1.3 OVERVIEW OF THE CORRIDOR

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1 while the central option was a tunnel under DFW Airport. As of now, the northern access option appears to be favored. However, airport access options will continue to be studied and evaluated, and are not proposed to be part of this EIS. In October 2006, DART updated its 1995 Transit System Plan in accordance with the DART 2030 Transit System Plan. This plan reflects the latest year 2030 demographic projects from NCTCOG and identifies projects to be undertaken by DART through the year The LRT Line to Farmers Branch and Carrollton Final Environmental Impact Statement was completed in October The project received a Record of Decision (ROD) in February Final design has been completed on this 17.6 mile, double-tracked light rail extension from downtown Dallas to Carrollton. DART began construction in 2006 with operations scheduled to be phased in from 2009 through The Irving/DFW LRT Line begins north of Bachman Station on this line. 1.3 OVERVIEW OF THE CORRIDOR The transportation system in the Irving/DFW LRT Line Corridor includes a major international airport; several freeways; a tollway; a network of arterial roadways and local streets; a bus system operating daily on surface streets and freeways; a portion of a commuter rail line; two freight rail lines; and a people mover system serving the Las Colinas Urban Center. DFW International Airport, which is foreseen as the ultimate terminus of the Irving/DFW LRT Line, is one of the busiest airports in the world. According to information provided by the airport, DFW handles nearly 2,000 flights per day and serves 57 million passengers per year. The airline serves as a hub for Fort Worth-based American Airlines. The airport also has the newly-opened Skylink System automated people mover serving passengers and employees traveling between the six existing terminals. The bi-directional system has two stations at each terminal and operates during airport operating hours. A connection with this system is intended in the later phase of the LRT line. Several freeways interconnect within the project corridor. Texas Stadium serves as a focal point of the confluence of four freeways (SH 114, Loop 12, SH 183, and Spur 482). In addition, IH 35E crosses the eastern end of the alignment and SH 161 (the President George Bush Turnpike) crosses the western end of the alignment. The principal freeway in the area, SH 114 (John Carpenter Freeway), is part of a system of highways that radiates from the Dallas CBD freeway loop, and runs in a general northwest direction through the study area to the north edge of DFW Airport and rapidly-growing suburban communities such as Grapevine, Southlake, Coppell and Flower Mound. The proposed LRT line would parallel this freeway for much of its alignment. The busiest freeway within the project corridor is SH 183 (Airport Freeway), which connects north Dallas with north Fort Worth and provides access to the south entrance of DFW Airport. At the eastern end of the Irving/DFW LRT corridor, there are few arterial roadways due to the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Towards the western end of the corridor there are more arterial roadways. A regular, grid street pattern does not exist within the corridor. The bus system currently includes two express, eight suburban circulator, one rail-feeder, and three cross-town routes in the corridor. Typically, express routes provide service to downtown Dallas, but one of the express routes is a cross-town route that provides east-west service on IH 635. The suburban circulator routes operate between transit centers in outer Dallas and in the suburbs; several of these routes serve Irving. Cross-town service into Dallas, Farmers Branch, and Carrollton is available, but cross-town service to other cities surrounding Irving does not exist as they are not DART member cities. The single rail feeder route feeds into the TRE. There is one transit center, the North Irving Transit Center, within the corridor which provides park-and-ride facilities and serves as a major bus transfer center. It is served by two express bus routes and five Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1-5

2 circulator bus routes on weekdays, and five different circulator bus routes during the weekend. DFW International Airport also operates a free terminal link van service. In addition to bus service, there is a commuter rail line operated by DART that travels just south of the corridor. The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) rail line links downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth. Located south of SH 183 on O Connor Road, the closest TRE station to the project corridor is the South Irving Station, which also contains a bus transfer center served by eight bus routes on weekdays. There are two active freight rail lines operating within the project corridor. One of these rail lines is now owned by DART and the other is owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF). Currently there are active freight operations on both of these rail lines. The primary rail line along the eastern edge of the corridor is the DART-owned UPRR line, along which construction of the new light rail line to Farmers Branch and Carrollton is proposed. The BNSF RR is a major north-south rail line that runs through the corridor. It runs through Irving and into Dallas and eventually Farmers Branch and Carrollton, where it intersects with the UPRR line. Within the Las Colinas Urban Center there is a 1.4-mile elevated people-mover system that connects several office buildings. The Las Colinas Area Personal Transit (APT) System, more commonly known as the Las Colinas people-mover, operates between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM on weekdays and serves four stations in area office buildings. DFW International Airport operates the Skylink secure-side, elevated people-mover between existing terminals. The bi-directional system has two stations at each terminal and runs during normal airport operating hours. Existing transportation services and facilities are illustrated in Figure 1-2. The proposed Northwest LRT Line to Irving/DFW is included in the third phase of expansion to DART s LRT system. The initial phase included the 20-mile LRT Starter System that was opened in The second phase included the extensions along the North Central LRT Line to Richardson and Plano that were completed in late 2003, and the Northeast Line to Garland that was completed in late The third phase of LRT development includes the Northwest Corridor to Farmers Branch and Carrollton and the Southeast Corridor, which are in final design, as well as the Northwest LRT Line to Irving/DFW. Planned and programmed LRT improvements are shown in Figure 1-3. The Northwest Corridor LRT Line to Irving/DFW branches off of the LRT Line to Farmers Branch and Carrollton at Bachman Station, and parallels several highways, including Spur 482 and State Highway 114, as it makes its way through Irving and to DFW Airport. The corridor is linked at the south end via the Farmers Branch/Carrollton line to the Dallas Central Business District with 120,000 jobs, and a variety of employment, education, health, entertainment and residential areas. Major Activity Centers along the corridor include Texas Stadium, The University of Dallas, Las Colinas, North Lake College and DFW Airport. In addition to these Major Activity Centers there is a variety of residential, industrial and commercial uses along the proposed alignment. Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1-6

3 N MACARTHUR BLVD MOCKINGBIRD LN WEB CHAPEL RD Legend!( " # Bus Routes!( " MIDWAY RD Dallas Love Field LOVERS LN INWOOD RD DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY CEDAR SPRINGS RD VALLEY VIEW LN Trinity Railway Express Station INTERNATIONAL PKY Farmers Branch North Irving Transit Center Existing Railroads Existing DFW Skylink Existing Las Colinas APT!(" DFW International Airport TRINITY RAILWAY EXPRESS ESTERS RD!(" VALLEY VIEW LN UV 161 Cabell Dr CARBON RD NORTHGATE DR ROCHELLE RD BELT LINE RD PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TPKE WALNUT HILL LN IRVING BLVD STORY RD UV 114 Irving JOHN CARPENTER FWY HIDD E AIRPORT FWY MACARTHUR BLVD EN RIDG E DR N O' CONNOR RD!( " BNSF RR ROYAL LN RIVERSIDE DR # ROCHELLE BLVD &-348 LUNA RD CALIFORNIA CROSSING RD JOHN CARPENTER FWY UV 183 TOM BRANIFF DR Dallas NORTHWEST HWY ") 12 35E STOREY LN GRAUWYLER RD Elm Fork Trinity River REGAL ROW UPRR - LRT Line to Farmers Branch and Carrollton (under final design) &-482 HARRY HINES BLVD ") 12 BROO NORTHHAVEN RD WALNUT HILL LN DENTON DR KHOLLOW LE A D 35E Harry Hines Blvd Sh orecrest UV 354 MARSH LN IRVING BLVD Source: Parsons, 2005; DART 2005 Figure 1-2 NW Corridor LRT Line to Irving/DFW 0 4,000 8,000 16,000 Environmental Impact Statement Feet Existing Transportation Services and Facilities

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5 1.3.1 Population and Employment The Dallas/Ft. Worth region is growing at a tremendous pace, placing significant demands on the transportation system. Population in the region is forecast to grow by almost 80% between 2000 and Employment in the region is forecast to grow by almost 72% in this same time period. Growth within the area within one-half mile of the proposed LRT alignment will be strong as well, especially in terms of employment. In 2000, employment in the vicinity of the proposed alignment outnumbered population by over 41,600 jobs. In 2025, the surplus of jobs over population in this same area is expected to grow to more than 87,200. When the area is expanded to include the entire Las Colinas and DFW Airport areas, the surplus of jobs over population in 2030 jumps to 272,300. Current population and employment and forecast growth are shown in Table 1-1. TABLE 1-1 FORECAST POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH Population Employment Area % Difference % Difference DFW Region 2 5,067,400 9,107, % 3,158,200 5,416, % Dallas County 2,232,476 2,817, % 1,745,100 2,529, % City of Dallas 1,202,592 1,404, % 1,038,314 1,390, % City of Irving 196, , % 165, , % DFW Airport Area 4,962 4, % 48,785 85, % Las Colinas Area 25,066 38, % 77, , % Irving/DFW Alignment 3 16,473 21, % 58, , % 1 NCTCOG estimate adjusted from 2000 Census count; does not include group quarters 2 Ten-county region as defined by NCTCOG 3 Defined as the geographic area within one-half mile of the proposed LRT alignment and based on NCTCOG Traffic Survey Zone data Source: NCTCOG 2030 Demographic Forecast, Travel Patterns and Congestion The primary flow of traffic within the corridor is north and south along the major arterials within Irving (Belt Line Road, MacArthur Boulevard, and O Connor Boulevard), and northwest and southeast along the central freeway of the corridor, SH 114, as well as Spur 348 (Northwest Highway). SH 114 and Spur 348 exhibit traditional commuter traffic patterns in that most traffic is traveling southeast towards Dallas during the AM peak, and most is traveling northwest away from Dallas during the PM peak. However, the Las Colinas Urban Center is a center of employment within the corridor which causes some reverse commuting on SH 114 between Las Colinas and Dallas. Finally, SH 161 (the President George Bush Turnpike) provides a cross-town route, which is an alternative to the more heavily traveled IH 35E when traveling from IH 635 to SH 183 or the south DFW Airport entrance. Traffic volumes in the Dallas urbanized area are considered some of the highest in Texas. The project corridor is bounded on the east by IH 35E, which carries an average of 226,000 vehicles per day north of the corridor. In addition, the project corridor is just south of IH 635 (LBJ Freeway) which, when it travels through north Dallas, carries the highest volumes of traffic in the Dallas urbanized area with approximately 300,000 vehicles per day. The busiest freeway in the project corridor is SH 183 which carries an average of 177,000 vehicles per day near Texas Stadium. SH 114 carries an average of 86,000 to 100,000 vehicles per day, and SH 161 carries an average of 35,000 to 47,000 vehicles per day. Traffic volumes on most of the arterial roadways in the study corridor are also high, with some carrying over 30,000 vehicles per day. Along many of these major arterial roadways, high traffic volumes contribute to congestion delays. The high volume-tocapacity ratios on many of these arterials result in unacceptable traffic operating conditions as defined by local and national standards. Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1-9

6 Historically, traffic volumes on Dallas freeways have increased five to ten percent per year between 1995 and Growth slowed in the first years of this decade due to a general economic recession, but is expected to increase again through the year 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 traffic volumes on SH 114 are projected to grow at about four percent per year. With the connection of SH 161 to the main portion of President George Bush Turnpike being opened in late 2005, traffic on this section of the turnpike will increase rapidly in the next few years. The traffic volume statistics for the major roadways serving the corridor are listed in Table 1-2. These statistics include the existing traffic volumes, existing levels of service, projected 2030 traffic volumes, and their projected 2030 levels of service. The level of service is a measure of the relative 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. TABLE 1-2 EXISTING AND PROJECTED TRAFFIC VOLUMES 1 Roadway Location Freeways ADT 2 LOS 3 ADT 2 LOS 3 %Change IH 35E (Stemmons Freeway) South of Spur E 170 E Spur 482 (Storey Lane) East of IH 35E 54 C 72 C Loop 12 (Walton Walker Freeway) North of SH E 194 F SH 114 (John Carpenter Freeway) North of Spur D E South of Spur E F SH 161 (Pres. George Bush Tpke.) Valley View to Beltline 47 4 B F Arterials Riverside Drive Teleport to O Connor 6 B 11 B O Connor to Spur C 27 D O Connor Boulevard West of Riverside 25 D 13 B Spur 348 (Northwest Highway) Loop 12 to Luna Road 36 E 54 F O Connor to SH E 38 F Hidden Ridge Dr. West of SH B 18 C Walnut Hill Lane SH 114 to MacArthur 15 B 18 C East of Belt Line Rd. 22 C 27 D Belt Line Road South of Valley View 32 E 41 F Along major roadways paralleling and crossing the proposed LRT alignment 2 ADT = Average Daily Traffic volume (in thousands). All freeway traffic counts were collected in 2003, all arterial traffic counts were collected in 2003 or LOS = Level of Service, a measure of traffic flow and delay. LOS A is free flow/no delays, LOS F is congested/long delays. Level of Service determined by NCTCOG. 4 Includes traffic on main lanes and frontage roads Source: Parsons Transportation Group, NCTCOG Existing Transit Conditions The Irving/DFW LRT corridor is served by a network of 14 bus routes. The bus routes traveling through the study corridor have a total average ridership of more than 220,000 passengers each month, almost 91 percent of which use the system on weekdays. These routes account for about seven percent of DART s total system-wide bus ridership. The two highest ridership routes are actually suburb-to-suburb services which travel between the North Irving Transit Center and the City of Garland. Several types of transit use occur within the corridor. Some transit users drive to a park-and-ride lot and board a bus bound for downtown Dallas, a cross-town destination, or destinations within the corridor. Other transit users walk to bus stops near their homes and board the bus bound for their place of employment. Depending on their destination, some of these latter transit users may use the transit center 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 Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1-10

7 are primarily long-haul commuters who drive to the park-and-ride lot in south Irving and ride the train into downtown Dallas or downtown Fort Worth. The first type of transit user described above is usually a resident of the northwestern suburbs of Dallas who would rather drive just part of the way towards their employment destination and use the transit system for the remainder of it. These transit users are likely using the system to reach employment centers in and around downtown Dallas. As residential development increases within the corridor and to the northwest and as employment opportunities increase in and 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 highways leading into Dallas. The second type of transit user described above is usually a transit-dependent person who does not have access to an automobile. DART s transit system enables these people to work at employment centers all over the Dallas area that would normally be accessible only to someone with an automobile. This allows transit-dependent people living in the corridor to work outside the corridor, 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 job opportunities for people from all areas and demographics, and it provides employers with a wider range of the labor pool. As employment opportunities increase within the corridor and transitdependent residential development increases, the transit system will become even more important to employers and employees alike. The third type of transit user often prefers the speed and reliability of a train over other forms of transportation. The implementation of a light rail will provide increased opportunities for this type of transit user. 1.4 NEED FOR ACTION Current and projected travel patterns, levels of roadway congestion, growth in population and employment in the region and in the corridor require that the proposed project be built in order to address the need for transportation improvements. The need for transportation improvements is illustrated by the following: The Dallas-Fort Worth region is currently (as of April 2005) designated as a Serious nonattainment area for 1-Hour Ozone and a Moderate non-attainment area for 8-Hour Ozone by the Environmental Protection Agency; The entire study area falls within a region identified for the year 2030 as an area of severe peak-period congestion by the Mobility 2025 Plan (Amended April 2005) produced by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG); Existing and planned roadway improvements are insufficient to meet the demand within this corridor; Travel time delay and congestion levels in the corridor are increasing; and A significant amount of employment and population growth is forecast for the corridor Specific Transportation Needs in the Corridor The SH 114 corridor, bounded by IH 35 E (Stemmons Freeway) on the east and The George Bush Turnpike (SH 161) on the west, is an important and growing employment center featuring highdensity, mixed-use developments like Las Colinas and major educational facilities such as The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1-11