Archive for November 23rd, 2009

From a press release by the City:

A new 20-member task force will guide the planning and design effort for Fort Worth’s future modern streetcar system.

The Regional Transportation Council has allocated $1.6 million in federal funds, and the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) have allocated $200,000 each for planning and design of a streetcar system to complement the regional rail system.

Modern Streetcar Task Force appointees are:

• Nina Petty, Task Force Chair, Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council
• Bob Parmelee, Fort Worth Transportation Authority
• Roy Brooks, Tarrant County Commissioners Court
• Joy Webster, XTO Energy, representing the TIF Board
• Scott Rule, Tarrant County Hospital District, representing the TIF Board
• Fran McCarthy, Central City Redevelopment Committee
• Phillip Poole, Associated Businesses of the Cultural District
• Andy Taft, Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
• Johnny Campbell, Sundance Square
• Paul Paine, Fort Worth South Inc.
• Andre McEwing, Southeast Fort Worth Inc.
• J.D. Granger, Trinity River Vision Authority
• David DuBois, Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Adam Adolfo, Artes de la Rosa
• Janet Saltsgiver, neighborhood representative
• Rod Erakovich, Texas Wesleyan University
• Pam Minick, Historic Stockyards
• Jamie Terrell, local transit user
• Michael Morris, North Central Texas Council of Governments
• Carlos De La Torre, Oncor

The Task Force will guide the planning and design effort, recommend an initial streetcar route and submit a finance plan to City Council, The T board of directors, Tarrant County Commissioners Court and other stakeholders.

Background

In 2008, the Fort Worth City Council appointed a Modern Streetcar Study Committee to investigate the feasibility of a modern streetcar system. The committee’s fact-finding trip to Oregon and Washington determined that a streetcar system is desirable for Fort Worth.

The system would connect Downtown and Trinity Railway Express to adjacent mixed-use districts.

Preliminary cost estimate is $20 million per track mile and includes design, construction, utilities, vehicles and a maintenance facility. The total cost of the initial project, if built as recommended by the study committee, is estimated at $250 million. The initial route would rely primarily on multiple sources of local funding, including existing tax-increment financing districts and new or existing public improvement districts.

Fort Worth has joined with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and theCity of Dallas in a regional grant application that could provide limited federal funding for Fort Worth’s streetcar system.