Do a Little More This Ozone Season to Help Yourself — and Your Neighbors
Next time you have a short errand to run, consider walking or riding your bike. When it’s too far, try sharing a ride or even opting for mass transit if you can. If you have a fleet of vehicles, you might be better served to use the most fuel-efficient ones to perform specific tasks.

Any of these changes would benefit your bottom line. But they will also help your neighbors. These are among the many adjustments residents and employers are being asked to consider making when ozone reaches unhealthy levels. <More>

Unlocking Congestion with Cooperation
A Message from Michael Morris, Transportation Director
Dallas-Fort Worth is a leader in transportation innovation, a fact that’s being demonstrated with numerous projects implemented by Texas Department of Transportation, North Texas Tollway Authority, the transportation authorities and cities and counties.

The region’s comprehensive development agreements are advancing the North Tarrant Express, LBJ Express and State Highway 183, which will improve travel through the area’s most congested corridors.

The DFW Connector is well on its way to improving traffic flow near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport thanks in part to a design-build arrangement. A public-private partnership to finance passenger rail in the Cotton Belt corridor will bring service to a 62-mile stretch from southwest Fort Worth to the DART Red Line area much faster than by relying on traditional funding methods. <More>

Riley Looks to be Resource for Others on Transportation
Regional Transportation Council Member Profile
Mark Riley, County Judge, Parker County
Mark Riley wears many hats as county judge of Parker County. He presides over Commissioners Court, proposes a budget every year, performs several judicial responsibilities that his counterparts in larger counties don’t have to and is in charge of the county’s emergency management services. Then, there’s transportation, which in recent years has taken up more of the four-term judge’s time.

In 2008, Parker County voters approved an $80 million bond issue to fund projects around the county intended to improve mobility. Riley estimates that between overseeing the bond program and his responsibilities as a member of the Regional Transportation Council, he spends 16-20 hours a week on transportation. He has been a member of the RTC since 2009. <More>

MAP-21 Funds Programs through 2014
After nine short-term extensions of the federal highway and transit programs over almost three years, Congress approved a new two-year bill in June.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), signed by President Barack Obama on July 6, will spend approximately $105 billion for transportation improvements across the country through fiscal year 2014. With the dual purpose of funding the transportation system and creating jobs, the new law lays out $83.8 billion for highways and $21.2 billion for transit improvements.

The new law replaces the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The short-term extensions of SAFETEA-LU, which expired in September 2009, made it difficult to plan for major projects because states and metropolitan areas were unsure how much future funding they would receive. .<More>

AirCheckTexas Issues Replacements for Limited Time
Jason Noble and his family were facing expensive repairs to their 1998 Nissan Altima after it had failed a recent emissions test. But then Noble heard he may be eligible for assistance to help buy a cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle.

The AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine Program has helped fix emissions problems for about a decade in an effort to clean up the region’s air. <More>