The Regional Transportation District Board of Directors has approved a request from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to relocate the planned Montview Station on the I-225 Rail Line to a new location at Fitzsimons Parkway. CU officials requested the station be moved to help mitigate electromagnetic interference (EMI) and vibration near sensitive research equipment at current and future medical buildings.

The decision by the Board of Directors will allow the I-225 project team to identify environmental impacts and propose mitigation before moving forward with design and construction.

During the 2007 - 2009 environmental and early design process, RTD and CU evaluated options for mitigating EMI and vibration from the train but found that previous measures identified might not be sufficient for future technologies. Additional methods of mitigation were considered but found to be too costly. The project team aims to have a new alignment and station site determined with design under way by the end of the year.

The I-225 Rail Line is a 10.5-mile light rail extension that will travel through Aurora and make key connections to the CU 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.

“We will continue to collaborate with our partners to ensure that our project meets the needs of the greater community,” said RTD General Manager Phil Washington. “We will develop a solution that keeps the project moving forward while staying on budget.”