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Title
Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Project Specific Agreement with Dallas County in the amount of $6,000,000 for the widening and extension of Wildlife Pkwy between Beltline Rd and SH 161
Presenter
Bill Crolley, Executive Director of Planning, Development and Transportation and Walter Shumac, Director of Transportation
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
In 2003 when TxDOT and NCTCOG elected to build SH 161 main lanes as toll lanes instead of free lanes, the City of Grand Prairie was requested to submit a list of projects for Federal funding. These projects became known as the “Near Neighbor” projects. At that time, the free frontage roads were to be continuous between IH 20 and Rock Island. However, during the design and environmental phase, it was determined that crossing the Trinity River with frontage roads would be costly and time consuming. Staff was contacted by TxDOT to develop some alternative plans. One such alternative was extending Wildlife Parkway to SH 161 across the Trinity River.
TxDOT appeared before the City Council at their June 6, 2006 meeting to inform the Council about the discontinuous frontage roads and offer several alternatives. The consensus of the Council was to widen and extend Wildlife Parkway to SH 161. Staff then prepared and submitted a letter at the September 21, 2006 Public Hearing supporting the tolling of SH 161 main lanes and requesting that the improvements to Wildlife Parkway be included as part of the record for the Environmental clearance process.
NCTCOG later funded the project for $20 million Federal and $5 million Local (City). Since that time, non-federalized Regional Toll Revenue (RTR) funds became available and Staff submitted a request which was approved by the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) to swap the Federal funds for RTR funds. That opened the door for Dallas County to act as Lead Agency for the Wildlife Parkway project and contribute one half of the $5 m...
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