December 2003 Meeting
Season's
Greetings
Date: Monday, December 1, 2003, 12:00 noon
Location: The "Hotel Dallas Mockingbird" formerly the Radisson Hotel, 1893 West Mockingbird Lane (at intersection with Harry Hines Boulevard), (214) 634-8850. See Map
Program:
DART Update
The Dallas Branch last held a DART-oriented
program in January 2002, and the agency has been active in many areas since that time. Gary Thomas, DART’s president/executive
director, will join us in December to present an update on DART's services,
transit-oriented development, and its rail expansion program, including the status of the
Northwest and Southeast corridor extensions.
In terms of transit-oriented development, DART and its member cities can boast many successes. Studies have documented increasing property values for both residential and commercial real estate located near DART rail lines, and many exciting development projects have been completed near DART facilities. These include Mockingbird Station in Dallas, Eastside Village in Plano, and Galatyn Park in Richardson. Other communities are either pursuing or planning similar development, including Garland, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch.
Ridership on DART’s existing 44-mile light rail system has been strong since its
inception, and plans are in the works to double its size to 93 miles by 2014. This will be accomplished primarily through the
Northwest and Southeast Corridor extensions. The
Northwest Corridor line measures 17.5 miles between downtown Dallas and Carrollton, and it
is intended to serve the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Medical/Market Center, and
Love Field along its route. A 13-mile branch
from it is being considered to serve the Las Colinas Urban Center and DFW Airport. The 10.2-mile Southeast Corridor line will connect
downtown Dallas and Pleasant Grove with stations on its route serving Deep Ellum, Fair
Park, and South Dallas.
Speaker: Gary C. Thomas, P.E.,President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
Mr. Thomas has served as President/Executive Director of DART since its board of directors named him to that position on August 3, 2001. As president/executive director, Mr. Thomas is responsible for a 13-city transit system over a 700-square mile area with bus, light rail, commuter rail, paratransit, and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane services, and he administers the goals and policies of the DART Board of Directors, including one of the largest public transit expansions in North America. Mr. Thomas also directs the agency’s top managers and over 3,000 employees, emphasizing a strong customer focus to ensure that transit riders and taxpayers receive the best transit service available. In order to develop both short-term and long-term transportation and mobility goals, he works closely with member city governments and the public.
Prior to joining DART in 1998, Mr. Thomas worked as a consulting engineer for 19 years. He has Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Texas Tech University and serves on a number of boards, including Rail-Volution, the American Public Transportation Association, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, the North Texas Commission, and the Dallas Regional Mobility Commission.
Please join us for our annual "Holiday Gathering" after the December Luncheon |
Reservations: by Wednesday, November 26, 2003. Call the ASCE Reservation Hotline at (214) 890-6941. This voice mail system has been established by the Branch to handle reservations. Please state your company's name first and then the name of the attendees. In case of a malfunction, contact Eric Ratzman, P.E. at (214) 346-6274. On-line reservations may be made by sending an e-mail to Eric Ratzman at: reservations@dallasasce.org or from the Branch Website (www.dallasasce.org). Please make your reservations by only one of the above methods to avoid double counting. Please note our new Branch Website address and reservations e-mail address.
Cost: $15.00 with reservations, $17.00 at the door if seating is available.
Dallas ASCE
