As government representatives from across North Texas met Thursday to discuss funding local road and transit projects, talk once again turned to a proposed high-speed rail project from Dallas to Houston.
The meeting of the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transportation Council devolved into a series of conflicting motions during a presentation on 2024′s transportation priorities. Following funding requests from municipalities across the region for various transportation projects, the council was asked to approve those selected by regional staff.
Among the proposed partnerships was one that would lend more than $100 million across six City of Dallas projects — with a catch. Most of the projects discussed were contingent “on the City of Dallas’ approval of the ‘one-seat ride’ concept and Union Station siting plans for high-speed rail.”
The contingency references an ongoing point of tension for some Dallas City Council members who insist on the downtown Dallas portion of the high-speed rail route running underground.
And it didn’t sit right with at least one council member.
“This is to force us to do something and I think that we deserve to know the full scope of what the project is,” Dallas City Council member Cara Mendelsohn said. “The money wouldn’t be going to the city anyway because it’s contingent on this approval, which we’re not going to give until at least another month.”
Mendelsohn has been a vocal advocate of exploring an underground option. Some in the city fear an at-grade or elevated route could jeopardize the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
“This is a massive, massive interest for economic development, and we have to get it right,” Mendelsohn said.
A roughly seven-story-high elevated station near Cadiz and Austin streets in the Cedars neighborhood has already received federal clearance. The current alignment would see the train follow the existing Union Pacific line over the Trinity River and surface near Hampton Road in West Dallas. A proposed route presented to the regional staff in August showed the rail then traveling south through the new convention center toward the Cedars station.
Changing the elevated route to an underground one could present logistical problems in easily connecting passengers to the elevated station — especially since the route would likely need to be built 17 stories deep. Moving the station also could put the brakes on the project.
“We are purposely not touching the federally approved Dallas station to make sure we do no harm to Amtrak’s interest to build high-speed rail from Dallas to Houston,” regional transportation director Michael Morris said.
Dallas council member Jesse Moreno wanted to separate the contingent Dallas projects and revisit them during the March meeting, when regional staff will have the results of white papers Morris said addresses questions raised about the current alignment. That was quickly met with opposition from Dallas City Council member Omar Narvaez, who encouraged the RTC to approve the contingent funding.
“I’m texting with the City of Dallas department of transportation staff and they’re also unaware of this,” Narvaez said. “This is not something the City of Dallas would want to support, to delay the dollars, because we’re ready to go on these projects.”
The projects in question await final approval by the Dallas City Council but have already been funded locally, Narvaez said.
“Having the match from COG will definitely take this a lot further along with the force in the City of Dallas and I’m very optimistic the council will approve all of these projects as well,” Narvaez said.
After a lengthy discussion, the funded projects and partnerships were ultimately approved as originally proposed by RTC staff.
In Dallas, those include the West Dallas Gateway Project, which would construct a roadway with sidewalks and bicycle lanes on Herbert Street under the Union Pacific Railroad line and provide access to Interstate 30; a pedestrian structure over I-30 at Harwood Street; improvements at Harry Hines and Mockingbird boulevards near Dallas Love Field; and several other infrastructure improvement projects.
Other notable projects selected for funding include assistance for new and replacement vehicles for the Trinity Railway Express and TEXRail lines; regional railroad safety crossing and traffic signal upgrade programs; improvements that would facilitate access to the Dallas County Inland Port at Belt Line and Sunrise roads; bond program partnerships in Tarrant and Parker counties and more.
RTC members will be given a high-speed rail briefing a week before the next meeting, which is set for March 14.
“By the end of February, all reports will be out, so I remain hopeful we’ll settle over a nice partnership program on high-speed rail,” Morris said.
