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Feb 7, 2007 7:17 pm US/Central
DART Expansion Efforts Ready To Leave The Station
by Clif Caldwell
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
DART rail service is on track to receive $86 million to fund expanded rail service. The good news is DART asked for $86 million and President Bush recommended the Transit Authority receives it. The bad news is the expansion is not all pain free for area business.
President Bush included an $86 million request in his initial budget proposal. The grant will help pay for the project if it's approved by congress. However, DART says it has yet to receive last years funding of $80 million.
The expansion is the nation's third largest funding proposal for rail service and is a part of a larger $700 million grant. Local sales taxes will make up the remainder of the nearly $2.5 billion expansion project. The 27.5-mile green line will go from Pleasant Grove to Fair Park and north to Carrollton.
The South Dallas Cafe sits next to the rail line. A construction crew hit a gas line last October. The owner is still upset. The restaurant was shut down during a State Fair weekend for repairs after gas leaks were found inside the building.
"We don't live in a perfect world. We didn't expect everything to go perfectly, but take responsibility. That's all we're asking," restaurant owner Gloria Price said.
DART says the gas line was less than one foot underground and should have been buried three or four feet deep. It offered Price $2,500 for lost business, but Price turned it down.
Spokesman Morgan Lyons understands her concerns, but also wants everyone to remember the end results. "We know construction can cause disruption in the areas. Keep working with us," Lyons said. He added once the project is done, it will be a "great way to get to the fair."
A backhoe is removing brush and debris along another portion of the route. It will venture near Love Field and go north to Carrollton. Another route will head to the airport to serve an increasing number of riders.
"We saw double digit increases across the board in all the fixed routes last year," Lyons said.
Overall, even Price concedes progress is good. She just knows it can also be perilous.
(CBS 11 News)
