CTroyMathis
18 April 2004, 06:04 PM
<CENTER>RAIL EXPANSION STAYS ON TRACK
amid signs of economic upturn</CENTER>
Not so very long from now, a commuter can sit back and read a newspaper while making the 28-mile trip to work from Pleasant Grove to Carrollton every morning. And a DART train will be the ride of choice to or from Dallas Love Field or DFW International airports.
In 2003, DART moved closer to making that vision a reality as work continued on a 35-mile light rail expansion connecting Downtown Dallas with Fair Park, South Dallas and Pleasant Grove to the southeast, and Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Las Colinas Urban Center to the northwest.
Construction began on the northwest extension with a link from Union Station in downtown Dallas to Victory Station and the American Airlines Center. Now served by the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter line, Victory Station also will become a DART Rail special event stop in late 2004.
DART Community Affairs representatives conducted public meetings to involve residents in the completion of a Preliminary Engineering/Environmental Impact Statement. And planners and engineers continued work on the final design in anticipation that the agency will receive federal funding to move the project forward.
The $2.5 billion expansion project connects the northwest – an importer of jobs in technology, transportation, healthcare, education and service – to the southeast, where residents will outnumber jobs by more than 3 to 1 in 2025. The extensions are projected to add 60,000 daily riders to the light rail system.
Funding and phasing set pace for completion
The national economic slump has slowed both transit sales tax receipts and the timetable for the Northwest/Southeast expansion during the past two years. But, amid early signs of a gradual recovery, DART already is working to advance construction. For example, time and money will be saved through a creative construction management process that reviews designs and resolves constructability questions before the dirt is turned.
Another acceleration tactic involves opening the corridors in stages within the three major line segments: Downtown Dallas to Pleasant Grove (Southeast Corridor), Downtown Dallas to Farmers Branch (Northwest Corridor), and Northwest Highway to DFW International Airport (Northwest Corridor).
http://www.dart.org/images/annualreport/keyconnections.gif
The heart of DART's 35-mile light rail expansion project is a 20.9-mile connector for which the agency is seeking $700 million in federal funding. The remainder of the project includes extensions to Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Irving and DFW International Airport. Key assets reached by the 20.9-mile connector include:
Dallas Love Field Airport – home of Southwest Airlines
Six internationally recognized medical centers
(Baylor University Medical Center, Parkland Hospital, Children's Medical Center, Zale Lipshy University Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center and St. Paul University Hospital)
The internationally recognized Dallas Market Center
Four regional entertainment destinations
(Deep Ellum, West End, American Airlines Center and Fair Park)
<CENTER>http://www.dart.org/images/annualreport/nwsecorridormap2004.gif</CENTER>
amid signs of economic upturn</CENTER>
Not so very long from now, a commuter can sit back and read a newspaper while making the 28-mile trip to work from Pleasant Grove to Carrollton every morning. And a DART train will be the ride of choice to or from Dallas Love Field or DFW International airports.
In 2003, DART moved closer to making that vision a reality as work continued on a 35-mile light rail expansion connecting Downtown Dallas with Fair Park, South Dallas and Pleasant Grove to the southeast, and Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Las Colinas Urban Center to the northwest.
Construction began on the northwest extension with a link from Union Station in downtown Dallas to Victory Station and the American Airlines Center. Now served by the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter line, Victory Station also will become a DART Rail special event stop in late 2004.
DART Community Affairs representatives conducted public meetings to involve residents in the completion of a Preliminary Engineering/Environmental Impact Statement. And planners and engineers continued work on the final design in anticipation that the agency will receive federal funding to move the project forward.
The $2.5 billion expansion project connects the northwest – an importer of jobs in technology, transportation, healthcare, education and service – to the southeast, where residents will outnumber jobs by more than 3 to 1 in 2025. The extensions are projected to add 60,000 daily riders to the light rail system.
Funding and phasing set pace for completion
The national economic slump has slowed both transit sales tax receipts and the timetable for the Northwest/Southeast expansion during the past two years. But, amid early signs of a gradual recovery, DART already is working to advance construction. For example, time and money will be saved through a creative construction management process that reviews designs and resolves constructability questions before the dirt is turned.
Another acceleration tactic involves opening the corridors in stages within the three major line segments: Downtown Dallas to Pleasant Grove (Southeast Corridor), Downtown Dallas to Farmers Branch (Northwest Corridor), and Northwest Highway to DFW International Airport (Northwest Corridor).
http://www.dart.org/images/annualreport/keyconnections.gif
The heart of DART's 35-mile light rail expansion project is a 20.9-mile connector for which the agency is seeking $700 million in federal funding. The remainder of the project includes extensions to Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Irving and DFW International Airport. Key assets reached by the 20.9-mile connector include:
Dallas Love Field Airport – home of Southwest Airlines
Six internationally recognized medical centers
(Baylor University Medical Center, Parkland Hospital, Children's Medical Center, Zale Lipshy University Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center and St. Paul University Hospital)
The internationally recognized Dallas Market Center
Four regional entertainment destinations
(Deep Ellum, West End, American Airlines Center and Fair Park)
<CENTER>http://www.dart.org/images/annualreport/nwsecorridormap2004.gif</CENTER>