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Community In Aurora Concerned About New I-225 Light Rail Station

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The Regional Transportation District's big expansion project is causing headaches for a neighborhood in Aurora.

Eight new light rail stations will be part of the Interstate 225 rail line opening up next year. But people living near one of those stations at 13th Avenue and Sable Street in the Meadows Mobile Home Park complain the construction is happening right in their backyards.

About 300 homes are in the community, and directly behind them will be a new train stop. Residents are worried about noise, privacy and traffic.

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Construction at the new light rail station (credit: CBS)

"The people that own here, those are the most people that are worried about it," Meadows resident Mike Torres said.

Homeowners are worried about how close the light rail line is to their homes.

"I think it is going to be noisy," Torres said.

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Construction at the new light rail station (credit: CBS)

All that currently separates the community from the future train service is a chain link fence.

"All we want is just for them to put like a wall there," Torres said.

In addition, they're worried about the traffic because 13th Avenue will be the only entrance and exit from the station, which will have 250 parking spots, according to RTD.

"They are not paying attention to people that live here," resident Lisa Lingenfelter said.

The Meadows Mobile Home Park
The Meadows Mobile Home Park (credit: CBS)

RTD says they've been working with families since a community meeting last month. They told CBS4 that after doing a noise analysis it was determined that the trains do not meet the noise criteria to require sound walls or noise mitigation. However, RTD is looking into the possibility of putting up a boundary fence.

"I am more concerned with us getting in and out," Lingenfelter said.

RTD is also working with the City of Aurora on installing a traffic light. But for homeowners like Lingenfelter, who has lived there more than a decade, it might be too little, too late.

"I kind of want to move because this is kind of ridiculous," she said.

The stop is part of the I-225 rail line which will stretch a little more than 10 miles across Aurora. RTD says it's about 56 percent complete with a planned opening in 2016.

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