RTD to complete maintenance work Sept. 16-21 at the Kalamath Street crossing

RTD will perform maintenance work to the at-grade light rail crossing on Kalamath Street beginning Monday, Sept. 16. The work is anticipated to last six days and will result in a temporary street closure and traffic detour.

Next week’s maintenance work will capitalize on a window of time that is now available to RTD after completing its Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project three weeks ahead of schedule. Over the six-day street closure, construction crews will stabilize the rail base and make repairs to asphalt along the alignment. The maintenance work is being timed to conclude prior to RTD’s September service changes, which will be implemented on Sunday, Sept. 29. At that time, light rail service will resume in the Downtown Loop, and D and H line trains will no longer detour to Denver Union Station.

Completing the maintenance during a time when trains are not traveling through the Kalamath Street crossing also alleviates the need for service disruptions to customers. A complete reconstruction of this at-grade crossing is planned for 2025, as outlined in the subsequent phases of the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project.

Between Sept. 16 and 21, motorists traveling southbound along Champa Street to access W. Colfax Avenue will be detoured to Speer Boulevard. Temporary traffic control signs and uniformed traffic control (UTC) officers will be stationed in the area to guide motorists during the detour. RTD has been coordinating with the City and County of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) on the planned closure.