Regional Mobility Initiatives Vol. X, No. 1 January 2006 Goods Movement in the Dallas-Fort Worth region impacts the safety and operations of the regional transportation system and the growth and success of the region s economy. Freight is moved, transferred, and distributed to destinations throughout the state, across the country, and around the world from the DFW region. This region is the largest international inland port in the nation without a border crossing. Burlington Northern Santa Fe intermodal yard at Alliance The Dallas-Fort Worth freight transportation system includes: 600 motor carriers 100 freight forwarders Operations for three Class I railroads Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Kansas City Southern Railway Union Pacific Railroad Two major air cargo hubs Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Fort Worth Alliance Airport Four Foreign Trade Zones Source: Hillwood Development Corporation Combined, these facilities have allowed the DFW region to become the primary truck, rail, and air cargo center in the southwestern United States, as well as the primary urban gateway between the United States and Mexico. Key recommendations for preserving or enhancing this goods-movement system include railroad operational and signal upgrades at critical locations, major infrastructure improvements to relieve railroad congestion, bypasses that remove through trains and hazardous truck cargo from the center of the region, truck idle-reduction technologies and truck safety improvements. Failure to plan today for growth would result in a freight system unable to support future business opportunities in our region. Freight traffic is the fastest growing travel segment in the region. Tons in billions 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1998 2010 2020 Truck Rail Air Source: FHWA - Freight Analysis Framework Regional Mobility Initiatives is a report on the transportation planning activities and air quality programs of the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Regional Transportation Council together serving as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area since 1974.
Dallas-Fort Worth: International Logistics Hub The DFW region exists because it has functioned as a freight crossroad an origin and a destination. The convergence of several major interstate highways and the crossing of mainline freight rail are transportation elements with historical significance. 35 3877 Mobility 2025: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan Amended April 2005 77 289 D 30 1211 5 1999 81 35 W 1211 1144 1611 1833 6355 12 2899 75 78 66 276 2055 82 0 3600 30 20 820 1833 10 2877 4088 1755 20 7 35 W 67 35 E 1744 342 45 287 77 67 34 Goods Movement Freight Transportation Facilities Foreign Trade Zone Industry Park Major Airport Parcel Delivery Hub Pipeline Terminal Rail Yard / Intermodal Facility Employment Comparison 2005 Basic Service Retail Total Freight Oriented (All) 177,000 31,000 59,000 267,000 Telecom Corridor 38,0 6,0 45,700 91,300 FWCBD 14,000 8,600 31,600 54,200 DFWIA 37,500 4,000 12,600 54,100 Love Field 17,900 6,600 11,0 36,300 Major Truck Stop Freight-Oriented Development The map shows 25 Freight-Oriented Developments throughout the DFW region. The table above indicates that employment in those zones today is more than 260,000, more than double the employment of the Dallas central business district. 2
Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth region are an important international port of entry for the United States. According to 2004 U.S. Department of Transportation statistics, Texas ranks first, by a wide margin, in rail and truck freight movements into the United States from Mexico. In addition, DFW ranks 20th in the country in foreign trade freight gateways in terms of the dollar value of goods moved. DFW has achieved this ranking while being the only port of entry without a water port or border crossing within 100 miles. As the only top 25 gateway without the natural advantage of a water port or border crossing, it is essential that this region continues to plan and execute programs that allow for growth and economic diversity within our expanding goodsmovement and logistics businesses. By a large margin, Texas ranks first in containers moved by rail across the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2003, rail movements into Texas accounted for almost 91 percent of the total crossings into the United States. Additionally, Texas leads the nation in containers moved across the U.S.-Mexico border by truck. In 2003, truck crossings into Texas accounted for more than two-thirds of the truck crossings into the United States. In 2002, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ranked 11th in the nation in tons landed by dedicated all-cargo aircraft. The addition of cargo landed at Fort Worth Alliance emphasizes the importance of dedicated freight movement planning within our region to ensure continued growth. Annual Texas/DFW Regional Freight Imports $12 billion air cargo 550,000 rail containers 2.9 million trucks 241million tons of waterport freight All statistics are 2003 except waterport date from 2002. 3
Freight-Oriented Development When several specific freight facilities are located closely together, the area is referred to as a Freight-Oriented Development. The DFW region is fortunate to be home to several major Freight-Oriented Developments. Each Freight-Oriented Development contains multiple freight facilities and relies on freight access by truck, rail, and/or air. In addition, our region is home to several smaller Freight-Oriented Developments that support the region s role as a logistics hub. By clustering freight transportation services, these developments allow transfer costs to be kept to a minimum and increase reliability in delivery/pick-up times, thereby reducing the overall cost of consumer goods. This image shows the Freight-Oriented Development at Alliance Texas. This development includes a major intermodal yard where truck and rail cargo is switched and the world s first master-planned industrial airport. Source: Hillwood Development Corp. Facilities commonly found in a Freight-Oriented Development include: Switching yards where trains are switched and cargo sorted Intermodal yards where cargo is transferred between trucks and trains Truck terminals, warehouses, distribution centers, and parcel hubs where truck loads originate and terminate Truck stops where drivers stop during mandated resting periods Airports where cargo is transferred between trucks and airplanes Foreign Trade Zones where cargo is sorted and assembled while being officially held outside U.S. customs territory Other industrial sites that generate or receive substantial truck traffic 4
Loop 12 Priority attention should be given to road, rail, and aviation access to these important facilities. This will help to ensure continued air quality improvements, job creation, and the associated economic growth that will make the DFW region a desirable place for people to live, work, and do business. Interstate 30 US Highway Unilever United Parcel Service Warehousing Union Pacific Intermodal Center Union Pacific Railport Warehousing Georgia Pacific Union Pacific Railroad As illustrated in this example from Mesquite, the close proximity of road and rail is integral in Freight-Oriented Development. A few recommendations for promoting good Freight-Oriented Development are: Cluster Intermodal Partners Direct Spur Track Access Available Industrial Workforce Truck Staging Areas 5
Foreign Trade Zones An important aspect of many Freight-Oriented Developments is the Foreign Trade Zone. Foreign Trade Zones are areas within the United States that are not subject to U.S. customs laws (with few exceptions). They allow importers and manufactures to bring merchandise and/or their component parts into the United States for processing, re-packaging, and/or assembly, thereby averting customs processing until the products leave the Foreign Trade Zone and enter U.S. customs territory. Planning for goods movements in and out of Foreign Trade Zones is an important aspect of intermodal planning. Merchandise valued at more than $3.4 billion moved through the four Foreign Trade Zones in the DFW region in 2003. 35 387 160 Foreign Trade Zones the DFW Region 77 289 3 5 Legend Foreign Trade Zones 30 7 199 820 183 81 Hillwood Development Sanden International, Inc. Maxtor Corporation Foreign Trade Zone Operating Co. of T DFW International Airport Railhead Meacham Airport 377 174 170 35 W 67 820 1 121 360 Zale Corporation Fossil Partners, L.P. 183 General Motors Corporation American Eurocopter LLC Dallas Executive Airport Turbomeca Engine Corporation Southport Centre Industrial Park 287 67 12 D 35 E 121 75 Trade Zone Operations, Inc. 77 45 66 20 205 276 Main Zones DFW International Airport Multizone Ellis County Dallas - Freeport Alliance Subzones to DFWIA Multizone General Motors Corporation Sanden International, Inc. Fossil Partners, L.P. Zales Corporation Maxtor Corporation American Eurocopter LLC and Turbomeca Engine Corporation Second Sites to DFWIA Multizone Southport Grayson County Airport (not shown) Railhead Meacham Airport Dallas Executive Airport 34 Other Features Highways Counties Major Lakes 6
It is required by the Foreign Trade Zone Act that the zone sites be within or adjacent to a U.S. Customs port of entry. Duty-free treatment is accorded to items that are reexported, and duty payment is deferred on items sold in the United States, offsetting customs advantages available to overseas producers who compete with producers located in the United States. Benefits of Foreign Trade Zones: Relief from inverted tariffs Duty exemption on re-exports Duty elimination on waste, scrap, and yield loss Weekly entry savings Duty deferrals $ (Millions) Movement of Merchandise in Foreign Trade Zones FY 2002 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 0 423 457 DFWIA Multizone 505 525 444 449 Received Shipped 323 330 Ellis County Dallas Freeport Alliance Zones Movement of Merchandise in General-Purpose Zones FY 2003 $700 $600 $500 616 526 464 475 542 586 Received Shipped $ (In Millions) $400 $300 $200 395 387.6 323 327 $100 0 DFWIA Multizone Ellis County Dallas Freeport Zones Alliance 7
Freight Rail Railroad bottlenecks exist throughout the DFW region at points where rail lines cross one another at grade and where commuter rail lines intersect with freight movements. These are described and shown below. Each of these bottleneck points causes locomotives to stop and idle while waiting. The average idling locomotive burns about four gallons of fuel per hour and emits nearly 900 grams of nitrous oxide per idling hour. DFW Freight Rail Volumes and Bottlenecks 7 Railroad Bottleneck Points Current Future Major Railroad Yards This map shows daily freight rail volumes throughout the DFW region. Note that several of the lines that are most heavily used converge in downtown Fort Worth, at Tower 55. Recommended next steps for the bottlenecks are listed on the next page. 9 1, 3, 8 2 4 6 10 5 1 Tower 55 2 Downtown Carrollton 3 T & P Terminal, Fort Worth 4 Union Station, Dallas 5 Belt Junction 6 MP Junction 7 Commuter Rail Intersection, Denton 8 Intermodal Transportation Center, Fort Worth 9 Cotton Belt and Union Pacific RR Intersection, Haltom City 10 Cedars Rail Intersection Daily Freight Rail Traffic Volumes 0 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-30 31-50 Other Map Features Counties Metropolitan Planning Area Boundary Current Freight Rail Bottlenecks: Tower 55, where main lines for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) cross at grade in downtown Fort Worth. (see pages 10-11 for information on this bottleneck) The convergence of the Cotton Belt rail line, BNSF Madill Subdivision, and future Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail in downtown Carrollton, where freight trains intersect today with passenger rail slated to be implemented soon. Passenger terminals at Fort Worth s T & P Station and Dallas Union Station, where freight traffic and passenger rail (Trinity Railway Express, Amtrak, and DART light rail) converge. Belt and MP Junctions east of downtown Dallas, where track geometry requires awkward movements by all trains traveling east of DFW on the UPRR main line (including Amtrak trains). Projected Future Freight Rail Bottlenecks: Denton, where freight rail will interact with commuter rail and the current Denton Branch Rail Trail. The passenger terminal at the Intermodal Transportation Center in Fort Worth, where current Trinity Railway Express and Amtrak service interact closely with freight traffic and will be affected by changes at Tower 55. The convergence of the Cotton Belt and UPRR lines in Haltom City, where future commuter rail and existing freight rail will need to be grade separated to ensure safety and efficiency of operations on both lines. The convergence of rail lines in the Cedars neighborhood just south of downtown Dallas, where future commuter rail and existing freight rail need to be grade separated to ensure safety and efficiency of operations on both lines. 8
Trans-Texas Corridor 35: Rail Mode Legend TTC-35 Features Near-term TTC-35 Freight Rail Corridor Study Zone Long-term TTC-35 Freight Rail Corridor Study Zone Current freight rail lines will continue to serve local freight needs in the future. Financing Regional Freight Rail Bypass: The Trans-Texas Corridor 35 Option Approved February 2005 by the Regional Transportation Council The Regional Transportation Council has taken the position that an east-west rail bypass is an essential Trans-Texas Corridor 35 option and would help alleviate the congestion issues at Tower 55. In addition, a freight rail bypass would move hazardous-material trains out of the populous areas of the region and allow for the study of passenger rail service on the intercity rail lines. Action Steps Bottleneck Type Action 1. Tower 55 Freight/Freight Immediate action. See Pages 10 and 11. 2. Downtown Carrollton Freight/Passenger As commuter rail is implemented, costs associated with bottleneck removal will need to be considered and included. 3. T & P Terminal, Fort Worth Freight/Passenger Monitor for freight and passenger capacity constraints. 4. Union Station, Dallas Freight/Passenger Monitor for freight and passenger capacity constraints. 5. Belt Junction Freight/Freight Monitor for freight capacity constraints. 6. MP Junction Freight/Freight Monitor for freight capacity constraints. 7. Commuter Rail Intersection, Freight/Passenger As commuter rail is implemented, costs associated with Denton bottleneck removal will need to be considered and included. 8. Intermodal Transportation Freight/Passenger Monitor for freight and passenger capacity constraints. Center, Fort Worth 9. Cotton Belt and Union Pacific Freight/Passenger As commuter rail is implemented, costs associated with Intersection, Haltom City bottleneck removal will need to be considered and included. 10. Cedars Rail Intersection Freight/Passenger As commuter rail is implemented, costs associated with bottleneck removal will need to be considered and included. 9
Freight Rail Tower 55 The most acute of the region s freight rail bottlenecks is Tower 55, an over-capacity, at-grade railroad crossing of the BNSF and UPRR rail lines in downtown Fort Worth. Each of these lines is critical to the region s freight transportation system. Traffic on the BNSF rail line through Tower 55 is composed of trains carrying raw materials south to industrial plants in Mexico. Finished products are returned on this line traveling to major rail yards in our region and on to final destinations throughout the United States. Eighty percent of NAFTA freight travels through Texas border crossings, with a majority traveling through DFW. The UPRR rail line carries consumer goods originating in the Pacific Rim and transferred from cargo ships to rail transport on the West Coast. Container ships are increasing in size and many are not able to use the Panama Canal. More shipments will use rail to move east and west through North America. These rail shipments primarily funnel through the DFW region on their way to the East Coast. Likewise, consumer goods produced everywhere from India to England ship to the East Coast and funnel west through the DFW region. Combined, these two rail lines carry about 100 trains per day that must stop and wait for one another to pass through Tower 55. When stopped, these heavy trains take a lengthy amount of time to accelerate and pass. Often the traffic waiting to go through Tower 55 is backed up through neighborhoods north and south of downtown Fort Worth, sometimes as far north and south as seven miles from the tower. The federal transportation bill passed in the summer of 2005 provides $1.6 million for a study of potential capacity solutions at Tower 55. The NCTCOG will lead this study in cooperation with the city of Fort Worth, railroad companies, TxDOT and other partners. The Tower Historically, this building was used to monitor and direct train traffic. Operations have now been moved to remote centers with modern computer controls. Photo Courtesy: John Carr The Cost of Doing Nothing This graph illustrates the potential problems at Tower 55 if all of the options on the next page are rejected or no improvements are initiated. As shown, the delays at Tower 55 today exceed the crossing s capacity. One hundred percent capacity is defined as 24 hours of signal occupation per day. If the do nothing option is chosen at Tower 55, by 2018 the freight traffic will have overwhelmed the intersection resulting in gridlock. This is assuming a growth rate in freight rail traffic of 5 percent. However, since the inception of NAFTA, freight traffic at Tower 55 has grown at a faster 8 percent annual rate. 25.15 49.8 Hours occupied per day 2004 2018 10
Action Steps There are eight major improvement options for Tower 55. These include operational and infrastructure improvements as shown in the table below. Tower 55 Options Preliminary Next Step Cost Estimate On-Site, at-grade, $25 million Evaluate near-term air quality benefit, improvements Long-term functionality. North-South Trench $850 million Evaluate in Regional Freight Rail Bottleneck Study. + R.O.W.* East-West Trench N/A Conflicts with major roadway structures, No further study. FWWR Bypass $50 million Evaluate in Regional Freight Rail Bottleneck Study, + R.O.W.* May conflict with cultural resource district. New Bypass-West Side $2.3 billion Evaluate in Regional Freight Rail Bottleneck Study + R.O.W.* Incorporate in Trans-Texas Corridor planning. New Bypass-South Side $4.2 billion Evaluate in Regional Freight Rail Bottleneck Study + R.O.W.* Incorporate in Trans-Texas Corridor planning. Restored Bypass-South Side $250 million Evaluate in Regional Freight Rail Bottleneck Study Incorporate in Trans-Texas Corridor planning. Note: The New Bypass-West Side and New Bypass-South Side overlap for a total project cost of $5.8 billion. *R.O.W. = cost of rights of way Source of cost estimates: Alameda Corridor Project, Reno Rail Trench, Crossroads of the Americas: Trans Texas Corridor Plan Financing Options There are several potential means of financing the magnitude of improvements needed to fix Tower 55. For example, the Trans-Texas Corridor is a proposed multi-use, statewide network of transportation routes that would incorporate existing and new highways, railways and utility rights of way. The first corridor being studied is Interstate 35, which runs from the Texas-Mexico border near Laredo to the Texas-Oklahoma border. This corridor is of particular interest because of the proximity to our region. Each route would include: separate lanes for passenger vehicles and large trucks freight railways high-speed commuter railways infrastructure for utilities including water lines, oil and gas pipelines, and transmission lines for electricity, broadband and other telecommunications services The Trans-Texas Corridor is one financing option. The recently approved Texas State Rail Relocation Fund is another public bonding tool available to help fund these types of projects. The federal government also offers private loans through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation program, which can drastically reduce interest costs for necessary private investment in improving freight rail facilitites. Finally local, regional, state, and federal sources would likely all need to be contributing to a solution. 11
Truck Bottlenecks A recent travel survey estimates that heavy truck through traffic, trucks without a payload stop in the DFW region, makes up 12 percent of truck traffic in the DFW region. The remaining trucks passing through the area have at least one drop-off or pick-up stop. These are the trucks that cannot be removed from the transportation system through the construction of regional bypasses on the exterior of the urban area. These trucks rely on our intermodal urban connectors and the access they provide to our industrial sites and retail outlets. Mix of Vehicles on the Freeway System Percent 90 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Passenger Cars, Motorcycles, and Pick-ups Buses and 2-axle Heavy Duty Trucks 3-axle+ Trucks Truck freight bottlenecks are most prevalent at the following locations throughout the region: Intermodal connectors that have not been properly designed or maintained for heavy truck traffic National highway safety corridors that lack sufficient capacity to handle freight and passenger movements safely and efficiently Highway interchanges that lack acceleration lanes for freight vehicles Industrial districts and related connectors that lack proper signage for out-of-town drivers Corridors on which truck stops and other terminal locations cannot meet the demand for overnight truck parking Warehouse districts improperly situated close to residential uses Source: TxDOT vehicle classification data 35 3877 16 0 Forecasted Truck Volumes 37 7 3 289 5 Legend 1211 2025 Forecasted Weekday 3+ Axle Truck Volumes for volumes > 2,000 D 75 4,001-8,000 8,001-14,000 190 78 14,001-20,000 1999 81 820 360 1144 183 635 12 ll 66 276 2055 > 20,000 Highways/Freeways 30 0 408 1755 20 183 287 7 35 W 67 35 E 45 1744 77 34 12
20 7 81 199 820 183 174 35 W 820 35 77 121 360 287 387 289 3 D 190 114 12 183 30 408 35 E 67 121 75 635 45 5 78 34 160 66 276 205 20 Goods-Movement Corridors Technology Deployment System Components Speed Detection/ITS Dynamic Message Signs (Potential/Existing Sites) Truck Stop/NAFTA Kiosk (Potential Sites) All freeway/tollway corridors require additional study for capacity, geometric and safety improvements related to truck operations. I.H. 35 E/W routes extend to Hillsboro with additional dynamic message signs and truck stops/ NAFTA kiosks. ITS coordinated through TxDOT transportation management centers. The map shown here identifies the Intelligent Transportation Systems deployed in the DFW region. Speed detectors allow for the examination of traffic patterns to identify bottleneck locations. Dynamic Message Signs allow traffic managers to communicate directly with drivers on the conditions of roadways and traffic situations, allowing drivers the choice of routes to avoid problem areas. Kiosks will allow drivers to check road and weather conditions throughout the country to determine their best routes, among many other e-mail/internet choices. All of these systems work in tandem to move goods as efficiently as possible into, out of, and within our region. To Hillsboro Financing Regional Truck Capacity Needs: The Trans-Texas Corridor 35 Option The proposed Trans-Texas Corridor could reduce truck traffic within the DFW region. An east-west bypass would allow trucks with no scheduled stops in DFW to quickly and efficiently move around the region. Action Steps Pursue Intelligent Transportation Systems, capacity, safety and geometric improvements on existing truck routes as part of Trans-Texas Corridor 35 Determine applicability of dedicated truck lanes and truck lane restrictions in the region Review hazardous cargo routing system Expand idle reduction technologies Expand Intelligent Transportation Systems network supporting truck movements Trans-Texas Corridor 35: Truck Mode Legend TTC-35 Features Near-term TTC-35 Truck Corridor Study Zone Near-term Truck Urban Connector Alignment Long-term TTC-35 Truck Corridor Study Zone Other Features Highways - Mobility 2025 Update Airports Lakes Approved February 2005 by the Regional Transportation Council 13
Air Cargo Commercial airports provide North Central Texas with access to world markets, which allows our region to compete for high-value overseas trade opportunities. Airports Handling Air Cargo * D/FW International Airport * Alliance Airport * Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base * Fort Worth Spinks Airport * Dallas Executive Airport * Addison Airport * Arlington Municipal Airport The efficiency of air cargo mobility is affected by (1) the ability of our airports to handle demand and (2) the supporting rail and highway system. Congestion on the ground can significantly impact air cargo operations and efficiency. Maintaining the intermodal connectors that link our airports to other regional destinations is of the utmost importance to our economy, regional job markets, and transportation connectivity. For example, analysis of demographic and travel trends demonstrates that the portion of the region s employment within 45 minutes of D/FW International Airport will drop from 98 percent in 1999 to 91 percent in 2025. Action Steps Maintain and improve intermodal connectors between our highways and air cargo hubs. Continue to install Intelligent Transportation Systems and coordinate the dissemination of real-time traffic conditions both at variable message signs and kiosks located at key locations. Reduce the idling of heavy duty trucks at air cargo hubs through new air quality technologies. Monitor air cargo volumes and air passenger volumes against air space capacities. Initiate air cargo and surface access to aviation planning programs. Cargo Moved by Air 1,200,000 U.S. Tons 1,000,000 0,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Year DFW Airport Fort Worth Alliance Airport 14
NCTCOG Executive Board 2005-2006 President Wayne Gent County Judge, Kaufman County Mike Cantrell Commissioner, Dallas County Bill Blaydes Councilmember, City of Dallas Bobby Waddle Mayor Pro Tem, City of DeSoto Vice President Oscar Trevino Mayor, City of North Richland Hills Secretary-Treasurer Chad Adams County Judge, Ellis County Tom Vandergriff County Judge, Tarrant County Chuck Silcox Councilmember, City of Fort Worth Pat Evans Mayor, City of Plano John Murphy Mayor Pro Tem, City of Richardson General Counsel Jerry Gilmore Executive R. Michael Eastland Past President Bob Phelps Mayor, City of Farmers Branch Bobbie Mitchell Commissioner, Denton County Greg Hirsch Councilmember, Town of Addison Regional Transportation Council 2005-2006 Wendy Davis, Chair Councilmember, City of Fort Worth Cynthia White, Vice Chair Commissioner, Denton County Oscar Trevino, Secretary Mayor, City of North Richland Hills Terri Adkisson Board Member Dallas Area Rapid Transit Bill Blaydes Councilmember, City of Dallas Ron Brown Commissioner, Ellis County Maribel Chavez, P.E. District Engineer Texas Department of Transportation, Fort Worth District J. Jan Collmer Board Member Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Bob Day Mayor, City of Garland Maurine Dickey Commissioner, Dallas County Charles Emery Chairman Denton County Transportation Authority Herbert Gears Mayor, City of Irving Paul Geisel Chair Fort Worth Transportation Authority Bill Hale, P.E. District Engineer Texas Department of Transportation, Dallas District Roger Harmon County Judge, Johnson County Becky Haskin Councilmember, City of Fort Worth Jack Hatchell, P.E. Commissioner, Collin County John Heiman, Jr. Councilmember, City of Mesquite Ron Jensen Councilmember, City of Grand Prairie Pete Kamp Councilmember, City of Denton Linda Koop Councilmember, City of Dallas Ken Lambert Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, City of Plano Kenneth Mayfield Commissioner, Dallas County Steve McCollum Councilmember, City of Arlington Becky Miller Mayor, City of Carrollton Jack Miller Vice Chair, North Texas Tollway Authority Rich Morgan Citizen Representative, City of Dallas John Murphy Mayor Pro Tem, City of Richardson Mel Neuman Mayor, City of Mansfield Mike Nowels Councilmember City of Lewisville Ed Oakley Councilmember, City of Dallas Chuck Silcox Mayor Pro Tem, City of Fort Worth Grady Smithey Mayor Pro Tem, City of Duncanville John Tatum Citizen Representative, City of Dallas Maxine Thornton Reese Councilmember, City of Dallas Carl Tyson Councilmember, City of Euless Marti VanRavenswaay Commissioner, Tarrant County Bill Whitfield Mayor, City of McKinney B. Glen Whitley Commissioner, Tarrant County Kathryn Wilemon Councilmember, City of Arlington Michael Morris, P.E. of Transportation, NCTCOG Surface Transportation Technical Committee Renee Lamb Chair Contributing Staff NCTCOG Staff Michael Morris, P.E. of Transportation Dan Kessler Assistant of Transportation Mike Sims, AICP Senior Program Manager Greg Royster, P.E. Principal Transportation Planner Jasen Haskins Transportation Planner Lara Rodriguez Public Involvement Coordinator Kristy Libotte Keener Graphic Design Coordinator Public Affairs 15
What Is NCTCOG? The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a voluntary association of local governments within the 16-county North Central Texas region. The agency was established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. North Central Texas is a 16-county region with a population of 4.6 million and an area of approximately 12,0 square miles. NCTCOG has 233 member governments, including all 16 counties, 165 cities, 23 independent school districts, and 29 special districts. Since 1974, NCTCOG has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for transportation in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. The Regional Transportation Council is the policy body for the Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Regional Transportation Council consists of 40 members, predominantly local elected officials, overseeing the regional transportation planning process. NCTCOG s Department of Transportation is responsible for support and staff assistance to the Regional Transportation Council and its technical committees, which compose the MPO policy-making structure. Regional Mobility Initiatives Issues Advanced Transportation Management, March 1996 Air Quality, July 1996 Traffic Congestion, October 1996 Multimodal Solutions in the North Central Corridor, July 1997 Toll Roads, February 1998 Major Investment Studies, August 1998 The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, October 1998 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes, December 1998 Travel Demand Forecasting Procedures, June 1999 Commuter Traffic, December 2000 Pedestrian Transportation, August 2002 Metropolitan Planning Organization, November 2002 Rail Station Access, February 2003 Traffic Congestion, October 2004 Regional Rail, October 2005 We would like your comments... If you have questions or comments regarding the transportation and air quality programs of the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Regional Transportation Council or need additional information, please contact the NCTCOG Transportation Department at (817) 695-9240, by fax at (817) 640-3028, via e-mail: transinfo@nctcog.org, or visit our website at www.nctcog.org/trans. 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 Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Transit Administration. North Central Texas Council of Governments P. O. Box 5888 Arlington, Texas 76005-5888