In the end, it wasn’t the opposition of the Fort Worth City Council that killed the Cotton Belt project, nor was it the opposition from neighbors in North Dallas. Not directly, at least. Rather, the 62-mile commuter rail that would run from Plano to Fort Worth, died a quiet death…
When the city first began putting down bike lanes last year, it was hard to divine if there was any grander vision than simply flinging paint at random patches of asphalt. In a century or so, we figured, they’d coalesce into the long-awaited Dallas Bike Plan. Until then, we were…
There would be some practical questions that would have to be answered if the Texas Department of Transportation decided to tear down I-345, the short stump of Central Expressway between Woodall Rodgers and Interstate 30. Where will one find shade at Bark Park Central? Where will those artsy, bohemian types…
At sunrise on Wednesday, an airplane took off from Phoenix International Airport, eventually landing 1,000 miles to the east in Dallas. That in itself is hardly remarkable. Commercial jets travel the same path dozens of times each day. What was different about this journey was that the aircraft, the Solar…
If you’re looking to be entertained on your virtual 4-minute trip down the new LBJ Express, check out Frontburner’s commentary on a video clip released in January. But if you want a full, bird’s eye view of your future commute, take a glance at the clip above. As you can…
We’ve always assumed that The Dallas Morning News’ white-on-rice coverage of the Museum Tower dust-up has been the product of good shoe-leather reporting on the part of Steve Thompson and Gary Jacobson: combing through open records, studying up on the arcane world of public pensions, developing sources on the Dallas…
UPDATE: We are now in a system-wide ground delay until 4:00pm CT as we work to resolve this issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.— American Airlines (@AmericanAir) April 16, 2013 American Airlines broke the news a while ago that it’s in the midst of a massive, system-wide computer failure. Perhaps…
In February, a DART committee gave preliminary approval to a plan to extend employment benefits to employees’ domestic partners, both gay and straight, and their children. It was a welcome decision, and it gave hope that, after six month of debate over costs and morality, approval by the full DART…
We knew this was coming. The North Texas Tollway Authority kind of telegraphed it when the agency announced that some 6,000 of its top scofflaws would be referred to an outside law firm for possible litigation over their toll-ignoring ways. And now, it’s here. The NTTA filed more than a…
When a planned Downtown Dallas-to-McKinney bike tour was abruptly cancelled last month — this the one that would shut down 30 miles of Central Expressway — riders who had paid their registration for the race were promised a prompt and full refund, assuming they didn’t want to take a free…
Texas Central Railway’s plan, announced almost a year ago now, to build a high-speed rail line linking Houston and North Texas has hit a not altogether unexpected complication: inter-city squabbling over where the bullet train will stop. In Mobility 2035, its long-term vision for transportation in the region, the North…
If it’s not already there, add Pioneer Parkway in Arlington to the list of places it’s probably wiser not to ride your bike. As you can see above, the two lanes are broad and straight, perfect for cars to pick up speed, with only a narrow shoulder that disappears to…
If you need a reminder that Oak Cliff and downtown will soon be linked by street car, head over to the Houston Street and watch as drivers try to get across the viaduct, which is closed for construction. Another reminder: DART just announced that it’s officially sealed a $9.4 million…
In September, transportation planners revealed that they had finally found a way to finance the $2.7 billion Cotton Belt, the 62-mile commuter rail line they hope someday will connect Richardson and Fort Worth. A private consortium, the members of which are still being kept under wraps, had agreed to take…
The city of Dallas is still figuring out how best to alert the driving public that bicycles are vehicles, too, and that they cannot, per new city ordinance, be run off the road or targeted with flung projectiles. While that’s happening, the state legislature will be considering whether to write…
Soon, travelers stranded at DFW Airport be forced to pretzel themselves on uncomfortable seats or sneak away to an isolated corner of carpet for a few minutes of shuteye. That’s because the airport is getting nap rooms. The rooms — more accurately, a nap hotel — are planned by Minute…
Last month’s unveiling of American Airlines’ new logo and livery (er, paint job) was a prelude to this: the long-awaited, full-blown merger with US Airways. The airlines are making it official this morning after their respective boards approved the $11 billion deal yesterday. US Airways CEO Doug Parker will head…
For years, DART’s been planning to stick a second rail line downtown, the better to handle the convergence of what is now four separate rail lines. A three-year study was completed back in 2010, and the list of possible routes was whittled down to four alternatives, all traveling through Victory…
Every day, my commute home takes me over the Hall Street overpass where, from the comfort (or, more accurately, mild discomfort) of my bike seat, I gaze down at the parking lot that is Central Expressway at rush hour and wonder with a mix of empathy and mild condescension what…
Last April, in a dual effort to ease parking shortages and make a little scratch, DART began charging some of the commuters parking at its northernmost light stations. The charge was $2 to $4 per day and applied only to drivers who live outside of DART’s taxpaying area who parked…
When DART last sat down to update its long-range plan in 2006, the agency was thinking big. With the recession still beyond the horizon, planners envisioned 86 additional miles of rail and 121 miles of new bus routes. Since then, the agency has added the bus routes, opened up the…
Note to self: Never ride a 4-wheeler on the runway at Lancaster Airport. That’s what some members of Texas-based Team Stunters were doing last week when they were nearly hit by a modified Pitts S2S biplane. The camera person is completely excused if they crapped their pants. The plane was…
