With construction of the Legacy West mixed-use development in Plano underway, local leaders are working with Dallas Area Rapid Transit to prepare the Legacy corridor as a regional transportation hub.

DART is expected to roll out several projects in the coming months and years to enhance connectivity and decrease traffic congestion throughout Plano. These projects include a new east-to-west express bus service, additional rail cars and a 67.7-mile commuter rail line that will link Plano to Tarrant and Dallas counties, and eventually to Fort Worth.

“There’s going to be a lot of development activity and employment that is going to be out there very quickly in the Legacy West area. When you get to that density, the first thing that needs to be focused on [is] the transportation elements,” said Jack Carr, deputy city manager for the city of Plano.

Additional public transit options to and from the Legacy area will benefit commuters to the south of Plano and in northeastern parts of Collin County, Carr said. City staff is working on a $160,000 mobility study of the Legacy area funded by Plano, Collin County and DART. Findings are expected to be presented to the Plano City Council in August.

Plano has benefited economically from DART since it became a member in 1983, Carr said, and North Texas’ success partly hinges on DART’s ability to attract new member cities north of Plano. [totalpoll id="166940"]

“Plano commuters also have DART light-rail and buses as an alternate but not being able to tie the transit service north—especially from our Legacy corridor—is a significant challenge,” said Lissa Smith, mayor pro tem for the city of Plano and president of the North Central Texas Council of Governments board of directors. "Commuters who travel to and from the cities north of Plano will benefit from the extension of transit into their communities.”

The Legacy connection

One way planners hope to help alleviate traffic congestion is with a new express bus service that will run to and from Legacy West from the Parker Road Station. Route 211 will cut the typical 50-minute drive to a little less than a half-hour ride, said Todd Plesko, vice president for planning and development for DART. The route will run along Spring Creek Parkway and construction is expected to start next March. A public hearing is scheduled for September.

The plan also includes an extension of the bus Route 208 Downtown Express that runs from DART’s Northwest Plano Park & Ride center. The route, which connects to downtown Dallas, will also take passengers directly to businesses in the Legacy area, according to DART.

“We have long been working with the city of Plano, and they looked at the Legacy area from Preston Road and the [Dallas North Tollway] to the west,” Plesko said. “We believe that even around [the Northwest Plano Park & Ride], there will be more development occurring.”

DART opened the transit station off Communications Parkway in 2012 and has since expanded it to include new routes over the past four years. Starting in March 2017, these routes are also expected to provide more direct routes to minimize transfers around the Metroplex, Plesko said.

DART is also finishing designs to extend platforms at 28 rail stations, which include adding a third rail car to Plano’s Red Line stations. The nearly $120 million project is expected to increase passenger capacity by 33 percent, according to DART.

The project will be funded using $60 million in Texas Mobility funds and $58 million from Federal Transit Administration grants.

Platform construction is expected to begin next year and will be completed by 2020.

Discussions are also taking place about making parking more compact at the Parker Road Station parking garages in order to boost development in that area.

The Cotton Belt Line

Public hearings will also be scheduled this fall for DART’s proposed Cotton Belt Line, which will travel through Plano, Addison and Carrollton to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. DART’s 20-year financial plan includes full operation of the high-speed rail line by 2035.

In a June 13 presentation to the Plano City Council, however, DART board member Faye Moses Wilkins said regional discussions are expected to continue regarding new funding approaches, potentially accelerate the project’s timeline by 10 to 15 years.

The Cotton Belt Line will provide connections to DART’s orange and green lines, as well as to the soon-to-be-under construction TEX Rail that will extend to Fort Worth from DFW Airport.

The Cotton Belt Line also includes the creation of a second rail station south of Historic Downtown Plano and will intersect with the existing 15th Street Station.

“Plano’s 1983 decision to join DART was really wise. It took a long time to get the rail line out [there], and they were helping to fund our 13-city operation."

–Todd Plesko, vice president for planning and development for DART

“The economy is good, and we now have the ability to refinance some of our debt and that has increased DART’s ability to borrow certain amounts of money to implement [projects like the Cotton Belt Line],” Plesko said. “There are various ways we can put together the money to move this forward.”

Paying for DART

Although Plano gave approximately $74 million to DART services for fiscal year 2014-15, the public transportation system has served as a catalyst for growth in downtown Plano and in other parts of the city, Mayor Harry LaRosiliere said. More than 50 percent of the city’s property taxes are generated by these businesses, which contribute to Plano’s ability to keep its property tax rate low.

“Plano’s 1983 decision to join DART was really wise. It took a long time to get the rail line out [there], and they were helping to fund our 13-city operation,” Plesko said. “Then shortly after the trains got out there, we faced a number of recessions. Those slowed the development that now we’re starting to see all over North Texas.”

Plano’s Legacy transportation study entertains ways DART could be expanded beyond its existing service area, particularly into Frisco because of its close proximity to Legacy West.

“I think DART has been an important element, and I think as we expand DART or some type of public transportation [farther] north up into the center of Collin County, it will take some of that traffic off of US 75 and those other north-south roadways,” Carr said.

Regional perspective

The NCTCOG recently approved $100 million in funding for the Cotton Belt Line. The council’s 2040 mobility plan focuses on this project as well as the east-west express service and the expansion of the Red Line north of Plano.

“Plano has a well-planned transportation network with local streets, collectors, arterials and expressways,” Smith said. “One of our biggest challenges is traffic congestion. Everyone in Collin County and North Texas agrees something should be done, but not everyone agrees on where the money should be spent first.”

Collin County is also working to add more roadway networks to portions east of Plano to help relieve traffic on US 75. The addition of transit and additional north side and east side arterial roadways are necessary to meet the needs of future populations, Smith said.