AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A new commuter train line being built in Aurora could jar lab equipment and delay potentially life-saving experiments while trains pass every few minutes, scientist said.
Some sensitive instruments at Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is so touchy that it senses vibrations when humans feel nothing.
“A train going by that often means you can’t do any work,” pharmacy school dean Ralph Altiere told the Denver Post (http://tinyurl.com/kwns9zu ) in a story Monday.
The train would serve the Life Sciences District, home to Colorado Science and Technology Park, a bioscience incubator for nearly 40 startup companies working to develop treatments for cancer, surgical equipment, drugs and test equipment.
More companies are unlikely to join the district if there are worries over equipment interference, officials said.
University officials want transit officials to move the route about a half-mile to the north. The line is currently scheduled to open in 2016.
Pauletta Tonilas, a spokeswoman for Regional Transportation District FasTracks, said the board will take up the alignment on Tuesday and will likely agree to relocate the tracks.
“Probably the best solution for everyone is to consider another option that best serves the campus,” Tonilas said
The route through Aurora and a sliver of Denver has been on the books since a key environmental assessment was completed in 2009.
The cost of moving and rebuilding the tracks could reach $60 million, and there are no guarantees the mitigation will work.
Other urban campuses have dealt with similar issues, including the University of Washington, the University of Minnesota and Washington University in St. Louis. All have reached agreements with transit agencies for allowable levels of interference, the University of Colorado said.
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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com
