dfwcre8tive
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Posts posted by dfwcre8tive
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I find that line interesting.
Again, I don't know the Dallas Metro or its rail line enough to say much about it, but you would figure another line would be necessary at some point.
Makes me wonder what they think of OUR light rail routes.
The DART D2 project is supposed to relieve rail traffic through downtown. The current transit mall only has capacity for 10 minute headways on 4 lines (Red, Blue, Green, Orange), each way. Because all lines travel through downtown Dallas, any additional frequency or rail expansion requires a second alignment (and partial subway). But because of its high cost ($380-$650 million) it's on hold for now. By increasing headways to 15 minutes and pushing the project back to 2018, DART is able to use the partial funds designated for D2 to build the DFW and South Dallas extensions first.
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DART has some nice coverage and all, but light rail at that large of a distance doesn't work, in my opinion. A subway/heavy rail system would though. Light rail runs too slow for someone in say, Plano, to want to go to DFW or Love Field airports. The only thing it saves is money. DFW is easier to drive around.
Yes, travelers wanting to go from Plano to DFW Airport would be better off taking the Cotton Belt commuter rail. The Orange Line to DFW will be better at connecting downtown Dallas and Las Colinas to the airport.
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The extension to DFW Airport is back on, along with the extension to UNT Dallas.
DART uses new financial assumptions to revive D/FW airport rail plan
07:16 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER / The Dallas Morning News
mlindenberger@dallasnews.com
Just six weeks after telling board members that it couldn't be done, DART executives on Tuesday presented their bosses with a 20-year financial plan that keeps the Orange Line rail service on track to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
They also presented a $1.25 billion budget for 2011 that cuts 87 jobs next year but will delay, for a year at least, layoffs.
The 20-year plan would allow room for a second major rail project, an extension of the Blue Line to southern Oak Cliff by the end of this decade. That's a possibility that promised to draw a fight, or at least a debate, from some board members who think the agency should save its money to build a long-promised second downtown Dallas rail line that is now on hold.
The draft budget for 2011 calls for trimming 87 full-time jobs at DART, few enough to be handled by attrition. It also anticipates some reduced bus and rail services, including having light-rail trains run through downtown every 15 minutes instead of every 10.
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In addition to the basic assumptions about sales-tax revenue growth, the new 20-year plan assumes a host of other factors that were not part of the plan Leininger presented June 22. Among them:
• The agency will begin tolling high occupancy vehicle lanes within a few years.
• It will begin charging at least some drivers to park at a number of station lots.
• DART will find $100 million or so in unexpected funds, either from federal grants or other sources, to help pay for the extension to Oak Cliff.
• Passenger revenue will rise again, despite having fallen significantly since 2008.
Downtown line
If the bets are well-placed, one big payoff could be the Oak Cliff extension of the Blue Line. But several DART board members said they were eager to hear from Dallas officials about the DART staff's proposal to give that project a higher priority than the second downtown line. The downtown line has been seen as a way to accommodate the extra trains anticipated once the full Green Line service, between Carrollton and Pleasant Grove, opens later this year and Orange Line trains begin arriving from Irving in 2012.
Mark Enoch of Rowlett said DART might be better off saving the money it would spend on the Oak Cliff extension until it finds the rest of the money needed for the second downtown line.
"I am concerned that we are limiting our ability to grow as a system," Enoch said. "We can't clog downtown Dallas."
But other board members, including Pamela Dunlop Gates of Dallas and Irving's John Carter Danish, said the southern extension of the Blue Line is just as important to the development of southern Dallas as the completion of the Orange Line is to Irving.
"If we are stretching ourselves to pay for the Orange Line on the basis of its economic development potential to Irving, then I think we should also stretch ourselves to make this happen for south Dallas," Gates said.
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I'm most impressed with this station. I love the surrounding landscape. I bet the developers are standing in line to build a cool TOD on this great piece of real estate.
It could happen; in Dallas we're starting to see formerly industrial areas make the switch to mixed-use/residential (yes, currently the area along Denton Drive/Harry Hines is very unappealing).
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Looks like Virgin America is coming to D/FW
Virgin America to launch service to Dallas-Fort Worth
10:51 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 10, 2010
By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
tmaxon@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/081110dnbus_virgin_america_dfw.3d4e039f.html
Virgin America , the fledging airline that has taken on the major airlines on transcontinental routes, will make its first midcontinent stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The California carrier announced Tuesday that it will launch service to Dallas/Fort Worth from Los Angeles and San Francisco in early December.
Virgin America president and chief executive officer David Cush acknowledged that his airline will face stiff competition from D/FW Airport’s largest carrier, American Airlines Inc. But it’s a fight that he thinks Virgin America can win.
“Sooner or later, we’re going to have to start going into fortress hubs. We know that. With the strong economy in North Texas, with the very accommodating position of D/FW Airport and their willingness to meet our needs, it just seemed like a logical place to go,” Cush said.
Virgin America’s weapons will be better onboard amenities and service and lower costs, he said.
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I'd argue that each of these developments were oriented more to subsidy than by transit. I agree completely with your other comments, however.
I agree that some of the TOD projects have more hype than substance. Victory Park shunned the Green Line by limiting its alignment to the exterior of the project. Park Lane fails to recognize the DART station outside of its marketing literature (the pedestrian bridge that was supposed to connect the development to the station was never constructed).
But there have also been successful smaller-scale TOD projects at Baylor Station, Spring Valley Station, Downtown Plano Station, Downtown Garland Station and Galatyn Park Station. Sure, the land may have been developed without DART's presence into big box retail or garden-style apartments, but the rail stations have influenced these developments in a positive way. They may have influenced the developers to think "outside the box" to include a mix of uses that are pedestrian friendly and less vehicle-reliant (good for the region).
It will be interesting to watch future land-use around the Green and Orange line corridors, along with some TODs currently under development (Lake Highlands Town Center). I'd like to see each station have its own identity and surrounding TOD; with the regions's population growth (and growing traffic congestion) it should happen eventually.
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DART budget to include no layoffs in 2011; Orange Line may be restored in 20-year plan
http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/08/dart-budget-to-include-no-layo.html
DART board members appear set to tentatively embrace a 2011 budget that will not include any layoffs in 2011, a spokesman for the transit agency said.
In addition, DART staff now says it has found a way to restore the Orange Line's final leg to the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport on track. The 20-year financial plan, which will also be considered by the board today, would keep all three legs of the Orange Line rail service in the plan, though completion of the airport leg would be delayed from 2013 to 2014.
The board will vote today at 4 on whether to send a draft 2011 budget, and a 20-year financial plan, to each of its 13 member cities for comments. A final vote on the budget and financial plan will take place in September.
Here are the highlights of what the draft budget and financial plan will include:
No layoffs in 2011, though positions will be cut by attrition. This is not a surprise, nor does it mean DART employees are out from under the prospect of losing their jobs. DART leaders have said for weeks the the deepest cuts in payroll will not come until 2012.
Bus changes. The 2011 budget will be anticipate some of the changes to the bus systems previously discussed by DART leadership, including the phasing in of an approach that will consider fewer than 30 routes as "core routes" and reduce and modify service on many of the other routes that are among the 130 or so that comprise the DART system. FInal changes on the routes are still likely months away. Some of the non-core routes are likely to be served by smaller vehicles -- akin to the large vans or minibuses DART now uses on some of its special routes.
Orange Line. The 20-year financial plan will also likely include the Orange Line completion to the D/FW International Airport. The project, which DART chief financial officer David Leininger had said was no longer affordable, appears likely to remain in the plan, though its completion date will be pushed back from 2013 to 2014.
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Can't DART's light rail eventually be switched over to heavy rail?
Because of the numerous grade crossings and stations it would be a lot of work to switch the system to heavy rail (and not economical); it serves more of a medium-capacity role. However with its grade-separated alignment DART could easily add more vehicles and run trains more frequently. The current stations have been built to accommodate 3-vehicle trains in the future (currently only served by 1 or 2 vehicle trains). The downtown D2 line would need to be completed before this could happen.
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DART light rail does serve much like a commuter system, especially outside of Dallas' core; that's one of the reasons why implementing a modern streetcar lines in the central city is so important.
The DART light rail lines are mostly along old freight ROW and pass through suburban areas that have been overlooked by urban development; stations without parking (in and around the downtown area) serve their neighborhoods much better. DART and the suburban cities see new stations as future dense TODs, where the parking lots and fields of today will be the urban development of tomorrow. Carrollton, for example, has detailed plans for each of its 3 stations (LINK). Farmers Branch has something similar (LINK). In Dallas the new Parkland Hospital will surround the Southwest Medical Center/Parkland station and integrate it into their expansion plans. Time will tell if this is successful since only a handful of TODs have materialized around DART stations so far.
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If you look at the 7th picture from the bottom, it seems like it is being built OVER a ditch or trench. Sorta' like what our Richmond rail's maintanence yard is going to be like, that's all I'm wondering about. I had assumed that was rail traffic right nearby it and figured that was probably the best/cheapest way to use the land.
Can be fascinating during flood events, though.
Sorry, I thought you were referring to the Green Line. Yes, there are some low lying areas (MAP) between Garland and Rowlett where the Blue Line extension passes over a creeks and flood land. I suppose it was cheaper to bridge the length rather than create a new embankment.
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Thanks for the pics!
Are they actually building the rail in the ditch? Interesting.
What do you mean "in a ditch"? There are long stretches of elevated rail on the Green Line, but that's because it passes over and beside several freight lines leading to industrial areas. The DCTA A-Train will use the freight track from Denton to Trinity Mills Station (and eventually to Downtown Carrollton on its way to DFW Airport). The Northwest segment is not very attractive with lots of run down industrial areas, but since the line follows IH-35 it should be popular with commuters. This corridor will be interesting to watch in future years; many of the stations have ambitious land use plans for surrounding mixed-use development; hopefully the next construction boom will bring transformation and help the region add density. The Orange Line (also under construction but DART hasn't posted photos yet) will be very different, snaking in and around built-up residential/commercial areas through Las Colinas.
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DART Green Line aerial photo updates:
Photo updates from July 2010 (larger versions here ):
Frankford/North Carrollton
Trinity Mills
Downtown Carrollton
Farmers Branch
Royal Lane
Walnut Hill/Denton
Bachman
Northwest Rail Operating Facility
Burbank
Inwood/Love Field
Southwest Medical District/Parkland
Market Center
Hatcher
Lawnview
Lake June
Buckner
DART Blue Line extension to Downtown Rowlett
Photo updates from July 2010 (larger versions here ):
Downtown Rowlett
Downtown Garland
DCTA A-Train construction:
A few photos from the WEBSITE :
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The Alamo Plaza in Dallas is coming down after this weekend:
http://oakcliffblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/07/return-to-the-alamo-music-food.html
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This is now under construction. Here are some new (and old) renderings from the website: http://www.natureandscience.org/expansion/the_vision.asp
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This is really cool! Dallas has been a real forward thinking city lately. Here is a video I found of the construction now:
The video you posted is for Woodall Rodgers Park (which is well under construction), not Belo Garden.
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Today's official announcement for the Spire development downtown (near the Arts District)...
Mixed-use project is planned for land near Dallas' Arts District
10:32 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 20, 2010
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
The corner of Ross Avenue and Routh Street is the intersection of schlock and awe.
On the north side of the busy downtown Dallas crossroads, you have the inspiring architecture of the Arts District.
Across the street, there are blocks of scruffy parking lots and a few faded commercial buildings.
The investors who own almost 12 acres in a triangle roughly bounded by Ross, North Central Expressway and Leonard Street see the mostly vacant area as downtown's next development district.
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Spire also believes in its game plan – to start slowly with a first 21-story building at San Jacinto and Leonard Street and add to the project as demand grows.
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The timing is right to start working on another downtown office project, Pustmueller said.
"There are a bunch of leases that are going to start to roll over in the next few years," he said. "We want tenants to consider Spire's project when they are looking downtown."
WDG Architecture designed the master plan for Spire, which includes landscaped streets and a central park.
Spire Realty expects its improvements in the area to help create a more pedestrian-friendly link between the Pearl Street DART rail station and the Arts District.
"We want to capture the traffic walking through our neighborhood," Smith said. "We decided to take the approach of building what would really enhance the Arts District."
For Spire, that means a 360,000-square-foot building with some ground floor retail space and a row of residential units facing the planned park.
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These were pulled from WDG Dallas Architecture PLLC's website www.wdgdallas.com
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The next downtown park is about to start...
Site work to start on 1.6-acre Belo Garden in downtown Dallas
12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, July 17, 2010
By DAVID FLICK / The Dallas Morning News
The first visible step toward construction of another downtown park will begin Monday with removal of lead-contaminated soil from the 1.6-acre site.
Willis Winters, Dallas' assistant parks director, said soil removal from what is now a parking lot at Main and Griffin streets should take 50 days, clearing the way for construction of the new Belo Garden to begin Nov. 1.
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The lead contamination is the result of fill dirt that was brought into the site decades ago, according to Winters. Contaminated soil reaches a depth of 15 feet on some sections of the site.
The $14.5 million park is scheduled to open in early 2012.
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An update on the OCTA Streetcar (won $23 million in TIGER grants back in February)
Downtown-Oak Cliff streetcar line in planning stage07:52 AM CDT on Thursday, July 8, 2010
By ROY APPLETON / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/070810dnmetstreetcar.1cb6837.html
Five-plus years from now, streetcars may be carrying passengers daily between Union Station downtown and Methodist Dallas Medical Center in north Oak Cliff.
That's the vision detailed in a federal funding agreement for the project.
In February, the U.S. Transportation Department awarded a $23 million stimulus grant for a starter streetcar system in Dallas.
And a memorandum of understanding between the federal government and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the grant recipient, includes some ideas to get the project rolling. Such as:
• Streetcars would cross the Trinity River on the Houston Street bridge, linking downtown and Methodist in a 1.5-mile line. The streetcars would run every 15 minutes during peak periods (30 minutes nonpeak) on a single track that would be doubled across the bridge for passing.
• After crossing the river, the cars would travel on Greenbriar Lane to Methodist and backtrack to downtown with a possible spur there to the convention center.
• Besides the stimulus grant, another $12 million from regional toll road revenue and other sources would fund the $35 million project.
• The city of Dallas would own the line. Dallas Area Rapid Transit would operate it through an agreement with the city. Streetcar fares and revenue from parking, tax-increment financing and public improvement districts would cover annual operating and maintenance costs estimated at $1.5 million.
• Groundbreaking would be on July 1, 2013, with a system launch on Oct. 1, 2015.
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MATA Streetcar & FWTA Streetcar (won $4.9 million and $25 million today)
McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, Fort Worth Receive Millions in Urban Circulator GrantsBy Robert Wilonsky, Thu., Jul. 8 2010 @ 9:42AM
Categories: News
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/07/mckinney_avenue_transit_author.php
A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing the future of the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority -- specifically, its plans to create a "connector loop line down St. Paul and up Federal to Olive," in the words of MATA's chief operating officer, John Landrum. MATA and Dallas Area Rapid Transit were hoping that the feds would help pay for some of that so-called urban connector -- and, sure enough, this morning U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the MATA connector loop will indeed get $4.9 million of the $293 million handed out today as "part of the Obama Administration's livability initiative to better coordinate transportation, housing and commercial development investments to serve the people living in those communities."
But the big winner is Fort Worth, whose Fort Worth Streetcar Loop will get $25 million -- a far cry from the nada it received in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery funds back in February. There's a conference call with LaHood shortly -- I'm on hold with some funky lite-jazz -- but according to the release, Dallas and Fort Worth are but two of six cities receiving so-called Urban Circulator Grants -- meaning, 59 other applicants didn't receive anything.
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Now let's go to the breakdown:
Project: Fort Worth Streetcar Loop (Urban Circulator)
Sponsor: The City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority
Amount: $24,990,000
The City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority will construct a 2.5-mile one-way streetcar loop with between 20 and 25 stops and three vehicles to connect a Trinity Railway Express commuter rail station and Intermodal Transportation Center with the central business district. This will be the hub of a planned streetcar network connecting six designated "urban villages" targeted for redevelopment to the city's major employment centers, such as downtown and the Near Southside Medical District. Ultimately, the streetcar system will connect residents in four economically disadvantaged areas to job opportunities in major employment centers, while stimulating the redevelopment of walkable urban neighborhoods with a variety of housing choices.
Project: Olive/St. Paul Street Loop (Urban Circulator)
Sponsor: Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART)
Amount: $4,900,000
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART) will build a 0.65-mile urban streetcar track extension to an existing system. This project would link the current McKinney Trolley to the existing DART light rail St. Paul Station and to the McKinney Trolley Olive Street Extension in the heart of Downtown Dallas. The connection to the Olive Street extension would form an entire reversing loop for the trolley, making operations safer and more efficient, while connecting downtown destinations such as the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center to Uptown Dallas.
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Elm Place, which was closed at the beginning of 2010, may see new life...
Plan for Elm Place includes luxury and affordable housing
11:17 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 29, 2010
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/063010dnbusElmPlace.ee9cc573.html
A Dallas architectural firm is working on a recycling plan for one of Dallas’ biggest skyscrapers.
The 52-story Elm Place office tower at 1401 Elm has been empty since the building’s owners shut the building down earlier this year due to low occupancy.
The 1.5 million-square-foot building, which opened in 1964, is now up for sale.
Dallas-based Rees Architecture is working with an investment group that wants to buy the building to develop a plan to convert the tower to housing.
“There is a real demand for affordable housing downtown,” said Rees partner Gary Pitts.
The design firm is drawing up plans to create a combination of more than 600 affordable and luxury residential units in the old office tower.
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200 people show up for Museum Tower groundbreaking in Dallas Arts District
11:48 AM CDT on Thursday, June 24, 2010
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/062510dnbusMuseum.d4ba980f.html
Building groundbreakings are few and far between these days.
So maybe that’s why more than 200 people turned out on a hot summer morning to watch construction kick off on the Museum Tower condo project in downtown’s Arts District.
The 42-story building is the tallest building started in Dallas since work began on the Cityplace Tower in the mid-1980s.
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“This will be one of the great addresses in the U.S.” said Museum Tower partner Dan Boeckman.
It’s also one of the few skyscrapers going up in the country because of the recession and credit crunch, which has cut off funds for most building.
“This tower is one of the first in the U.S. to turn the corner in the economic slowdown,” said project architect Scott Johnson.
Museum Tower is being paid for by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, which will own the building and plans to profit from the condo sales.
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June 2010 Update
North Carrollton/Frankford Station
Trinity Mills Station
Royal Lane Station
Walnut Hill/Denton Station
Lawnview Station
Lake June Station
Buckner Station
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17Seventeen McKinney lighting scheme:
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Some more information about "Lonestar" and "Chase"
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/lonestar/
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/05/sneak_peaks_at_foxs_lonestar_and_nbcs_chase.php#
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"The Good Guys", a new television series on Fox, has been filming around Dallas and will be airing this summer. Might be worth checking out.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
in Dallas/Fort Worth/Metroplex
Posted
The aim is to start it in 2013, but I don't think that's going to happen. There's no funding for the project, so DART and the Regional Transportation Council have been trying to create a public-private partnership with interested parties. More info: http://www.dart.org/cottonbeltppp/