September 27, 2016 - Dallas Morning News -
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board on Tuesday approved a $976 million budget for 2017 that includes funding for two projects that have led to a clash between Dallas and its neighbors.
DART allotted $3.5 million to a proposed second rail line in downtown Dallas, known as D2, and $25 million to the Cotton Belt rail corridor that would connect DFW International Airport to Plano. But agency officials said DART won't spend any of that preliminary funding until the board approves a 20-year financial plan on Oct. 25 that defines the scope of the projects and funding priorities.
That plan was also supposed to go to a vote Tuesday. But Dallas city leaders asked DART to defer a decision until next month. Members of the Dallas City Council are pushing for D2 to be built as a subway — an option twice as costly as a street-level version — and worry that debt tied to the Cotton Belt will threaten federal grants for the downtown rail.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2016/09/27/dart-approves-2017-budget-money-downtown-subway-suburban-rail
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board on Tuesday approved a $976 million budget for 2017 that includes funding for two projects that have led to a clash between Dallas and its neighbors.
DART allotted $3.5 million to a proposed second rail line in downtown Dallas, known as D2, and $25 million to the Cotton Belt rail corridor that would connect DFW International Airport to Plano. But agency officials said DART won't spend any of that preliminary funding until the board approves a 20-year financial plan on Oct. 25 that defines the scope of the projects and funding priorities.
That plan was also supposed to go to a vote Tuesday. But Dallas city leaders asked DART to defer a decision until next month. Members of the Dallas City Council are pushing for D2 to be built as a subway — an option twice as costly as a street-level version — and worry that debt tied to the Cotton Belt will threaten federal grants for the downtown rail.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2016/09/27/dart-approves-2017-budget-money-downtown-subway-suburban-rail