$$ for TRE, Plano TOD, Trinity Lakes Station & More

News & Updates

February 16, 2024 Issue

TCNT is hosting a webinar on a tool that DART uses to determine the economic impact of transit facilities. TTI's Brianne Glover will lead the discussion on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 1:00 PM. This is a Teams Webinar, and you must register by clicking on the "Register Now!" button to receive the link. The event is free of charge.

Regional Transportation Council Awards $30M for New Trinity Railway Express Trains

communityimpact.com

Dallas-Fort Worth’s Regional Transportation Council awarded $30 million in federal funds to obtain new vehicles for the Trinity Railway Express during a Feb. 8 meeting.

The funds will be used to purchase nine replacement vehicles for the TRE, according to the Regional Transportation Council’s agenda. Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro will each contribute $30 million in local funds to the project.

“Our Trinity Railway Express rail vehicles are past their point of beauty,” Senior Program Manager Christie Gotti said. “They’re still clearly running, but they’re getting to that point that people are maybe getting uncomfortable being in those vehicles, so we wanted to help with that.”

Additional money will be needed to update all of the TRE’s vehicles, Gotti said. DART and Trinity Metro will pursue additional federal funding for the project, according to the agenda.

EPA's New Federal Air Quality Standard Puts 10 Texas Counties in the Red

communityimpact.com

A new national air quality standard announced Feb.7 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aims to lower the amount of fine particulate pollution emitted by power plants, vehicles and industrial facilities. Federal officials are saying the efforts are meant to better protect communities across the country from the dangerous and costly health effects of air pollution.

"This final air quality standard will save lives and make all people healthier, especially within America's most vulnerable and overburdened communities," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said.

There are 10 Texas counties that do not meet the revised annual levels based on 2020-22 air quality monitoring data from the EPA, including in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas.

Bowie County
Cameron County
Dallas County
El Paso County
Harris County
Hidalgo County
Kleberg County
Tarrant County
Travis County
Webb County

According to the EPA, the national air quality data only reflects information from the 119 counties in the U.S. where air pollution levels are collected through the federal organization's monitoring stations. San Antonio's Bexar County is one of the 12 Texas counties that meet the new annual air pollution levels, according to the 2020-22 air quality monitoring data from the EPA.

DART Considers $55M Renovation of Downtown Headquarters — but Building Sale Not Off Table

bizjournals.com

In a scenario familiar to many employers, Dallas' transit agency wants to reimagine its aging offices to make better use of space, increase morale and be more attractive to workers.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit leaders are discussing a major renovation of its headquarters building in downtown Dallas, though board members have questioned whether DART should sell or demolish the nearly 60-year-old property and move somewhere else.

DART is considering up to $55 million in improvements to its four-story headquarters at 1401 Pacific Ave., near its Akard Station rail hub, according to a Feb. 13 staff briefing to the agency's Committee of the Whole.

The agency plans to issue a request for proposal to hire a consultant that can help with designs and cost estimates to present to the board.

"We want to have a space for employees that is wonderful to come to, where we can have our most productive conversations and achieve results, and I think we can do that in this building," DART Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Reich told the board. "Until we can get some of these pre-design services, it’s very difficult for me to assure you of what this could look like or what it could be, so I need some help on that."

Transit-Oriented Apartment Complex En Route

dallasexpress.com

A new transit-oriented development project is going up on a former lumber yard south of Downtown Plano.

Dallas-based apartment builder Trinsic Residential Group is poised to begin work on the Aura Northline development, a 325-unit rental community located within a quarter mile of DART’s (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) CityLine /Bush Station in Richardson and about half a mile from the forthcoming Silver Line connection in Plano, the Dallas Morning News reported. The planned complex also lies along the path of a new hike and bike trail.

2 major Fort Worth Transportation Initiatives Begin in February

communityimpact.com

Beginning in February, Fort Worth officials will start work on two different initiatives—the Vision Zero action plan and “Moving a Million”—poised to shape the city’s fundamental policies regarding transportation infrastructure and traffic safety.

According to the Vision Zero website, 42,000 people are killed in transportation-related accidents on U.S. roadways every year. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility, the website states.

The website states the program was first implemented in Sweden in the 1990s. Initially spreading across Europe, it is now gaining traction in American cities.

Several factors influence safe mobility, according to the Vision Zero website. They include:

Roadway design
Speed limits
Human behavior
Technology
Transportation policies

According to its website, Vision Zero policies set goals to achieve zero fatalities and severe injuries by encouraging systemic changes among those factors.

New Trinity Lakes Train Station Opening Along the TRE in Fort Worth

keranews.org

The new Trinity Lakes train station in east Fort Worth begins service along the Trinity Railway Express on Monday as part of a plan to develop the area as a local destination centered around public transit.

A spokesperson for Trinity Metro, which operates the TRE, told KERA that the station replaces the Richland Hills station after the city of Richland Hills chose to discontinue public transit services with the Tarrant County agency.

"The location was selected based on close proximity to Richland Hills, and the site was located within the City of Fort Worth, which is a member of Trinity Metro," Laura Hanna, director of communications at Trinity Metro, said in an emailed statement.

The $26 million station is located east of Loop 820 and north of Trinity Boulevard, between the current Richland Hills and Bell stations.

Transportation Summit Focuses on Growth, Partnerships

fortworthbusiness.com

Tarrant County Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes presided over his 14th and final Tarrant Transportation Summit Friday at the Hurst Conference Center.

Commissioner Fickes launched his transportation summit in early 2010 on the same day as the groundbreaking for the DFW Connector project in Grapevine. On that day, the summit took place in the morning and was followed by the groundbreaking ceremony. Fickes, who has served on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court since 2006, announced last April that he would not seek re-election this year.

The consistent theme throughout the summit was collaboration, as speakers addressed how well their communities had formed partnerships consisting of the county, local cities, Texas Department of Transportation and North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). They gave examples of how their collaborations helped them apply successfully for federal funding.

Transit Coalition of North Texas

TransitNorthTexas.org