A320 FLT CREW DEPARTS RWY FROM THE WRONG INTXN WHILE THE FO IS HEADS DOWN ATTEMPTING TO FINISH PROCS AND CHKLIST PRIOR TO DEP.

Narrative

EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UNTIL WE APCHED RWY 17R FOR TKOF. I WAS FINISHING THE START SEQUENCE OF THE SECOND ENG TURNING ONTO TXWY M NBOUND. AT THE SAME TIME THESE PROCS WERE BEING COMPLETED; THE FINAL WTS CAME TO THE ACARS PRINTER AND THESE FINAL ENTRIES NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED. OF COURSE; IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS ENTRY; THE FO BY NECESSITY HAS TO HAVE HIS HEAD DOWN AND I VERBALIZED THIS. AS I WAS FINISHING THE FINAL WTS ENTRY INTO THE MCDU; THE 'CLRED FOR TKOF; RWY 17R' CALL WAS ISSUED TO US SHORTLY AFTER WE WERE NBOUND ON TXWY M. JUST AS I WAS FINISHING THESE PROCS ALONG WITH THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST; THE CAPT WAS TURNING THE CORNER EBOUND TOWARDS RWY 17R AND I WAS ASSUMING IT WAS ONTO TXWY M10; AS MY HEAD WAS SLIGHTLY DOWN FINISHING UP THE VERIFICATION OF THE FINAL ITEMS. JUST AS I LOOKED UP; I SUDDENLY REALIZED WE WERE ON TXWY M9 ALMOST XING THE HOLD LINE. THE DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE FROM THIS TXWY WAS NEGLIGIBLE AND I SELECTED TOGA THRUST FOR THE TKOF FROM THIS INTXN. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY; WE HAD AN APPROX 700 LB PAD WHILE USING REDUCED THRUST FROM TXWY M10. THE POINT I AM TRYING TO EMPHASIZE IN THIS SAFETY PROGRAM IS I DID NOT FEEL RUSHED FINISHING THESE REQUIRED PROCS UNTIL I REALIZED A TURN WAS MADE 1 TXWY SHORT (M9) OF WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN (M10) AND COMMENCED THE TKOF. THIS MISTAKE WAS MADE BECAUSE OF AN INCORRECT EMPHASIS ON SAVING FUEL (IN THE WRONG PLACE); NOW HAS CREATED A SEVERELY DECREASED CUSHION OF SAFETY IN A HIGH THREAT ENVIRONMENT -- THAT OF TAXIING TO ACTIVE RWYS. TO BE TOTALLY HONEST; THERE IS NO REASON WHY SINGLE ENG TAXI SHOULD BE ATTEMPTED WHEN USING EITHER RWY 34R OR RWY 17R FROM THE GATES. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT IN LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO US AND WHO KNOWS WHAT IS NOT RPTED THAT CREWS MIGHT BE MISSING BECAUSE ONE SET OF EYES IS DOWN; OR TRYING TO CATCH UP OR RUSHING TO FINISH THE CHKLIST. THE MARGIN OF SAFETY IS TOO THIN TO ATTEMPT SE TAXI AT SOME DEP RWYS FROM WHERE THE ACFT ARE PARKED. I CAN ONLY COMMENT ON OUR PARTICULAR CASE TODAY -- SE TAXI DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT AND I WILL ADVOCATE TO NOT COMMENCE SE TAXI TO EITHER RWY 34R OR RWY 17R IN DENVER IN THE FUTURE.