Brookside Transit Corridor

The project management firm that will be in charge of replacing the Brookside Interceptor sewer line has been presenting two alternatives. The new line will run from approximately Meyer Boulevard all the way down to Brush Creek. The first alternative is they can follow the original route of the current storm sewer which pretty much runs under Brookside Boulevard. The second alternative is to dig up the Trolley Trail and run the new line under it. There are advantages and disadvantages to either choice. Tearing up Brookside Boulevard would have it closed in sections for extended periods of time. Tearing out the Trolley Trail, while an inconvenience to a much smaller amount of people, would also involve tearing out the parking lots in the Brookside Shops. In my opinion this would result in lost revenue to the Brookside Shops, which also means lost tax revenue to the City. What to do? How about both? One of the comments made during the presentation got me to thinking. The engineer said that if they use the Trolley Track route, they would have to backfill and make sure the path would have the structural integrity to support light rail. This makes sense. The Trolley Trail is the ATA right-of-way and would most likely become a light rail route once again if and when we implement a transit plan. So if we're going to rip everything out, this is our one chance in a generation to make Brookside Boulevard into something special. Starting at Volker Boulevard we should use the combination of the ATA right-of-way which runs the eastern length of Brookside Boulevard to our advantage. Widen the whole thing, expanding to the east and run a transit-only corridor right down the middle. Also put a bike/ped path too. I envision it to look something like this: With BRT or light rail running right down the center of the Boulevard, it would raise the perceived level of importance we put on transit. Also, by using a combination of traffic calming devices, the speeds on Brookside Boulevard could be greatly reduced. Anyone who has ever walked the sidewalks along that street can tell you it is not the grand, meandering boulevard it was intended to be. It's a super-highway. Finally, at 59th St is where the ATA right-of-way slips behind a row of homes all the way to Meyer Boulevard. Without the additive width of that right-of-way, the transit corridor would have to be necked down to one lane. It could still come right through the heart of the Brookside-63rd St intersection. If all the politicians who say they are for transit really want to do something, they can start with a project that's already in the works. This is an incredible opportunity that we should not let become a victim to apathy.