Current Projects

LUNCHTIME CIRCULATOR

Through the Downtown PID, DFWI partners with the T and Sundance square to provide a lunchtime trolley that serves the northwest area of the center city. The free trolley runs from 11 am -2 pm weekdays.

COMMUTER RAIL

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) is working with a consultant on the southeast to northwest rail corridor study. The study will determine the feasibility of a commuter rail line for southwest Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The study is underway and currently recommends that the rail line stop at the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) Downtown. This commuter rail line will provide an important connection to and from Downtown and expand the current Trinity Railway Express (TRE) system.

TOWER 55

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) has commissioned a study to explore solutions for Tower 55, the busiest rail intersection in the country. Tower 55 is located under the I-30/I-35 interchange. Rail backups at this location affect economic development, air quality and pedestrian safety. Often, trains are forced to sit on tracks, across public streets for unacceptable periods. Effects are felt locally and nationwide. For more information, please visit the NTCOG website at www.nctcog.org.
 

PASSENGER SHELTERS

Funded by an $850,000 grant from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, a Passenger Shelter Committee, led by Karl Komatsu, has directed the design of new passenger shelters for Downtown Fort Worth. The design, which respects both historic and modern Downtown Fort Worth architecture, features a lighter structure with a copper-colored roof and artistic chair backs. Demolition of the existing structures and manufacturing of the new shelters are expected to begin in late 2008.
 

NEWS RACK ORDINANCE

Downtown Fort Worth now has a news rack ordinance, which regulates all news racks placed within the public right-of-way. The boundary is the same as the Downtown Urban Design District, defined by Forest Park on the west, Trinity River on the north, I-35 on the east and I-30 on the south. The ordinance addresses pedestrian safety and aesthetic issues. DFWI’s news rack committee, chaired by Elaine Petrus, and DFWI staff member Melissa Dailey, pursued this effort.