mandalay place las colinas 3.3 transportation · 2008. 1. 8. · draft environmental impact...

Preliminary Engineering / Environmental Impact StatementNorthwest Corridor LRT Line to Irving and DFW Airport

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3 - 28Chapter 3 Affected Environment

� Mandalay PlaceThis single family neighborhood, which was constructed in the mid-1980’s, is locateddirectly north of North Lake College between Brangus Drive and Walnut Hill Lane.

� Las ColinasThis neighborhood encompasses several apartment complexes north of North LakeCollege, surrounding a creek, ponds and greenbelts. The neighborhood includes theHidden Ridge, Jefferson Park, Jefferson Ridge, Knightsbridge, Rancho Mirage, Archstoneat MacArthur (previously Rosemont Apartments), and Villas at Beaver Creek apartments.

3.3 TRANSPORTATIONThe proposed extension of light rail to Irving within the Northwest Corridor will have to interfacewith the existing transportation system of roadways, highways, railroads, pedestrian/bicyclefacilities, bus routes, and transit centers. This section documents the existing conditions of thattransportation system and lays the groundwork for determining what changes will have to be madeto accommodate light rail and what impacts that will have. As such, this section focuses on theproposed alignment of the light rail extension and the transportation facilities that parallel or crossit. This study area extends from northwest Dallas westward through Irving towards Dallas/FortWorth International Airport.

The existing conditions of the transportation system within the Irving/DFW LRT corridor weredocumented by collecting existing data from various transportation agencies and taking inventoryof conditions within the corridor itself. This documentation includes a summary of regional trafficpatterns and traffic volumes, intersection conditions, parking usage, bus service, and freightrailroad operations.

Existing daily and peak hour traffic volumes at most locations were collected from TxDOT,NCTCOG, and the municipal agencies within the corridor. Traffic volumes at certain locations werecollected manually in the field. Year 2030 traffic volume projections were obtained from theNCTCOG Mobility 2025 Plan (Amended April 2005) as modeled by DART. The existingconfiguration of transportation facilities was inventoried in the field. Roadway, rail, and transitfacilities projected to exist in the year 2030 were estimated based upon committed and proposedchanges to the transportation system as specified by and agreed to by the agencies involved.

Transit operation and ridership data were collected from DART. Data concerning bicycle andpedestrian facilities were collected from the cities in the corridor. Finally, any policies governing theuse of or interaction between transportation facilities in the corridor were collected from the variousgovernment agencies within the corridor.

3.3.1 Transportation InfrastructureThis section describes the existing conditions of the transportation infrastructure within theIrving/DFW LRT corridor. This includes transit infrastructure, roads and highways, and railroads.

Transit InfrastructureThe Project Corridor is served by a network of 14 DART bus routes. Bus transit services operatein mixed traffic on city streets, SH 114, and IH 35E south of IH 635 (Figure 3-10). Just outside theProject Corridor, buses utilize high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on IH 35E north of IH 635, andon IH 635 east of IH 35E. There are two express, eight circulator, one rail-feeder, and three cross-town routes in the corridor. The “circulator” routes operate between transit centers in outer Dallasand in the suburbs. Typically, express routes provide service to downtown Dallas, but one of theexpress routes is a cross-town route that provides east-west service on IH 635. The corridor busnetwork generally is oriented in a pattern radiating from downtown Dallas, which is located beyondthe southeast edge of the Study Area. In addition, there are several circulator routes within Irving.

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Cross-town service into Dallas, Farmers Branch, and Carrollton is available, but cross-town serviceto the other cities surrounding Irving does not exist as they are not DART member cities.

There is one transit center within the corridor providing park-and-ride facilities at a major bustransfer center. The North Irving Transit Center provides 715 parking spaces and is served by twoexpress bus routes and five circulator bus routes on weekdays, and five different circulator busroutes during the weekend. On weekdays, one express bus route provides service to downtownDallas (Route 202) and the other provides express cross-town service to Parker Road Station inPlano (Route 234).

In addition to bus service, there is a commuter rail line operated by DART that travels just south ofthe corridor. The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) rail line links downtown Dallas and downtown FortWorth. The first ten miles of the service between downtown Dallas and South Irving opened in1996, with stations at Union Station, the Medical/Market Center, and South Irving. The second 17miles extended the service into Richland Hills in September 2000. Service to downtown Fort Worthopened in December 2001. Located south of SH 183 on O’Connor Road, the closest TRE stationto the Project Corridor is the South Irving Station, which also contains a bus transfer center servedby eight bus routes on weekdays.

Finally, within the Las Colinas Urban Center there is a 1.4-mile elevated people-mover system thatconnects several office buildings. The Las Colinas Area Personal Transit (APT) System isoperated and maintained by the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation District. More commonlyknown as the Las Colinas People-mover, the APT operates between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM onweekdays and serves four stations in area office buildings. Most traffic consists of office buildingemployees traveling to and from restaurants in other buildings. Rides on the APT System are free.

Roads and HighwaysThe existing highway system in the corridor includes several freeways, a tollway, and a network ofarterial roadways and local streets (Figure 3-11). In the eastern portion of the corridor, theproposed alignment runs along several highways and arterial roadways, including Spur 482, SH114, Teleport Boulevard, Las Colinas Boulevard, and Northwest Highway. As the proposedalignment proceeds west of the Las Colinas Urban Center, it no longer follows a particularroadway, but crosses multiple arterial roadways on its way to DFW Airport (such as Hidden RidgeDrive, MacArthur Boulevard, and Walnut Hill Lane).

Spur 482 is a short highway that connects Northwest Highway in Dallas to the confluence offreeways surrounding Texas Stadium. SH 114 is a freeway that extends northwest from TexasStadium to the north end of DFW Airport and continues northwestward into the suburbs north ofFort Worth. Teleport Boulevard is a minor arterial on the south end of the Las Colinas UrbanCenter, Las Colinas Boulevard is a four-lane arterial on the east edge of the Las Colinas UrbanCenter, and Northwest Highway is a major arterial in Dallas and extends northwestward into Irvingwhere it becomes Spur 348 and merges with SH 114.

After following Spur 482 from the Farmers Branch/Carrollton LRT Line to Texas Stadium, theproposed alignment generally follows the principal freeway in the area, SH 114 (John CarpenterFreeway). SH 114 is part of a system of highways that radiates from the Dallas CBD freeway loop.SH 114 runs in a general northwest-southeast direction and carries an average of 86,000 to100,000 vehicles per day.

Several other freeways interconnect within the Project Corridor. Texas Stadium serves as a focalpoint of the confluence of four freeways (SH 114, Loop 12, SH 183, and Spur 482). In addition, IH35E crosses the eastern end of the alignment and SH 161 (the President George Bush Turnpike)crosses the western end of the alignment.

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Although IH 35E carries much more traffic north of the Project Corridor, the busiest freeway withinthe Project Corridor is SH 183 (Airport Freeway). SH 183 is a freeway that connects north Dallaswith north Fort Worth and provides access to the south entrance of DFW Airport. The freewaycarries an average of 177,000 vehicles per day in the vicinity of Texas Stadium. Plans are beingprepared to widen SH 183 and construct HOV lanes starting in about ten years.

At the eastern end of the Irving/DFW LRT corridor, there are few arterial roadways due to the ElmFork of the Trinity River. As the alignment extends into Irving, it encounters more and more arterialroadways. However, a regular, grid street pattern does not exist within the corridor. Along many ofthese major arterial roadways, high traffic volumes contribute to congestion delays. The highvolume-to-capacity ratios on many of these arterials result in unacceptable traffic operatingconditions as defined by local and national standards (as detailed below in Section 3.3.2).

RailroadsThere are two active freight rail lines operating within the Project Corridor as shown in Figure 3-12.One of these rail lines is now owned by DART and the other is owned by the Burlington NorthernSanta Fe Railroad (BNSF RR). Currently there are active freight operations on both of these raillines.

The primary rail line along the eastern edge of the corridor is the DART-owned UPRR line, alongwhich it is proposed to construct the new light rail line to Farmers Branch and Carrollton. TheUPRR line runs from north of downtown Dallas to the northwest, past Love Field, to FarmersBranch, Carrollton, and Lewisville. The line generally parallels IH 35E and has multiple sidings andspurs that serve individual customer sites on both sides of the alignment. The Brookhollow Leadprovides a connection between the UPRR line and the Mockingbird Yard on the TRE line south ofthe Project Corridor.

The BNSF RR is a major north-south rail line that runs through the corridor. It runs through Irvingand into Dallas and eventually Farmers Branch and Carrollton where it intersects with the UPRRline. Within the Project Corridor, the BNSF RR line has relatively few active sidings or spurs as itprimarily carries long-haul freight.

3.3.2 Traffic Volumes and TrendsTraffic volumes in the Dallas urbanized area are considered some of the highest in Texas. Aspreviously stated, the Project Corridor is bounded on the east by IH-35E, which carries an averageof 226,000 vehicles per day north of the corridor. In addition, the Project Corridor is just south ofIH-635 (LBJ Freeway) which, when it travels through north Dallas, carries the highest volumes oftraffic in the Dallas urbanized area with approximately 300,000 vehicles per day. As previouslystated, the busiest freeway in the Project Corridor is SH 183 which carries an average of 170,000vehicles per day near Texas Stadium. Traffic volumes on most of the arterial roadways in thestudy corridor are also high, with some carrying over 30,000 vehicles per day.

Selected characteristics of the streets serving the study area were shown in Figure 3-11. As canbe seen, the proposed alignment crosses and parallels major roadways at irregular intervals due tothe curvilinear nature of the roadways and the alignment itself. The existing traffic volumes on allof the freeways and arterial roadways within the study corridor are shown in Figure 3-13. Thetraffic volume statistics for the major roadways paralleling the corridor are listed in Table 3-15.These statistics include the existing traffic volumes, existing levels of service, projected 2030 trafficvolumes, and their projected 2030 levels of service. The traffic volume statistics for the majorroadways crossing the alignment are shown in Table 3-16. The level of service is a measure of therelative delay and congestion experienced on a roadway, with level of service A being the best,and anything worse than level of service D being unacceptable.

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TABLE 3-15MAJOR ROADWAYS PARALLELING THE PROPOSED ALIGNMENT

Roadway SectionExisting

ADT1

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2030ADT3

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2030LOS2

Spur 482 (Storey Lane) East of IH 35E 54 C 72 C

North of Spur 348 1004

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ESH 114(John Carpenter Freeway) South of Spur 348 91

4E 181

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Teleport to O’Connor 6 B 11 BRiverside Drive

O’Connor to Spur 348 21 C 27 D

Loop 12 to Luna Road 36 E 54 FSpur 348(Northwest Highway) O’Connor to SH 114 28 E 38 F

Hidden Ridge Dr. West of SH 114 9 B 18 C

SH 114 to MacArthur 15 B 18 C

East of Belt Line Rd. 22 C 27 DWalnut Hill Lane

West of Belt Line Rd. 16 B 37 E1

Average daily traffic in both directions. Traffic counts were collected in 2003 or2004. All freeway traffic counts werecollected in 2003, all arterial traffic counts were collected in 2003 or 2004.2

Level of Service determined by NCTCOG.3

Average daily traffic in both directions. Projections provided by NCTCOG.4

Includes traffic on main lanes and frontage roads.Source: Parsons Transportation Group, NCTCOG; 2006

TABLE 3-16MAJOR ROADWAYS CROSSING THE PROPOSED ALIGNMENT

Roadway Lanes at theCrossing1

ExistingADT2

(1,000’s)

ExistingLOS3

2030ADT4

(1,000’s)

2030LOS3

Harry Hines Blvd. 6 34 E 37 E

IH 35E(Stemmons Freeway) 2-Lane Frontage Roads 1345

E 1705

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Loop 12(Walton Walker Freeway) 2-Lane Frontage Roads 1305

E 1945

F

Tom Braniff Drive 4 7 B 9 B

Riverside Drive 6 6 A 23 D

California Crossing 4 3 A 5 A

O’Connor Boulevard 6 25 D 13 B

Colwell Boulevard 2 4 B 10 B

SH 114(John Carpenter Freeway) 2-Lane Frontage Roads 915

E 1815

F

Hidden Ridge Drive 6 11 B 15 B

MacArthur Boulevard 6 27 E 35 E

Walnut Hill Lane 6 16 B 38 E

SH 161/Bush Turnpike 2-Lane Frontage Roads 475

B 2075

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Belt Line Road 6 32 E 41 F1

Includes lanes in both directions on two-way streets unless noted otherwise.2

Average daily traffic in both directions. Traffic counts were collected in 2003 or 2004.3

Level of Service determined by NCTCOG.4

Average daily traffic in both directions. Projections provided by NCTCOG.5

Includes traffic on main lanes and frontage roads.Source: Parsons Transportation Group; NCTCOG; 2006



The primary flow of traffic within the corridor is north and south along the major arterials withinIrving (Belt Line Road, MacArthur Boulevard, and O’Connor Boulevard), and northwest andsoutheast along the central freeway of the corridor, SH 114, as well as Spur 348 (NorthwestHighway). SH 114 and Spur 348 exhibit traditional commuter traffic patterns in that most traffic istraveling southeast towards Dallas during the AM peak, and most is traveling northwest away fromDallas during the PM peak. However, the Las Colinas Urban Center is a center of employmentwithin the corridor which causes some reverse commuting on SH 114 between Las Colinas andDallas.

Considering the corridor as a whole, peak period congestion is widespread on the freeways andthe major roadways and the length of the peak period has been increasing. Tables 3-15 and 3-16show that most of the freeway segments in the study corridor currently operate with unacceptablelevels of service on a typical weekday, as well as Belt Line Road on the west end of the corridor,MacArthur Boulevard in the middle, and Harry Hines Boulevard on the east end. In addition, manyof the roadways are at their ultimate build-out conditions, so reconstruction cannot mitigate currentconditions or handle the growth of traffic that is projected to occur in the future. For example, thereis more vacant land to build upon, both in the Las Colinas Urban Center and in the residentialareas of the corridor. As a result, there will be more jobs within the corridor as well as residents,translating into more commuter trips into and out of the corridor.

Historically, traffic volumes on Dallas freeways have increased five to ten percent per year between1995 and 2000. Growth slowed in the first years of this decade, but is expected to increase againthrough the year 2030. Within the Project Corridor, traffic volumes on the mature freeways(IH 35E, Loop 12, and Spur 482) are projected to grow at about one percent per year, while trafficvolumes on SH 114 are projected to grow at about four percent per year. Traffic volumes on SH161 are projected to grow at about ten percent per year due in large part to the new connectionwith the President George Bush Turnpike which opened in September 2005.

Increases in traffic volumes on major arterial roadways within the corridor between 1995 and 2000have historically averaged around three percent per year with one location increasing as much as14 percent per year. As with the freeways, growth slowed between 2000 and 2004, but is expectedto increase through the year 2030. As previously described, Tables 3-15 and 3-16 show the trafficvolumes that are projected for the year 2030, and the levels of service that are projected to occuron those roadways after certain programmed improvements are made. As shown in the tables,traffic volumes on most of the roadway segments are projected to increase, with a correspondingdegradation in level of service.

3.3.3 Transit Operations and RidershipThe Irving/DFW LRT corridor is served by a network of 14 bus routes (Figure 3-10), many of whichwill need to be restructured when light rail service is extended into the corridor. The averageridership on the bus routes currently operating in the corridor is summarized in Table 3-17.Service descriptions and headways for each of the routes are summarized in Table 3-18. The busroutes traveling through the study corridor have a total average ridership of more than 220,000passengers each month and almost 91 percent of this monthly ridership occurs on weekdays.These routes account for about seven percent of DART’s total system-wide bus ridership. The twohighest ridership routes travel between the North Irving Transit Center and the City of Garland.One of these routes (428) travels through Dallas along Northwest Highway and the other (400)along Belt Line Road.

Several types of transit use occur within the corridor. Some transit users drive to a park-and-ride lotand board a bus bound for downtown Dallas, a cross-town destination, or destinations within thecorridor.



TABLE 3-17EXISTING IRVING/DFW LRT CORRIDOR BUS RIDERSHIP

Route Average Weekday Average Saturday Average Sunday Average MonthEnd Passengers

Express Routes202 901 No Service No Service 19,822234 51 No Service No Service 1,122

Circulator (Suburban) Routes301 841 No Service No Service 18,502302 313 No Service No Service 6,886303 345 No Service No Service 7,590305 650 No Service No Service 14,300306 174 No Service No Service 3,828310 451 13 41 10,138311 113 No Service No Service 2,486314 No Service 569 311 3,520

Cross-Town Routes400 1,849 850 542 46,246428 3,205 1,738 867 80,930438 No Service 27 No Service 108

Rail Feeder Routes507 245 116 No Service 5,854

Source: Parsons Transportation Group, DART; August 2005

TABLE 3-18BUS OPERATIONS SUMMARY

Service Frequency(minutes)Route Description

Peak Off-PeakExpress Routes

202 Downtown Dallas to N Irving Transit Center to Valley Ranch to DFW Remote North 30 120234 Parker Road Station to North Irving Transit Center 60 N/A

Circulator (Suburban) Routes301 North Irving Transit Center to South Irving Station 30 60

302 South Irving Station to North Irving Transit Center39 AM30 PM

60

303 South Irving Station to North Irving Transit Center30 AM22 PM

60

305 North Irving Transit Center to Irving Mall to South Irving Station 30 60

306 South Irving Station to Texas Stadium to Century Center50 AM55 PM

60

310 North Irving Transit Center to Royal & Colwell to Freeport 30 60311 DeVry Institute of Technology to West Irving Station 45 N/A314 North Irving Transit Center to South Irving Station N/A 60

Cross-Town Routes

400Downtown Garland Station to Arapaho Center Station to Addison Transit Center toNorth Irving Transit Center

30 60

428South Garland Transit Center to Park Lane Station to Webb Chapel to North IrvingTransit Center

10 40

438 AGEIS Communication to Illinois Station N/A N/ARail Feeder Routes

507 North Irving Transit Center to South Irving Station 42 60Source: Parsons Transportation Group, DART; August 2005

Other transit users walk to bus stops near their homes and board the bus bound for their place ofemployment. Depending on their destination, some of these latter transit users may use the transitcenter to transfer from one bus route to another in order to reach their final destination. Finally,



some transit users use the commuter rail that travels just south of the corridor. These users areprimarily long-haul commuters who drive to the park-and-ride lot in south Irving and ride the traininto downtown Dallas or downtown Fort Worth. The first two types of transit users described abovewill be the ones most impacted by the extension of light rail into the corridor.

The first type of transit user described above is usually a resident of the northwestern suburbs ofDallas who would prefer to drive just part of the way towards their employment destination and usethe transit system for the remainder of it. These transit users are likely using the system to reachemployment centers in and around downtown Dallas. The North Irving Transit Center is theoutermost transit center in the Northwest Corridor and therefore has a large parking lot. However,this parking lot is currently not well utilized (see Section 3.3.6). As residential developmentincreases within the corridor and to the northwest and as employment opportunities increase inand around downtown Dallas, more and more long-haul commuters will likely choose the park-and-ride option rather than driving in the increasing traffic congestion that will likely occur on highwaysleading into Dallas. Additionally, TxDOT plans reconstruction of SH 114. This roadwayreconstruction may also influence transit mode choice.

The second type of transit user described above is usually a “transit-dependent” person who doesnot have access to an automobile. DART’s transit system enables these people to work atemployment centers all over the Dallas area that would normally be accessible only to someonewith an automobile. This allows transit-dependent people living in the corridor to work outside thecorridor, and vice versa. Considering the large amount of employment within the study corridor,DART’s transit system is very important to the economic vitality of the corridor. It provides jobopportunities for people from all areas and demographics, and it provides employers with a widerrange of the labor pool. As employment opportunities increase within the corridor and transit-dependent residential development increases, the transit system will become even more importantto employers and employees alike.

There are two transit pass programs that DART provides to promote transit usage through largeemployers. The Silver/Bronze Annual Pass program allows employers to provide select employeeswith annual DART transit passes. The Gold Annual Pass program is an annual DART passprovided by the company to all employees. It provides unlimited transportation on all DART fixed-route bus and rail service, and free emergency taxi rides home. Each of the passes also providesdiscounts at certain retail businesses. These programs, especially the Gold Pass, become anadditional company benefit and can help attract employees. Employers benefit from tax incentivesby offering the passes.

3.3.4 Movement of FreightDue to the concentration of manufacturers, warehouses, and large employers in portions of theIrving/DFW LRT corridor, the movement of freight is important to the economic vitality of thecorridor. Consequently, freight is transported into, out of, and within the corridor every day by truckand by rail. In addition, IH 35E serves as a major NAFTA trucking route between Mexico, theUnited States, and Canada.

Freight Transported by TruckMost of the freight transported within the corridor is transported by truck. The primary roadwayfacilities for truck movements are illustrated in Figure 3-14. Compared to the Dallas area as awhole, there is a higher amount of local truck traffic at the eastern edge of the corridor due to thecommercial and industrial land uses there.

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In addition, there is a higher number of trucks on IH 35E (compared to other north-south freeways)due not only to the land uses along its length, but also to its international NAFTA designation.Within the Project Corridor, there is a concentration of local truck traffic near the western end of thealignment on Belt Line Road and Gateway Drive. Otherwise, through truck traffic uses SH 114 andNorthwest Highway.

Some of the freight transported through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex by truck is categorized ashazardous materials, and is therefore restricted to certain routes within urbanized areas. Theprimary hazardous materials routes in the study area are identified in Figure 3-15. Within thecorridor, the transportation of hazardous materials is allowed on a north-south combination ofIH 35E and Loop 12 (Walton Walker Boulevard) as well as the portion of Northwest Highwaybetween IH 35E and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. These regional route restrictions areextensions of ordinances adopted by the City of Dallas and the Texas Department ofTransportation to control the transportation of hazardous materials.

Freight Transported by RailAlthough trucks transport the majority of freight, a large amount of freight is transported by railwithin the corridor. There are two active freight rail lines operating within the corridor (as shown inFigure 3-12). The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail line transports freight across thecorridor, and the DART-owned UPRR line is primarily used to pick up and deliver freight tocustomers along the eastern edge of the corridor. Deliveries to customers on the UPRR line areprovided by the Dallas, Garland, and Northeastern Railroad (DGNO). The Brookhollow Leadprovides a connection between the UPRR and the Mockingbird Yard on the TRE line south of theProject Corridor.

3.3.5 Non-Motorized CirculationPedestrian circulation facilities in the study area are essentially provided as part of the roadwayfacility cross-section. This typically includes sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and pedestriansignals. Within the Project Corridor, the Las Colinas Urban Center has the most pedestrian activitydue to its plazas surrounded by office buildings. In contrast, there are large sections along theproposed alignment where no pedestrian facilities are provided, especially along highways andfrontage roads.

Beyond sidewalk construction, the City of Irving has a master plan to create a 22-mile system ofinterconnected trails along the two forks of the Trinity River, the Elm and West Forks. This masterplan is called the Campion Trails Project. Currently, there are five miles completed on the northend of the system and three miles completed on the south end. The completed northern portion iswithin the Project Corridor, starting near the Las Colinas Urban Center and extending northwardalong the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, roughly paralleling Riverside Drive. The Campion TrailsProject is planned to connect to a future regional trail system which will link all cities within theMetroplex.

There is no official on-street bicycle route network in the City of Irving. However, The City of Dallasdeveloped the Greater Dallas Bike Plan Map in 1992, and updated it in 1995, 1997, and 2004.This plan identifies bicycle facilities in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs, including signed andunsigned on-street routes, paved paths, and unpaved off-road trails. The plan shows two unsignedon-street bike routes that extend from Dallas into Irving. Route 7 runs on Luna Road andWildwood Drive and crosses the Elm Fork of the Trinity River into Irving next to the University ofDallas. Route 300 runs on Royal Lane into Irving and terminates at Valley View Lane. In addition,there is an unpaved off-road bike trail in the L.B. Houston Park in Dallas, just across the river fromthe Las Colinas Urban Center. Finally, the Campion Trails Project is identified by NCTCOG as afuture component of the 2025 Veloweb, a future planned regional network of bicycle trails.

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3.3.6 ParkingThe supply of parking in the Irving/DFW LRT corridor generally meets or exceeds currentdemands. Small and large activity centers provide adequate parking in off-street facilities forpatrons and employees. While parking is not permitted on principal arterials, free parking isgenerally allowed on most minor arterials, collectors, and local streets in the corridor.

The vast majority of parking within the corridor is off-street parking that serves specific uses(parking lots and parking garages). Most businesses and institutions along the corridor provideadequate parking capacity for their employees, customers, and suppliers with their own parkinglots on their property. In addition, DART provides off-street parking for transit users at the NorthIrving Transit Center Park-and-Ride.

As Table 3-19 shows, the North Irving Transit Center is only 15 percent occupied on a typicalweekday with about 100 parked cars. The largest concentration of parking exists in the areasurrounding Texas Stadium where several large surface lots are located near the proposedalignment. These lots provide 16,500 parking spaces for passenger cars and 500 for buses.These fee-based parking lots are only used on Dallas Cowboys game days, or on days when thestadium hosts other special events. However, it should be noted that a new stadium is being builtfor the Dallas Cowboys in the city of Arlington, Texas, which will open in 2009. Therefore, the useof Texas Stadium and these parking lots beyond 2009 is unclear.

TABLE 3-19PARKING FACILITIES AT EXISTING TRANSIT CENTERS

Transit Center Parking Spaces Utilization Rate1

North Irving 715 15%1

Based on a count of occupied spaces during periods of peak parking.Source: Parsons Transportation Group; Sept. 2005

The second largest concentration of parking exists within the Las Colinas Urban Center whereseveral surface lots and parking garages are located near the proposed alignment. These parkingfacilities serve the daily demand of the office buildings in the area. Some of these parking facilitiesare generally free for employees and visitors, while others charge a fee ranging from $5 to $16 aday.

3.3.7 Regional Transportation Improvement PlansMobility 2025: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan is a 25-year plan to guide theimplementation of roadway and transit improvements in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.The Mobility 2025 Plan has served as the regional transportation plan since its adoption in 1990and has been updated periodically. The original plan was developed as Mobility 2010 in 1990 andwas updated in 1993. In 1997 the plan was updated and renamed the Mobility 2020 Plan. In2000 the plan was updated again and became the Mobility 2025 Plan. The Mobility 2025 PlanUpdate was adopted in May 2001, and the Mobility 2025 Plan (2004 Update) was adopted inJanuary 2004. The most recent version of the plan is the Mobility 2025 Plan (Amended April2005). Similar to previous versions of the plan, the current plan recommends an extension ofDART’s light rail system in the corridor. The plan also recommends additional transit-relatedimprovements in the corridor including high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities on SH 114;managed HOV facilities on SH 161/Bush Turnpike; express buses serving the HOV facilities;expanded cross-town bus service; circulator service in high density employment areas; and localfeeder buses to serve proposed rail lines and park-and-ride lots.

The Mobility 2025 Plan (Amended April 2005) also includes recommendations for CongestionManagement System (CMS) strategies throughout the region. These CMS strategies are short-range, relatively non-capital intensive measures focusing on transportation system management(TSM) and travel demand management (TDM) strategies such as:



� Traffic Signal Improvements and Intersection Improvements;� Incident Detection and Response Systems including motorist assistance patrols;� Advanced Traffic Management Systems relaying real-time travel information;� Employer Trip Reduction Programs at large employers; and� Vanpool Programs.

The 2006-2008 Transportation Improvement Plan for the Dallas-Fort Worth MetropolitanArea (TIP) identifies all of the roadway and transit improvements programmed for constructionwithin the next two years. The projects presented within the 2006-2008 TIP were chosen toimplement improvements consistent with the Mobility 2025 Plan. Roadway improvement plans forthe study corridor identified within the 2006-2008 TIP will provide some additional traffic-carryingcapability to respond to the projected population and employment growth. Despite the existingtransportation infrastructure and planned improvements, significant traffic congestion is anticipatedto occur in the study corridor between now and the year 2025. Unacceptable volume-to-capacityratios are expected to occur on most major arterial roadways in the study corridor. In addition,increases in congestion are anticipated on many of the arterial roadways in the study corridor.

The 2006-2008 TIP identifies extensions of DART's LRT system into the Project Corridor and HOVfacilities on SH 114 as the principal transit projects for improving mobility within the study corridor.Additional transit-related programs include: “Ozone Alert” fare programs, the acquisition of moretransit vehicles to expand service and the CMS strategies discussed above. No otherimprovements directly related to transit currently are committed for implementation in the ProjectCorridor. A summary of other anticipated improvements in the corridor is shown below. Theroadway improvements that will affect the proposed alignment the most are the proposed newroadways and widening of other roads in and around the Las Colinas Urban Center:

� Add eastbound travel lane on SH 114 from Spur 348 to Freeport Parkway (2006)� Intersection improvements at SH 114 and Walnut Hill Lane (2007)� Construct new roadway of Las Colinas Boulevard form Lake Carolyn Parkway to Colwell

Boulevard (2007)� Add travel lanes on Denton Drive from Webb Chapel Extension to Farmers Branch city limits

(2007)� Add travel lanes on O’Connor Road from SH 183 to Columbia Street (2007)� Intersection improvements at SH 114 and SH 161 (2007)� Grade separate Spur 348 (Northwest Highway) at Las Colinas Boulevard (2008)� Interchange reconstruction at SH 114 and SH 183 (2010)� Interchange reconstruction at Loop 12 and SH 183 (2010)

DART’s Transit System Plan is the agency's long range plan of services and facilities for meetingits mission "...to build and operate an efficient and effective transportation system within the DARTService Area..." The purpose of the Transit System Plan is to support the mobility needs of theresidents in, and visitors to, the DART Service Area by providing an integrated, affordable andcost-effective alternative to the single occupant passenger vehicle. Its development was closelycoordinated with each version of the NCTCOG Mobility Plan.

DART’s Transit System Plan includes consideration of bus service, general mobility, HOV lanes,and rail service. As such, the Transit System Plan contains recommendations for the SH 114Corridor from all four major components. Along with the extension of light rail within the ProjectCorridor to DFW Airport, the existing Transit System Plan shows HOV lanes along SH 114 andSH 161 as well as a future park-and-ride transit center at the end of the Irving/DFW LRT extension.The transit system plan is currently being updated to the forecast year 2030.

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