As part of the federal government’s evaluation of the Trinity Toll Road, they must take public comment. If you didn’t get a chance to attend the “public hearing” last month, you can still provide written comment (which will be included in the public record) through June 30. Here’s the NTTA press release: MORE….
Last night, the North Texas Tollway Authority and Texas Dept. of Transportation held a “public hearing” on the location for the Trinity Toll Road. I put “public hearing” in quotes because (1) you can’t see me doing air quotes, which are obnoxious anyway, and (2) it was anything but a public hearing.
I won’t use the word “sham” because it’s loaded and a little heavy-handed. But here’s what happened: MORE….
In recent months, several facts have come to light that suggest that Dallas should reconsider its decision to locate the Trinity Toll Road in our city’s floodway.
First, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that Dallas’ levees failed to meet their new, post-Katrina safety standards. The Corps also discovered sand in our levees, which presents a problem for toll road construction. Further, the Corps indicated concerns about allowing the toll road’s large concrete piers to pierce the levees, which could weaken them.
In addition, the North Texas Tollway Authority acknowledged that there is a billion dollar funding gap for the toll road. No additional funding sources have been identified. MORE….
I’ve gotten quite a bit of positive feedback from my Trinity River Project Plan B editorial in today’s DMN, but a couple of people have pointed out that my editorial is a bit unclear on one point.
In the editorial, I recommend we close the I-635 loop on the west side of the city by linking the western portion of Loop 12 to I-20. A couple of folks were quick to point out the fact that Loop 12 already connects to I-20 via Spur 408.
They are correct, of course, but I was proposing a different route, one along Walton Walker Boulevard. MORE….
Join me at a Dallas City Council meeting five years from now:
It’s 2014. Under Mayor Tom Leppert’s plan, the Trinity toll road should have opened last year, but its construction hasn’t even begun. It remains mired in federal safety analyses due to concerns about its effect on Dallas’ levees. The North Texas Tollway Authority bowed out in early 2011 when it determined it could not fund the now $2.4 billion project.
City staff reluctantly informs the council and mayor that there is no way to bridge the enormous funding gap. The buckets of money once touted to finance the road have been spent on other more critical transportation needs in the region. Less than half of the city’s $84 million in bond funds for the road remains. MORE….
I was very concerned to see that the U.S. Corps of Engineers has deemed the safety of Dallas’ levees “unacceptable.” The Corps revised their safety standards after the Katrina tragedy, and re-evaluated Dallas’ levees under this new system. They announced the results of their review yesterday.
I was surprised that our levees failed to meet the new standards since the Mayor just got back from lobbying our Congressional delegation to pressure the Corps into speeding up their safety evaluation of the Trinity toll road, which is to be built within the levees. If you’ve been following this issue, you know that no major road like this has ever been built within a levee system. Knowing that our levees do not meet the Corps’ new safety standards, I think it’s irresponsible to lobby the Corps to speed up what should be a thoughtful, deliberate safety review of an untested engineering design like the toll road. Rushing to pour millions of tons of concrete into an already unsafe levee system is a dangerous plan that could have dire consequences. MORE….
The Dallas North Tollway northbound exit ramp to Mockingbird and the southbound entrance ramp from Mockingbird will be closed from Monday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 15. Highland Park needed to close the ramps so they can install a 36″ water valve.
This just in from the North Texas Tollway Authority:
On the night of Friday, June 22, starting at midnight until Monday, June 25, at 5:00 a.m., the south end of the Tollway will be closed northbound from IH-35E to Mockingbird and southbound from Northwest Highway to the southern end of the Tollway. The Cedar Springs Road Bridge, in both directions, will also be closed during this time. On Monday morning, the Tollway and the Cedar Springs Road Bridge will both be open to two-way traffic.
NTTA construction crews will be demolishing the old Cedar Springs Road Bridge, placing drainage lines under the Tollway to prevent flooding during heavy storms, hanging bridge beams for the bridge over Oak Lawn Avenue and performing pavement repairs on the IH-35E ramp northbound to the Tollway.
“The best news is that on Monday morning, when we reopen the Tollway, we will also be reopening the new Cedar Springs Bridge to two-way traffic,” said Mark Bouma, NTTA’s Director of Engineering. “Over the weekend of the 23rd, we will be performing several different projects to reduce the necessity for additional closures and customer inconvenience.”
On the Tollway, southbound motorists will have to exit at Northwest Highway or sooner. The southbound entrance ramps at Lovers Ln., Mockingbird Ln. and Lemmon Ave. will be closed. Southbound entrance ramps from Walnut Hill, Royal Lane and Forest Lane will also be closed due to the short distance before they have to exit. Northbound Tollway entrances at Harry Hines Blvd., IH-35E and Wycliff Ave. will be closed and northbound traffic will not be able to enter the Tollway until Mockingbird Lane. Signage will be placed on the Tollway in several places to notify motorists of the closure.
“We hope to cause minimal inconvenience, but we are excited about this project because, when complete, it will result in a safer commute for motorists. Safety is a top priority at the NTTA,” Bouma said.
During these closures, motorists should plan ahead, seek alternative routes and expect delays. IH-35E and Central Expressway serve as viable alternatives to the Tollway during this time.
This project is part of a $50 million dollar renovation to the 40-year-old South end of the Tollway. It is one of several projects and major construction efforts being undertaken by the NTTA to improve mobility in north Texas. Other major projects include: the Tollway Extension Phase 3 from State Highway 121 to U.S. 380 in Collin County, the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge in Denton County, the eastern extension of the President George Bush Turnpike, the Southwest Parkway in Tarrant County and the Trinity Parkway near downtown Dallas.
