Honkin' Mad

Texas 85 mph speed limit is highest in U.S. - Can drivers handle it?

On Wednesday, Texas 130 toll road opens in the Austin area. Can drivers handle a speed limit that high?

Sweet traffic relief - soon; DFW Connector almost finished in Grapevine

The reconstruction of the Texas 114/121 corridor in Grapevine, a project known as the DFW Connector, is on course to be completed by mid-2013, according to the latest report from Nicholas Sakelaris.

When the heck are they gonna expand Texas 360 in Mansfield?

Some officials are getting antsy about what appears to be a lack of progress extending Texas 360 from south Arlington into Mansfield, but regional planners insist the toll road project is on course.

 

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Arlington, Mansfield drivers: Try the new Bush Turnpike extension TODAY!

@gdickson

ARLINGTON - A new stretch of the President George Bush Turnpike is NOW open, giving motorists who are willing to pay a toll a true alternative to congestion on Texas 360 in the Arlington-Grand Prairie area.

“It will be a vast area connecting to south Arlington and Mansfield. It has been a long time coming, and it feels great spending all these years working to get projects done,” said Victor Vandergriff of Arlington, a North Texas Tollway Authority board member.

The new 6.5-mile western extension of the turnpike from Egyptian Way – which is just north of Interstate 30 – to Interstate 20 is open for Monday morning rush hour, tollway officials said. The extension was originally known as Texas 161, but in 2010 the tollway authority took over construction of the project from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The speed limit initially will be 70 mph, although tollway officials say they’ll conduct a speed study to determine a permanent speed. Speed limits will be lower in construction areas, as workers put the final touches on the project by spring. For example, the frontage roads are still under construction at the railroad crossings between Main and Jefferson Streets in Grand Prairie, and scheduled to open by the end of the year. Also, interchange with I-30 eight direct-connector ramps, but only five will be completed by this weekend, with the other three scheduled to open by spring.

The Bush Turnpike western extension is a north-south road, running parallel to Texas 360 about two miles to the east. It gives motorists willing to pay a toll a legitimate alternative to sitting in congestion. On Texas 360, traffic regularly grinds to a halt at Division Street in east Arlington, and at Texas 183 in Irving. With the opening of the western extension, the Bush Turnpike will now be 52 miles long, stretching across the northern half of the greater Dallas area.

New Texas road with 85 mph speed limit opening Wed., Oct. 24

Get ready to rev those cars and trucks to 85 mph. Check out this video of Seguin, Texas Mayor Betty Ann Matthies announcing that the new Segments 5 and 6 of State Highway 130 from Austin to Seguin will open Wednesday, Oct. 24 - and motorists will be allowed to use the road for free until Nov. 10.

Catholic Charities takes over transportation for Fort Worth-area needy

@gdickson

Catholic Charities has taken over transportation services for the needy in the Fort Worth-area, a responsibility previously held by the American Red Cross.

"Our job in this community is to help families in poverty," said Heather Reynolds, chief executive officer and president of Catholic Charities Fort Worth. (Pictured above)

Reynolds and other dignitaries (Pictured below) held a news conference Thursday morning at Catholic Charities' south Fort Worth campus to announce the completion of a transition that began in September.

Services will include:

• HEB Transit, which covers work-related trips for disadvantaged people in Hurst, Euless and Bedford.
• Medical trips that begin and end in Tarrant County.
• Northeast Transportation Services, for area residents age 55 and over and people with disabilities in Bedford, Euless, Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller and North Richland Hills.
• Tarrant County Transportation Services, for area residents age 65 and over and people with disabilities in Azle, Benbrook, Crowley, Everman, Forest Hill, Kennedale, Mansfield, Saginaw, Sansom Park and Westworth Village.
• Ride2Work, for low- and moderate-income Arlington residents for trips in their city or Bedford, Euless or Hurst, or to the Trinity Railway Express stations at CentrePort and Hurst/Bell.

Transportation will now become a major part of what Catholic Charities does, accounting for about $2 million of its $20 million budget.

The American Red Cross wanted to transition away from providing transportation services, and began looking for a partner many months ago. The agency settled on Catholic Charities, which has the ability to not only take over these services but to expand them, said T.D.Smyers, regional chief executive officer for the American Red Cross North Texas region.

"We weren't going to do this until we found a partner to make this work," Smyers said.

The transition began in September, with the blessing of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the United Way of Tarrant County and other entities that provide funding for the transportation services.

In its first month, Catholic Charities provided 5,100 rides for needy residents, officials said. The agency is a regular form of transportation for more than 800 people.

"We understand the importance of people getting to work, doctor appointments, and to do the things they need to do," said Tom Stallings, Tarrant County chief of staff.

Texas negotiates $1.6 billion deal to expand I-35W - most congested road in state

@gdickson

The Texas Department of Transportation has reached a tentative, $1.6 billion deal with a private developer to expand Interstate 35W in north Fort Worth. The work is expected to begin in mid-2013 and be completed by mid-2018.

The stretch of I-35W in northern Tarrant County is the most congested roadway in the state, according to a report released by the state transportation department in late August.

A draft version of the agreement between the transportation department and the developer, North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners, will be available for public inspection at 6 p.m. Thursday at the TxDot Fort Worth District Regional Training Center, 2501 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth (map below).

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The developer, also known as NTE Mobility Partners (or NTEMP), is currently developing the $2.5 billion North Tarrant Express project, which includes expansion of Loop 820 and Texas 121/183 in Northeast Tarrant County.

If the agreement is finalized, NTE Mobility Partners will add I-35W to the North Tarrant Express work. The new arrangement will be titled NTE Mobility Partners Segments 3 LLC (NTEMP3).

The new work would include rebuilding existing lanes and adding two managed toll lanes in each direction of I-35W from Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth to the U.S. 287 split south of Alliance Airport.

The public meeting Thursday is "a very important step" in trying to get the I-35W improvements designed and under construction by mid-2013, transportation department spokesman Tony Hartzel said. After hearing from the public, the transportation department will then finalize the agreement and submit it to the Legislative Budget Board and attorney general's office.

The transportation department annually produces a report on Texas's "100 Most Congested Roadways," and this year's edition concluded that the I-35W stretch in north Fort Worth was the worst in the state - causing motorists to collectively waste more than 2 million hours.

The improvements to I-35W proposed in the draft agreement would cut that delay by more than a third, officials said.

"Texans have better things to do than to sit in traffic, and that's why we're proud to partner with the private sector to speed up a critical transportation project," Phil Wilson, transportation department executive director, said in a statement.

The developer would build and maintain the portion of the road from I-30 to Loop 820 until 2061 - and keep tolls generated on the managed toll lanes during those years. The state transportation department would build the portion of the road from north of Loop 820 to U.S. 287 at an estimated cost of $234 million, but then turn over that portion of the road to the developer, too.

Funding for the work comes from several pots. The North Central Texas Council of Governments has committed $89.5 million, as well as a possible additional $40.5 million for project contingencies, according to the state transportation department.

The U.S. Transportation Department has invited the developer to apply for a federal loan of up to $537 million under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA). The developer would then chip in $273 million in private activity bonds and $446 million in equity.

The agreement would also cover maintenance costs.

If the final agreement is reached by early 2013, the construction could begin by mid-2013 and be substantially completed by mid-2018.

“We have been working together with the state for the past three years designing and building the first phase of the North Tarrant Express project, and look forward to getting this next segment along I-35W in Fort Worth underway,” Nicolas Rubio, president of Cintra US, said in a statement released by the state transportation department.  “This is one of the most traffic congested areas in the United States, and we are proud to further serve the cities, region and state through our involvement in this public-private partnership as we all strive toward better mobility and a greater quality of life.”

Bus service coming to UT Arlington; Rail line may be on the way

@gdickson

Arlington's image as the largest city in the U.S. without mass transit could be making a dramatic turnaround. A bus service to UT-Arlington is scheduled to being next fall, and it could lead to the creation of a rail line from the campus to CentrePort, just south of DFW Airport. And, as if that's not enough, Arlington is in a position to win a stop on the region's high-speed rail line - yes, that's 200 mph trains - planned for 2020.

Photo: berkeley.edu

Time to talk transit in Arlington, Texas

@gdickson

I'm at the University of Texas at Arlington this morning, covering a mobility forum sponsored by the Arlington Chamber Foundation. There's a strong list of speakers advocating for more attention to, and funding for, transportation improvements in North Texas.

Here's a pretty cool video that was just shown by Lawrence Olsen, executive VP of Texas Good Roads, showing attendees what expenses they could avoid if they would agree to a $15 hike in annual vehicle registration fees. See what you think:

Crumbling roads cost North Texas drivers $1,543 a year, report says

@gdickson

Updated at 1:15 p.m.

DFW AIRPORT – Crumbling roads are costing the typical North Texas driver $1,543 annually, according to a report released Tuesday.

Roads will continue to deteriorate unless new funding sources are found to expand the state’s ability to maintain existing highways, as well as build new roads to accommodate a growing population, according to the report titled “Future Mobility in Texas.”

The report by a Washington research organization known as The Road Information Report (TRIP) was released simultaneously in several Texas cities. It estimates that inadequate roads are costing the state $23.2 billion a year.

The transportation system is the backbone of economic progress in Texas, lead researcher Frank Moretti said during a news conference at Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s administration building.

“It’s a backbone that is increasingly deadening under the demands of increased traffic and a lack of funding,” Moretti said.

The cost to drivers is calculated using a formula that includes wear and tear on automobiles, repairs caused by car crashes and the loss of productivity due to time stuck in traffic, according to the report.

The report addressed not only the out-of-pocket costs, but also the impact on safety. About a third of all fatalities are caused by road deficiencies such as poor lane markings, inadequate shoulders or bad lighting, he said.

About 18 percent of Texas roads are in poor condition, meaning motorists must endure a bumpy ride, and another 27 percent of roads are in mediocre condition, the report states. Those percentages will only get worse, unless state and federal officials find new funding sources, said Lawrence Olsen, executive vice president of Texas Good Roads, an Austin group that advocates for transportation funding.

Olsen and others are looking at the long-term picture - how to continue building quality highways and streets for future Texans. It’s a tall task, with the state’s population of about 25.7 million people today expected to increase to 37.3 million by 2030, according to a Census Bureau estimate.

Also, Olsen said, motorists today may be lured into a false sense of security when they view the Texas roadscape. In areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth, drivers may see billions of dollars worth of road work under way - for example, the DFW Connector in Grapevine, or LBJ Managed Lanes in Dallas - and incorrectly assume the state has the revenue it needs to continue meeting transportation needs.

But in reality, Olsen said, many big-dollar projects currently underway are backed by federal stimulus funding, or one form or another of state debt - and those aren’t reliable future funding sources. The state has nearly maxed out its debt capacity, he said.

“The state is pretty close to the edge if its capacity of bonds that can be utilized, especially bonds tied to general revenue,” Olsen said.

The state’s motor fuels tax - 20 cents per gallon for gasoline - hasn’t been raised since 1991 - and, he said, the purchasing power of 20 pennies back then will only buy you about 8 cents worth of road work today.

Bridges also are sorely in need of repair, with 18 percent of Texas’ structures showing significant deterioration or insufficient design standards, according to the report.

Data in the report was provided by the Federal Highway Administration, which collects information about pavement quality annually form the Texas Department of Transportation and similar agencies in other states.

In Texas, the report noted that a Texas A&M Transportation Institute study concluded that a concerted effort by state officials to improve safety on rural roads by adding barriers and other features likely saved 133 lives in a three-year period. The institute estimates that another 880 lives will be saved over 20 years.

“Transportation is more than just driving on Texas’ roads and bridges or using public transit,” the report states. “It’s about receiving packages in a timely manner, easily grabbing groceries on the way home or safely traveling across the state.”