Richardson City Council voted unanimously during a June 7 work session to start drafting a master plan to eventually renovate the area around the Arapaho Center bus and DART rail line station.
No specifics on how the city hopes to renovate the area were released, but city officials said the large parking lot across from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit station is a primary focus.
During the work session, DART officials also provided updates on the ongoing construction of the new Silver Line stations at CityLine and The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson. The Silver Line is a 26-mile passenger rail project that will stretch from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Plano.
DART officials told the council during the meeting that the estimated $1.29 billion cost for the Silver Line project had increased to $1.89 billion.
“We’ve gone through some tough times. We had difficulty making some decisions on the Silver Line project early on,” DART Board Member Gary Slagel said. “It’s really important to make these things work. You have to have a team that works together. Working with the city of Richardson has been easier than others, from a DART perspective.”
The future Silver Line station at CityLine began construction in May. DART officials said the Silver Line station will be designed to fit cohesively with the existing DART station. Lighted arches will connect the two stations together, and the planned Cotton Belt Trail will run between the two stations. Construction at the CityLine station is set to last until April 2023, according to DART development plans.
The planned UT Dallas Station will have a plaza area and act as a “gateway” for the campus and the city, DART officials said. The station will have a limestone design to match with UT Dallas buildings.
DART estimates the Silver Line to be completed by 2023. More information about the project can be found here.
