Progress North Texas 2011

Economic Recovery Funds Building
Transportation Legacy
Keeping the Region Moving — and Working

Recent Success, Remaining
Challenges >>>

Mobility 2035 >>>

Statewide, Federal Funding Shortfalls >>>

Air Quality Improving, More Work Needed >>>

Partnerships Keep Projects Moving
Forward >>>

Preserving Quality of Life for North Texas >>>

Regional Collaboration Yields Local, Regional Benefits >>>

Economic Recovery Funds Building Transportation
Legacy

Tell Us What You Think! >>>

Work continues on North Texas projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The region received more than $860 million to advance shovel-ready projects aimed at lessening congestion, improving quality of life and creating or saving jobs during a prolonged recession.

Several roadway projects, including the DFW Connector, are being supplemented by the recovery act. A multi-highway reconstruction project north of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the Connector received more than $250 million from the federal government as part of the recovery act. The project is expected to greatly improve the corridor, one of the most congested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Another major roadway project aided by the recovery act was Chisholm Trail Parkway in Tarrant and Johnson counties. Future interchanges in Fort Worth and Cleburne received $143 million to advance one of the most anticipated projects on the western side of the region. When complete, this roadway will offer motorists in Tarrant and Johnson counties an alternative to the highly congested Interstate Highway 35W.

Public transit providers have been working to complete the $187 million worth of ARRA-funded projects awarded by the Federal Transit Administration. A dozen transit agencies received funding for shovel-ready projects and approximately 95 percent of the awarded funds have been spent.

One of the largest projects is Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s $1.8 billion Green Line, which provides rail service between Carrollton and Pleasant Grove. Bolstered by ARRA funding, DART was able to open the 28-mile project ahead of schedule in 2010. DART’s Orange Line, which will link downtown Dallas with the Las Colinas Urban Center and DFW Airport by 2014, also was awarded funds from the recovery act.

An important smaller-scale project on the horizon is the construction of a new vehicle storage facility for STAR Transit, formerly Kaufman Area Rural Transportation, in Terrell. ARRA-funded transit projects have created or retained more than 1,700 jobs throughout the region over the past two years.

Air quality will also be enhanced as part of the recovery act. In addition to $16.6 million awarded in partnerships with the US Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, $2.5 million has been distributed to public entities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area as part of the Clean Fleets North Texas project, made possible through the Texas State Energy Conservation Office. The money is helping recipients convert to technologies and alternative fuels that are more environmentally friendly and/or reduce petroleum consumption.

Traditional modes of transportation were not the only beneficiaries of recovery act funding. Bicycle/pedestrian trails and other quality of life enhancements shared $44.56 million. The planned Dallas streetcar system was awarded $23 million, and State Highway 161 was given $20 million. Additionally, federally approved high speed rail corridors in North Texas received almost $11 million.

For the latest information on the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, visit www.nctcog.org/recovery.

Map: Mobility, transit and enhancement projects selected in the Dallas-Fort Worth region

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the opinions, findings, and conclusions presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration or the Texas Department of Transportation. This document was prepared in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Trasnportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.