Remember last year when Regional Transportation District light rail lines were torn up and no trains went through Denver’s central business district? 

It’s déjà vu all over again, transit riders. 

RTD is set to embark on the second phase of its tedious, $152 million project to reconstruct miles of downtown light rail track.

That means select light rail lines will either close, or detour to Union Station, for at least the next three months.

Light rail detours and closures begin on Sunday, while construction work begins after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 2. RTD plans to finish the second phase in late November. During which, transportation officials warned motorists of one-lane reductions in the area.

On Monday, crews worked to prepare the Colfax at Auraria station for reconstruction of track along Kalamath Street near Colfax Avenue.

RTD General Manager and CEO Debra Johnson stopped by to talk about the project and what residents, motorists and riders can expect.

“You can tell just by the appearance we have to go underneath and pull everything out and basically reconstruct it,” Johnson, while visiting the site on Monday, told The Denver Gazette.

Last year, RTD reconstructed rail grades at five downtown business loop intersections, resulting in backup traffic throughout the downtown area.

“We’re trying to capitalize on the investments that were made,” Johnson said.

RTD’s CEO alluded to when the light rail was first built in October 1994, noting that it’s easier today to address what’s needed for light rail repairs.

The goal in 2025, Johnson said, is “the same thing that we have before: to ensure that everything is in a state of good repair, meaning that our railroad ties, concrete, the ballasts, that they are positioned in such a way to maintain the integrity of the network.”

Each day, more than 300 light rail trains circle downtown, according to RTD.

Similar to last year’s phase, most light rail trains serving the downtown business loop will detour to Union Station:

H line trains will only serve between Florida and Southmoor stations. All H Line passengers can transfer to the E line to go downtown.

D line trains from Littleton/Mineral station detours to Union Station.

No L Line service. Bus route 43 serves as an alternative.

Downtown light rail closures expect to impact travel to and from downtown and Colorado Convention Center events, which, in October, hosts the Great American Beer Festival. Thousands of attendees appreciated the convenience of going straight from the festival to the light rail stop at the center. Free downtown bus routes remain available to transport riders to light rails stops outside the detour zones, read Union Station.

The next phases of RTD’s light rail project include Colfax Avenue alignment reconstruction, downtown loop midblock and Welton Street corridor improvements.

When asked what concerns are, Johnson pointed to unforeseen delays and weather impact — and federal tariffs on materials.

“As we look at supply chain materials for the contractor, just by virtue of where we are, speaking as a country, there’s a lot of things that we can’t account for,” Johnson said.

“We had commitments from the federal government that we have been basically accumulating over the course of a couple of years,” she said.

Regardless, the end goal is to benefit all who utilize RTD transit.

“All these projects are going to lead us to that point where we don’t have slowdowns within the network,” Johnson said.

The focus, she added, is “getting our assets in a state of good repair so we can continue providing service to those that have come to depend on us, to showcase that we’re good fiduciaries as it relates to spending taxpayer dollars and basically to enhance the customer experience.”

A list of all the changes, and alternate routes and bus lines, can be found at rtd-denver.com.