Regional Transportation District signs Northwest Rail design contracts
The HNTB and BNSF contracts cover design and preliminary engineering, with refined cost estimates targeted for mid-2027; they do not authorize construction.
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The Regional Transportation District has signed contracts with HNTB and BNSF for design and preliminary engineering on the Northwest Rail corridor. The work is intended to refine project costs and prepare for possible future construction. The contracts were signed in mid-September, an RTD presentation says.
RTD’s schedule targets the possibility of reaching 30% design by the end of 2026, with design completion and refined cost estimates anticipated by the end of the second quarter of 2027. RTD said insurance and indemnification issues delayed the contracts’ execution.
In April, the RTD board authorized up to $5.58 million for 90% conceptual design of Northwest Corridor Joint Service capital projects within the district. That is an authorization ceiling, not the stated price of the September contracts, the board action says. The action also made RTD’s support for preliminary funding estimates subject to later board approval of a comprehensive financial and implementation plan.
The presentation says a change in state law would be needed for rail construction to proceed if the state leads construction for Joint Service. The contracts authorize design and engineering, not construction or a commitment to build.