December - 2016

Archive

TEX-21 goes to Austin for IH-30 and IH-35 Legislative Days

IH-35 and IH-30 are two key roads in the transportation infrastructure of Texas. Both have full interstate status. But having interstate status does not guarantee quality roads. Both IH-30 and IH-35 need continuous service roads throughout the corridor. The inconsistent availability of service roads contributes to a higher amount of traffic along the route, and reduced business and economic growth in those areas. Service lanes are also a component of the State Implementati

TEX-21 pushes to convert US 75 to Interstate 45

While many in the Dallas area refer to US 75 as I-75, it does not have true interstate status. In fact, the part of 75 that travels through Dallas cannot be an interstate because there is not enough right of way. However, TEX-21 wants to connect and convert to I-45 the outer loop which goes through Kaufmann, Ellis, Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, then 75 converted to I-45 going all the way out of Texas and through Oklahoma. Why convert it to an interstate? One big reas

Join TEX-21 in Austin, push towards interstate status for US 287!

US 287 stretches all the way from the Texas Gulf coast up to the Canadian border. It begins in Texas at Port Arthur/Beaumont and heads all the way through Amarillo, and north across the Texas border. Having its beginnings in the Texas Gulf Coast near those two gulf ports, it has huge potential to be a premier transportation route of goods from the Gulf Coast throughout the US and into Canada. Improving this corridor would provide for increased business and economic growth

TEX-21 Legislative Day in Austin to address vital infrastructure questions!

There is a growing consensus that our great state of Texas desperately needs transportation infrastructure improvements. Texas' population is rapidly increasing through new births, immigration, and people moving from other states. The population grows an average of 2700 people every day, 365 days a year; totaling almost 1 million people a year. How do we keep up with this growth and accomplish transportation infrastructure improvements without the much despised tax increase

TEX Rail Bringing New Opportunities to Greater Fort Worth

As more and more Americans flock to our nation’s 11 urban “megaregions [external link],” it’s more important than ever for communities to take a regional approach to Americans’ mobility needs. That’s exactly what community leaders are doing in Fort Worth, Texas, where we all gathered to celebrate a new federal funding agreement for the TEX Rail project, not too long ago. According to the Census Bureau, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area saw the second-largest population growth

New hope for passenger rail between SA and Austin

A new alliance that aims to tackle transportation issues along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin is strengthening plans for a passenger rail along the sprawling corridor. The partnership brings together the three entities that control 100 percent of the transportation money for the region: the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or AAMPO, the Capital Area MPO, or CAMPO and the Texas Department of Transportation, commonly known as TxDOT. Bexar County Comm

Expanded Panama Canal Welcomes Largest Capacity Vessel To Date

The Panama Canal welcomed yesterday the largest capacity vessel to-date to transit the expanded locks—Hapag-Lloyd’s Valparaiso Express. The 10,589 TEU neopanamax containership was specifically built to take advantage of the greater capacity offered by the expanded Panama Canal. The passage ushers in a new era of mega-ships that are now able to transit the expanded canal since it’s inauguration on June 26 of this year. The new locks, which are 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper

U.S. DOT Gives the Gift of “A NHTSA Carol” for ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ This Holiday

“Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.” - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Choices are like dominos. When you make one decision, it triggers the reaction for other situations to occur. Taking certain paths can affect your finances, your relationships, your friendships and your career. Drunk driving is one such choice that continues to affect countless lives. Every da

Metro fires six after derailment probe finds that inspectors falsified records

Metro fired six workers after determining that nearly half of the agency’s 60-person track-inspection department created a pattern of fabrication and negligence that led to the derailment of a Silver Line train in July, the transit agency said Thursday. The fired employees falsified track-inspection records for as long as three years, officials said. A criminal investigation ended without charges, but the findings of Metro’s internal review have been sent to prosecutors to de

DART 'sketches' annual art contest for grades K-12

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is taking entries for its 2017 Student Art Contest. Winners can earn a spot for their design on DART buses and trains, plus cash and other prizes. The contest is open to public school, private school and home-schooled students in kindergarten through 12the grade. Designs must be original work by the student and should illustrate the theme "The adventure starts here." Entry deadline is Tues., Feb. 28, 2017. Students who submit their artwork e