transit following the circulation of a city of Boulder memo questioning that commitment last week.
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Centennial Airport wants to ban the loudest jets - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8386602...
The loudest jets operating in the U.S. would be banned from landing at Centennial Airport under a proposal submitted by the airport and surrounding communities to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is currently reviewing and taking public comment on Centennial's "noise-compatibility program." Michael Fronapfel, the airport's manager of planning and development, said the first of 12 recommendations is to ban "Stage 1" aircraft entirely, and Recommendation 2 is to ban the slightly quieter "Stage 2" aircraft from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
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February 27, 2008

Web traffic weighs in on I-70 traffic - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372055...
Sen. Chris Romer may not have unclogged Interstate 70, but he's certainly opened the floodgates for citizens wanting to have their say. The Denver Democrat made waves in January when he suggested tolling drivers headed to the mountains during peak hours. Romer has since become the only lawmaker he knows of to attempt to craft legislation through a wiki approach, where people can weigh in on I-70 solutions at a site launched Friday: groups.google.com/group/fixI70now.
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Aspen Times News - CDOT plows through plowing budget

http://aspentimes.com/article/20080227/NEWS/613867368...
The Colorado Department of Transportation has already plowed through all the funds it budgeted to clear snow and ice from roads in the Aspen and Glenwood Springs areas and now is relying on reserves. “The budget is not only low, but gone,” CDOT spokeswoman Nancy Shanks said. The agency had to scramble for additional funds for snow removal about half way through the winter. Supplemental funding for snow maintenance was dispersed Jan. 17 and again Feb. 21, Shanks said. CDOT’s fiscal year begins in July. It sets its budget for snow removal based on the expenditure from the two winters before.
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The Longmont Times-Call - Council considers double tracks

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6840...
Installing a second set of tracks in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe right of way between Longmont and Boulder could enable the Regional Transportation District to provide more frequent passenger train service and shorten commuter-rail travel times. But double-tracking that segment of FasTracks’ Northwest Rail Corridor would add a projected $45 million to the project’s cost, RTD general manager Cal Marsella told Longmont city officials this week.
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Hot brakes slow rail commute - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372713...
Hot brakes slowed the evening commute for thousands who take the RTD Light Rail south today. Just after 5 p.m. a train pulled into the station at Interstate 25 and Broadway with an overheated brake that was giving off smoke, but never blazed, said RTD spokesman Scott Reed. As a precaution, RTD benched the hobbled car. It took crews about 20 minutes to move out of the way, causing a backlog of commuters, he said. More than 55,700 people a day right the Light Rail, boarding at 36 stations.
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Top Stories: Fountain digs up cash to fund bus services till mid-July | fountain, service, bus : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/fountain_33570___article.html/service_bus.html...
Folks who depend on buses to get to and from Fountain are assured of that service through mid-July, following approval Tuesday of a contract with Colorado Springs to provide both fixed-route and paratransit service. The city of Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metropolitan Transit has provided bus service to the smaller city to the south for years, but Fountain has struggled to pay the bill. This past year was no different, and bus riders feared the service would end in 2008.
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February 26, 2008

The Longmont Times-Call - RTD set on Longmont terminal site

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6813...
Regional Transportation District plans for FasTracks commuter-rail service between Denver and Longmont still envision building that route’s end-of-the-line station at First Avenue and Terry Street, RTD general manager Cal Marsella assured city officials Monday. Moreover, the Longmont station could someday become part of a further eastern extension of passenger rail service to the Interstate 25 corridor, Marsella said, if the Colorado Department of Transportation ever decides to incorporate commuter rail into future projects to reduce traffic congestion on the Interstate. Marsella presented a status report on the FasTracks Northwest Rail corridor to the Longmont City Council and members of the city’s Transportation Advisory Board on Monday night.
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Metro: Council backs long-range plan stressing road maintenance, mass transit | plan, transportation, projects : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/plan_33542___article.html/transportation_project...
The Colorado Springs City Council on Monday gave informal approval to a long-range regional transportation plan that stresses maintaining roads and strengthening mass transit rather than embarking on new, expensive road projects. Council members did put an unexpected spin on their endorsement of what is called the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan: They said a plan to extend Constitution Avenue from Paseo Road to Interstate 25 — hugely controversial when it was proposed about a decade ago — should be considered sometime after 2020. Several council members said they didn’t believe they should dictate to future councils what transportation projects they should consider. The 2035 plan was created by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments after a series of public surveys and public meetings involving about 1,400 people.
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House gives first-round OK to bill shooting down "fly-away tax" | Politics West

http://www.politicswest.com./20691/house_gives_first_round_ok_bill_shooting_down...
The House gave initial approval today to a bill that eliminates a sales tax on aircraft sold in Colorado but used in other states. Those in the aircraft industry say the current law discourages sales of new or used aircraft in Colorado as well as plane manufacturing. House Bill 1261, sponsored by Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, eliminates the sales tax on aircraft that are sold in Colorado but flown out of state. The House must pass the bill once more before it can move to the Senate.
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Commerce City creates quiet train zones - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8362903...
The trains that rumble through this community every half-hour with horns blaring will now have to behave with a little more decorum. Commerce City is the first city in Colorado to incorporate "quiet zones" for train traffic, where locomotives are not allowed to blow their horns before or at a section of rail line with one or more consecutive public crossings. So far, quiet zones have been established at two intersections in Commerce City at a cost of about $15,000 each. It took the city about 18 months to upgrade the intersections at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe track at East 72nd Avenue and Colorado 2 and at Rosemary Street and Colorado 2 to meet Federal Railroad Administration quiet zone requirements, city officials say. That includes adding two-quadrant gate arms, flashing lights and bells, and signs warning approaching motorists they are entering a quiet zone. Raised medians also were built to prevent motorists from driving around gates.
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Aspen Times News - Interstate 70 work to slow traffic

http://aspentimes.com/article/20080225/NEWS/138186245...
Work near the Twin Tunnels just east of Idaho Springs will impact Interstate 70 traffic this week, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
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Insulator problems beset line : Traffic : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/insulator-problems-beset-line/...
The problem that shut down a portion of RTD's new T-REX light-rail line for 33 hours last week wasn't a fluke. When an insulator that helps suspend the high-voltage power line over the train cars broke near the Southeast Corridor's underpass at C-470 - sagging the wire and causing a passing train to rip out support arms on a dozen poles - it was the 27th time an insulator has broken on the new corridor since T-REX opened 15 months ago. In RTD's 14 years of running light rail on the Central Corridor downtown, the Southwest Corridor to Littleton and the Platte Valley spur to Union Station, it has never had a broken insulator. Because of the T-REX problems, RTD already had decided before last week's outage to replace all 2,000 insulators, made by Kummler & Matter of Zurich, Switzerland, with ones made by Siemens of Munich, Germany. It placed the order three weeks ago and plans to have the swap completed by midsummer. "We're going to replace them all," said Lloyd Mack, RTD's chief of rail operations. "I can't keep doing this."
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February 25, 2008

Top Stories: Toll road bills debated this week | road, toll, bill : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/road_33509___article.html/toll_bill.html...
Call it the duel of the toll road bills. On on side, we have HB1007 from Rep. Marsha Looper, a Calhan Republican. Her bill would clear the titles of property along a proposed toll road path on the eastern plains. On the other is HB1343, introduced last week by Rep. Debbie Stafford, D-Aurora, and Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock. That bill would not only clear titles but eradicate mention of the toll road proposal from all public records. It also would prevent companies from securing a toll road corridor by claiming they are a railroad company. Both bills are scheduled to go before a house committee on Tuesday.
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Senator's I-70 toll comes under fire : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/23/senators-i-70-toll-comes-under-fire/...
First Sen. Chris Romer proposed charging people who drive on Interstate 70 during peak times as a way to ease weekend traffic. Then came the angry e-mails and even a few hits on his ski helmet from fellow skiers who hated the idea. Romer said Friday that he also got over 100 e-mails from people who had great ideas of their own about how to eliminate ski traffic gridlock. He said he wants to hear more so he's started a user group where people can post their ideas that he will use to help refine his proposal. There's also a section for people "who want to hit Senator Romer over the head with a ski pole."
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The Longmont Times-Call - Tracking FasTracks

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6793...
City officials want updates on FasTracks progress — and want to make sure the Regional Transportation District is still on track to roll out commuter rail in Longmont. The city will have a transportation open house tonight, followed by an update on the FasTracks project to the Longmont City Council. RTD general manager Cal Marsella and Lee Kemp, Longmont’s RTD board of directors representative, will update City Council members on the commuter rail project, including environmental studies, costs, fencing and quiet zones. “We just want to make sure everything is on track for FasTracks for Longmont,” city transportation planner Phil Greenwald said.
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Extra!, February 23 : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/23/extra-february-23/...
4 State Patrol employees were honored this week for their quick responses when the giant sinkhole opened this month along Interstate 25 and 56th Avenue in Denver. The four were able to close the highway quickly and divert traffic. Employees honored were Sgt. Mark Bonfield, Cpl. Tim McClinchy and troopers Kyle Barrett and John Smith.
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Airline passengers eye fast lane : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/25/airline-passengers-eye-fast-lane/...
A man fidgeting with a laptop case and a bulky overcoat became frustrated Friday afternoon when the security line he was standing in at Denver International Airport stopped moving, so he maneuvered to the very front of a different line -- no questions asked. Such perks are to be expected, though, for passengers who pay the annual premium for a high-tech Clear security fast pass. The Clear card, available since January at DIA and accepted at 13 other airports across the country, allows frequent flyers to bypass the unpredictable waits at airport security stations by registering personal information with the government in advance.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Airport looks at federal funding

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1203746400/6...
Pueblo Memorial Airport officials are hopeful that federal funding for runway repairs will be restored soon. The city has been waiting for months for the passage of a Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill that would send $6 million to the city to repave the runway at the airport. Airport Director Jerry Brienza said the city has been waiting for the money since October.
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February 22, 2008

Bill to take brakes off new cab firms advances : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/22/bill-to-take-brakes-off-new-ca...
Denver's cabbies finally had their day at the state Capitol. More than 100 independent drivers returned Thursday for round two of last year's grudge match with Denver's three taxi companies. While last year's fight centered on a bill that would have deregulated the industry, debate this time focused on more subtle legislation that would make it easier for new cab companies to open for business. The drivers won this time, with the House Transportation and Energy Committee voting 8-4 to send House Bill 1227 to the House Appropriations Committee. "They were so happy," Abdi Buni, president of Pro Taxi, said of the cabbies who showed up to support his testimony in favor of the bill. Buni's union represents 550 independent drivers. "I told them in the hall afterward, 'Look, it will change something from impossible to difficult,' " he said.
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Romer site eyes I-70 gridlock : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/22/romer-web-site-eyes-weekend-i-...
Skiers outraged over Sen. Chris Romer's idea to charge people for driving on Interstate 70 during the weekend rush hour now have a place to direct their anger constructively. Starting Saturday, Romer invites anyone interested in an "authentic dialogue" about easing traffic up to the slopes to visit his new Web page, groups.goo gle.com/group/fixI70now. Interested parties can submit ideas and read those of Romer and hundreds of others. The Denver Democrat said he will take the best of the ideas and craft them into a bill that he will submit for consideration by the Senate in late March. He is calling it the country's first Wikipedia-style bill. "I've not made a decision as to what will be in the bill other than the title," which will read "Traffic demand management," he said Thursday at the state Capitol. "My fervent hope is the collective brain of all Colorado is at least as smart as the people in this building." Romer said he has received about 800 e-mails - 70 percent negative - since his idea for "congestion-based pricing" during the ski rush hour was first reported last month in the Rocky Mountain News.
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Bill opening door to new cab firms moves forward - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8329592...
A bill making it easier for new taxi companies to operate in Denver passed a House committee Thursday over the objections of existing cab firms that said it would hurt service. Dozens of African immigrants who work as cabdrivers crammed into a basement hearing room in the Capitol to weigh in on House Bill 1227, which would lower the burden on startup taxicab companies, requiring them only to show that they are "operationally and financially fit" to provide service. Abdi Buni, president of Pro Taxi, a union that represents more than 500 drivers, said the legislation would level the playing field, "giving the small-business owner a fighting chance" to compete with big companies. Kyle Brown, general manager of Metro Taxi, said the bill would make a dramatic change to existing regulations just as studies of the industry are underway. The Public Utilities Commission also is conducting an audit of the existing cab companies.
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Metro: Commissioners peeved over lawmakers' letters opposing motorcycle park | county, morse, state : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/county_33391___article.html/morse_state.html...
County commissioners are upset over letters two Democratic state lawmakers sent to parks officials opposing a motorcycle park proposed for eastern El Paso County. Commissioners say neither Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, nor state Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, contacted them to discuss the park before or after sending letters to Harris Sherman, director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and members of the state Parks Board. The board will decide today whether to grant the county $320,000 for the park proposed for the Corral Bluffs area along Colorado Highway 94 east of Colorado Springs. “This is a situation where their special interest groups have influenced them into trying to alter the process,” Commissioner Jim Bensberg said. “And it is not right and it is not fair.” The proposed location is in neither Morse’s nor Merrifield’s districts, but they say they wrote the letters in response to constituent concerns.
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Two light-rail stops doubtful for duty today - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8329882...
Two southern RTD light-rail stations that were shut down Thursday may not be up and running in time for this morning's commute, transportation officials said. "It's iffy as to whether it's going to be open" by this morning, said Regional Transportation District spokesman Scott Reed. "They'll be working on it through the night, but a lot depends on the weather," he said. Reed noted that forecasters were predicting light snow overnight, which could hamper repairs. A section of the rail power line failed about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Reed said, leaving the Lincoln and County Line stops, which serve the E, F and G lines, without light-rail service.
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DIA manager's pay 50% over predecessor : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/22/dia-managers-pay-50-over-prede...
The new manager of Denver International Airport is poised to receive a $240,996 annual salary, making her Mayor John Hickenlooper's highest paid appointee. The salary that Hickenlooper is proposing for Kim Day is about 50 percent more than that of Turner West, the current DIA manager. Day's proposed salary is at the top of the range of a salary survey of other U.S. airports.
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Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Boulder season rolls into the Roaring Fork valley early

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080222/VALLEYNEWS/295983009...
Large rocks have appeared on the highways, marking an annual rite of late winter and spring: boulder season. Earlier this week a few of them fell to the highway and bashed through the concrete median divider on Highway 82 just south of Glenwood Springs. Boulder season is starting a little early this year. “We normally have rocks start falling mostly during the spring,” said Colorado State Patrol Capt. Rich Duran. “I think we’re a little bit ahead right now, but come March or April, I think we’ll see a lot more.”
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February 21, 2008

Mining for Gold: RTD explores rail options - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8318714...
A breakdown in RTD's effort to acquire major Union Pacific railroad properties in central Denver for FasTracks rail construction has led the transit agency to consider new routes that would require the acquisition of land from more property owners. On Tuesday, planners working on the Gold Line commuter train from Union Station to Arvada/Wheat Ridge outlined several alternate routes for the portion of the line from downtown Denver to Pecos Street. All cost more than an earlier plan to use freight-rail right of way shared by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads. Planners are recommending a Union Station-to-Pecos option that could lead to taking 13 full properties, including one home, and parts of 11 other properties.
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Color-coded screening takes off at DIA - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8318713...
Glenn Yarrington, 80, one of the many cowboy-hatted volunteer ambassadors at Denver International Airport, thought all the travelers Wednesday morning were doing just fine as the Transportation Security Administration launched a two-week test program. There was the line designated with a green circle for families and those needing special assistance. There was the blue sign for the "Frequent Traveler" and the "Black Diamond" line for the "Expert Traveler." Mark Warner, an aerospace quality engineer from Lockheed Martin, said that "time will tell" whether the new lines work.
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Security line ski-daddle: DIA debuts slope symbols : Airlines & Aerospace : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/21/security-line-ski-daddle-dia-d...
Phil Mahler was the perfect "black diamond" candidate. Arizona businessman. Frequent flier. Blackberry user. Black briefcase. Black wool overcoat. Blue tie. Moreover, he was fed up with the security lines at Denver International Airport, DIA's rental car situation and how long it takes to drive to an airport "out in the middle of nowhere." So a new "black diamond" security line at DIA geared toward expert travelers like himself was appealing. "Anything that can reduce time sounds good to me," said Mahler, standing in the security line. "You guys have to do something," he added, before checking his watch." DIA is one of two airports where the Transportation Security Administration is rolling out a two-week pilot program that will allow passengers to select the security line they feel is most appropriate for them.
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Vail Daily - Rowdy drunks will be kicked off Eagle County buses

http://vaildaily.com/article/20080220/NEWS/573832541...
Late-night ECO bus riders, watch your behavior — you might be denied a ride. ECO Transit’s new “zero-tolerance policy” means that anyone fighting or disrupting the bus service will be asked to leave at the next bus stop. Bus drivers will also deny rides to anyone who is too drunk to get on the bus, uncooperative toward the driver, or fighting. Eagle-Vail resident Elisha Ben-Haim said he thinks the policy is a good idea. He rides the late buses back from work in Vail.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - County deals with big bills from snowfall

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/20/022108_1b_snow.ht...
In a normal year, Mesa County spends somewhere between $250,000 to $300,000 on snow removal. This year, the county already has spent $499,010 on sand, salt, magnesium chloride, and overtime for snowplow drivers, county officials told the Mesa County Commission this week. “We’re at half a million dollars or thereabout, and keep in mind, we’ll have more snow to plow,” said Pete Baier, the county’s director of public works.
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Frontier grew work force 15% in 2007 : Airlines & Aerospace : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/21/frontier-leads-peers-in-adding...
Frontier Airlines led its peers in employee growth last year, increasing its work force by more than 15 percent, according to federal data released Wednesday. The Denver-based carrier added nearly 700 positions in 2007, although it cut about 100 jobs at the end of the year to offset higher fuel costs and other expenses. Several regional airlines, which typically fly routes for larger carriers, added workers at a faster pace, percentagewise. But Frontier grew faster than any of its large competitors by that measure, the U.S. Transportation Department said.
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Downed power lines disable 2 SE light rail stations : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/21/downed-power-lines-disable-2-s...
The two southernmost stations of RTD's southeast light rail line lost power early this morning, keeping people off the Lincoln and County Line stations, RTD reported. The outage likely will continue through this evening’s rush hour. Ten RTD trains are shuttling people from the two stations to the Dry Creek station, but people who normally hop on at the two downed stations should expect to take an extra 10 minutes to get to work, RTD spokesman Scott Reed said. An insulator in the overhead power lines broke about 2:30 this morning, Reed said. “Because there is so much tension on those wires there was a ripple effect causing the power line itself to break,” he said.
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Laid-off aircraft workers offered help : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/21/laid-off-aircraft-workers-offe...
The hundreds of Adam Aircraft workers who were laid off in recent weeks as the carrier spiraled into Chapter 7 bankruptcy have the opportunity to receive advice on how to transition into new jobs and cope with the unemployment process. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment will hold a workshop for former Adam Aircraft employees at the Clarion Hotel, 7770 S. Peoria St. One session will run from 9 to 11 a.m. and another from 1 to 3 p.m.
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February 20, 2008

DIA security lines: Pick 'em : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/20/dia-security-lines-pick-em/...
DIA travelers can get choosy starting today. They now have the choice of schussing through an expert security lane or hopping along the bunny slope of a family-friendly line. But watch out for the airport equivalent of ski moguls if you hazard the black-diamond expert lane burdened with multiple pieces of luggage. You could wipe out. Denver is one of two airports where the Transportation Security Administration is trying a two-week pilot project that will allow passengers to select the line they feel is most appropriate for them. A similar experiment began a week ago in Salt Lake City. At DIA, the pilot project will be limited to the north security checkpoint, said TSA regional spokeswoman Carrie Harmon.
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Amended eminent-domain bill puts limits on RTD - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8309683...
After hearing emotional testimony from some property owners whose land is being taken for use along a light-rail line, the House Transportation Committee passed an amended bill Tuesday that places curbs on RTD's power of eminent domain. "They are taking my home and business and American dream," Lakewood property owner Galen Foster said to legislators, about the land at West 14th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard that he and his wife, Kim Snyder, are losing to the Regional Transportation District. RTD is taking their property and other land in the area for a four-story, 1,000-space parking garage to serve the Wadsworth station on the west light-rail line. RTD general manager Cal Marsella told lawmakers his agency pays "fair market value" for land taken through eminent domain. RTD may solicit interest from private developers for building up to four additional floors of commercial space above the parking garage, he said.
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Adam Aircraft files Ch. 7 petition - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8309493...
Adam Aircraft Industries Inc. has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, and the trustee in the case is in talks with potential buyers of its assets. Adam Aircraft last week shut down operations and laid off its remaining 500 employees after failing to secure funding for continued operations. The petition for Chapter 7 was filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Colorado. The filing indicates the company's assets are worth between $1 million and $10 million, while its estimated liabilities are between $50 million and $100 million. But Jeffrey A. Weinman, the trustee in the case, said the assets are probably worth $10 million to $50 million, and many are interested in buying them.
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Noise-abatement program working - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8308929...
As American Airlines Flight 1469 prepared to depart Denver International Airport last week, ramp tower controller Chris Haggenjos asked the pilots if they would be willing to switch runways. The offer wasn't made to ease congestion or speed the plane on its way — it was part of DIA's noise-abatement program. The MD-80 was scheduled to take off to the west on Runway 7/25, which parallels Pena Boulevard near the airport's car-rental lots. In the past, noisy planes departing Runway 25 have caused noise violations and millions of dollars in noise fines that DIA has paid. The MD-80 and 12 other aircraft types are on DIA's list of "noise-critical" planes. Airport officials are trying to reroute these noisemakers away from Runway 25. Flight 1469's pilots told Haggenjos, who works for DIA in an 180-foot tower above the B concourse, that they would consider an alternate. So Haggenjos rang up air-traffic controllers in the nearby Federal Aviation Administration tower and got permission to offer the American crew a runway that would take the MD-80 out of DIA to the south. When the American pilots heard the switch would delay their departure, they rejected it, taxied to Runway 25 and took off toward the mountains. Still, DIA officials say the noise-abatement program generally is working well.
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February 19, 2008

DIA tapped for tests on improving lines, security : Airlines & Aerospace : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/19/dia-tapped-for-tests-on-improv...
Two upcoming pilot programs at Denver International Airport are part of the government's efforts to explore new ways to move travelers through checkpoints and enhance security. The first program, which will begin Wednesday and run for two weeks, lets fliers choose different types of security lanes, based on how much assistance and time they need to get through the checkpoint. The other one, which will run for 90 days starting in May, involves enhancing employee screening. The Transportation Security Administration said the moves are part of about a dozen pilot programs it has or plans to implement this year at various airports nationwide.
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Colorado's highways less deadly : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/19/colorados-highways-less-deadly...
Coloradans are dramatically safer on the state's highways today, as the number of fatal and injury crashes has plummeted 63 percent in seven years. From a peak of 12,304 in 2001, the number of fatal and injury crashes plunged to 4,543 in 2007. Nationwide, the number of serious crashes on all streets and roads fell 15 percent in the same seven years. The State Patrol claims part of the credit, as it has targeted enforcement on the most dangerous roads and holidays and has educated 12,000 crash-prone young drivers. "People are driving more responsibly in Colorado," State Patrol Chief Mark Trostel said. The patrol also credits safer vehicles and roads and a tougher drunken-driving law.
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State patrol seeks to increase more than 100 traffic fines : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/19/patrol-seeks-to-increase-more-...
State Patrol Chief Mark Trostel has a new strategy in his drive to eliminate highway deaths by 2025: raise fines. "Some people are more likely to obey the law if they get hit in the pocketbook," Trostel said. "They see such a low fine for speeding . . . that's not a deterrent." Trostel is asking the legislature for increases in more than 100 state traffic fines. Many are only $15, such as the one for failure to use turn signals, or $35, for running a red light. Most fines would double, but Trostel wants to triple and quadruple the fines for violations that cause the most fatal crashes in Colorado and that result in the most damage to people.
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Airport to try tailored security - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8301858...
Federal aviation officials this week plan to start a test program at Denver International Airport's north terminal checkpoint steering "expert" travelers — those who travel frequently and with little luggage — to a screening line marked by a black diamond sign. Following the ski-slope theme, "casual" travelers with multiple carry-on bags will be encouraged to use the special screening line with the blue sign, and families, groups and those with special needs should consider the more leisurely screening line designated by a green sign. "As much as business travelers want to move through quickly, another group of passengers does not want to feel pressured," said Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Carrie Harmon. The two-week TSA test program begins Wednesday. Only three of the 10 screening lines at the DIA checkpoint will be involved in the test, and travelers will "self-select" which line they want to take, Harmon said. "Black diamond" screening, as it is called, started as a test at Salt Lake City's airport last week. DIA is the second U.S. airport to experiment with the test, which is designed to ease the flow of travelers through airport checkpoints.
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Adam Aircraft workers widely wooed - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8298956...
It's been just a week since the shutdown of Centennial Airport-based Adam Aircraft's operations, but the company's 800 former employees are already being courted heavily by aviation companies around the country. Colorado's high-profile aircraft-development industry has nearly disappeared in the span of three months with the suspension of work at Aviation Technology Group in December, also based at Centennial Airport, followed by Adam Aircraft's layoff of its remaining 500 employees Feb. 11. But the industry in other parts of the country is thriving and in dire need of engineers and other skilled workers.
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