Outcome of Nov. 5 referendum may have impact on UNT

On Nov. 5, the general election ballot will present Denton County residents with the opportunity to confirm the creation of the Denton County Transportation Authority.

If voters approve the referendum, DCTA will continue to move forward with the formulation of plans to bring regional rail service (supported by feeder, local and interim regional bus services and park-and-ride facilities) to the county in conjunction with the opening of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Northwest Corridor at Frankford Road in Carrollton in 2008.

The upcoming vote will not determine the passage of the authority's transit plan proposals or funding scenarios that involve increasing sales tax. Both the DCTA and county commissioners say those issues will come up for approval at a later date. The vote will determine whether a transportation authority is formed to begin examining the proposed plan.

Segment one of DCTA's plans for short-term service calls for using 11 miles of the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way that runs parallel to I-35E for a rail route that will connect the Carrollton DART Station to Corinth. Segment two calls for a rail line continuing to Denton. One of the plan's proposals calls for the creation of a rail stop near the UNT campus. According to a survey conducted in the fall of 2001, more than 16,500 UNT students, faculty and staff members commute to campus from beyond the city limits of Denton.

The Denton County Commissioners Court launched the process to establish the DCTA last October. Texas House Bill 3323, approved in the 77th legislative session and signed into law by the governor in 2001, cleared the way for its formation. The law allows for creation of coordinated county transportation authorities in urban "collar" counties surrounding core counties with populations of 1 million or more.

According to DCTA estimates:

• Denton County drivers will spend 40 percent of their travel time in congested traffic by 2010;
• Denton County's population will increase by 145 percent by 2025;
• Employment in Denton County will increase by 158 percent by 2025; and
• Texas Department of Transportation funding will not be able to keep pace with the increasing demand on major traffic arteries in Denton County.

The stated goals of DCTA include improving transportation in the county, maintaining and improving the quality of life in Denton County, contributing to air quality improvement and promoting economic development through the county.

Voters will find the referendum item at the bottom of their ballots.

BY RODDY WOLPER rwolper@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf keynote speaker at UNT center lunch
• McTee's Symphony No. 1 to premiere at Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall
• SECC: State employees' gift to other Texans
• UNT symposium to focus on democracy, markets
• Staff members honored at annual convocation
• UNT linguist keeping language, culture of Pacific Northwest tribes alive
• Halloween events planned at UNT

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