Riverfront Alternative For The Trinity River Toll Road

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC
2919 Commerce Street Suite #212

Dallas Texas 75226
www.br-dge.com
STUDIOS
submitted to
regarding
date
Senator Royce West
Trinity Tollway Alternatives
April 3, 2015
The Riverfront Extension

Alternative
Comparing Cost & Time
STUDIOS

Dallas Texas 75226
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INTRODUCTION
ABOUT US
BR_DGE is a process-based design studio.
We develop solutions only after thorough
research, market analysis and extensive
exploration of possible directions.
We believe the most critical skill one can use
in problem solving is observation.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The Trinity Tollway has long been hailed as
the best solution to the problem of congestion
in the Mixmaster. However, with costs
escalating and economic disparity at an all
time high in the City of Dallas, its time to look
at solutions that wont increase the burden
of Dallas most vulnerable citizens and future
generations. The Trinity Tollway will also very
likely compromise the social, economic and
emotional value of the Trinity Park a park
that will undoubtedly reshape the city as we
know it.
Its in the best interest of the City of Dallas
to consider alternatives that a) dont have a
tolling component, b) dont signicantly add
to the massive infrastructural burden that will
face future generations and c) dont physically
intrude on the Trinity Park.
WHY RIVERFRONT?
Riverfront directly parallels the path of
the Trinity Tollway. It provides convenient
access to all major highways and arterials
near downtown and allows trafc to avoid
the Mixmaster entirely. It is currently under
capacity, especially on the southern end
where the street makes an abrupt stop at
Corinth Street.
MULTI-MODAL
Unlike a limited access tollway, Riverfront will
offer accommodations for all modes of transit
including bikes, buses and pedestrians.
Furthermore, it presents extensive

opportunities for economic development on
property between Stemmons, the Mixmaster
and the levees. If proper accommodations are
made, this development will be the connective
tissue between downtown and the Trinity. To
add yet another level of separation, such as
the Trinity Tollway, would be detrimental to
the relationship of Downtown and the Trinity
Park.
Most signicantly, the extension of Riverfront

creates the opportunity for more efcient
bus routing. Well analyze this later in this
document.
Multi-modal corridors are known to have

signicant economic benet. Recent studies
have shown higher property value for real
estate adjacent to protected bike lanes*.
Riverfront offers more

exible and more reliable
access to all centers of
economic activity in and
around downtown and
to points beyond.
*PROTECTED BIKE LANES MEAN BUSINESS

How 21st Century Transportation Networks Help
New Urban Economies Boom: A report from
PeopleForBikes and Alliance for Biking & Walking

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STUDIOS
E XI ST I NG R I V E R FO N T
ACC E SS
UPTOWN /
VI CTORY
D ESI G N
D I ST RI CT
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ARTS DI ST RI CT
2
3
DOWNTOWN
4
WE ST
DALLA S
5
6
CEDARS / SOUTHSIDE
7
8
F U TU RE
HIG H S PEED
RA IL
OA K C L I F F
MEDICAL DISTRICT / STEMMONS CORRIDOR /

MARKET CENTER / LOVE FIELD / OAK LAWN
WEST BOUND I-30
VICTORY / DNT / NORTH BOUND I-35
SOUTH BOUND I-35
TRINITY GROVES / WOODALL RODGERS / 75
CEDARS/EAST BOUND I-30
WEST DALLAS / OAK CLIFF / DOWNTOWN
CEDARS/SOUTH DALLAS/EAST OAK CLIFF
REUNION / NORTH BOUND I-35
*New cross river connections could be made from

Oak Lawn to Coronet and from Colorado
to Belleview to provide new connections
between growing neighborhoods and access to the river.
STUDIOS

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CASE STUDY
GETTING FROM PLEASANT GROVE TO

PARKLAND HOSPITAL
To illustrate both the effectiveness of The
Riverfront Extension Alternative and the
existing challenges facing the southeastern
portion of our city, weve chosen to highlight
a hypothetical journey from John Q Adams
Elementary in Pleasant Grove to Parkland
Hospital in the Medical District/Stemmons
Corridor.
This route from Pleasant Grove to Parkland is
frequently referenced by tollroad proponents,
often with the mention of time savings and
potential penalties/docked pay for being late.
TIME IS MONEY
Like the age-old adage, well ultimately be
comparing trips in terms of the amount of
time they consume. This will keep the analysis
straight forward and simple to understand.
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STUDIOS
CASE STUDY

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21
minutes
42
existing highway system

(off peak)

(rush hour)
MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY?

In optimal trafc conditions, the current
highway system will deliver the fastest results.
What if one wanted to avoid the Mixmaster,

Woodall Rodgers and the rush hour hazards
presented within?
However, as anyone in DFW knows, rush

hour trafc can easily double the amount of
time it takes to get somewhere. Rush hour
is unpredictable and limited access means
limited escape.
In many neighborhoods surrounding

downtown, surface streets offer a reliable
alternative to highways. Unfortunately, in
Pleasant Grove, thats not the case.
minutes
at evening rush hour
at early afternoon
*All time data compiled from Google Maps.

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STUDIOS
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CASE STUDY
SCYENE RD.
2N
.
E
AV
BRUTON RD.
175
LOOP 12
5
17
17
5
LOOP 12
LIMITED SURFACE STREET ACCESS

To make the journey from Pleasant Grove
to Medical District, residents have very few
surface street options compared to other
portions of the city.
The Great Trinity Forest creates a very
signicant barrier to the west side of the
neighborhood and there are only 4 routes
through the forest: Scyene, Bruton/2nd Street,
Loop 12 and 175.
This funnels much of the trafc to 175, the
perceived fastest route. The downside is that
this locally based trafc is funneled into the
mixmaster along with regional trafc.
So, what are the options that dont involve
having to get into the mixmaster?
Pleasant Grove has

very few surface street
options to carry citizens
east and west without
having to get on a
highway.
STUDIOS
CASE STUDY
OPTION 1: Scyene
Scyene funnels trafc toward Fair Park and
ultimately through the heart of downtown.
If one were looking to avoid any potential
snares, cutting through downtown is not
necessarily the best choice. The amount of
trafc lights and the current trafc patterns in
downtown make a workable but possibly less
desirable option.

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32
minutes
35
scyene to commerce
bruton/2nd to lamar
OPTION 2: Bruton/2nd to Lamar

One could also choose to cut through South
Dallas and up Lamar. This also cuts through
the heart of Downtown and is a bit slower.
minutes
Its not easy for Pleasant

Grove residents to
skirt the mixmaster
without going through
downtown.
STUDIOS

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28
CASE STUDY
minutes
175 to lamar to riverfront
OPTION 3: 175 to Lamar to Riverfront

Riverfront is great alternate route for those
with destinations west of Downtown Dallas.
Getting to Riverfront from Pleasant Grove is
a convoluted process that many simply wont
bother making, even if it could save time and
help avoid Mixmaster trafc when its at its
worst.
Even with the existing system, cutting

over to Riverfront from 175 via Lamar
only adds 7 minutes to the optimal
freeway conditions route.
During rush hour, one can save
approximately 14 minutes*.
Without an extension,
getting to Riverfront
from Pleasant Grove is
not simple or obvious.
STUDIOS
CASE STUDY

Dallas Texas 75226
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hour
minutes
dart bus + green line
OPTION 4: Using DART

DARTs Green Line provides a direct
connection between Pleasant Grove and
Parkland. However, because of the layout of
the transit artery through downtown, train
trafc through downtown is slow and train
frequencies are currently maxed out. That
means the fastest one can travel between the
two destinations is roughly 1 hour.
By bus, the situation is even more

complex.
The bus-only version of this trip takes
nearly double the amount of time as
taking the highway at rush hour.
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30
minutes
hour
dart bus only
Reliable public transit

is a necessity for
neighborhoods such as
Pleasant Grove.

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STUDIOS
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lv
d
co
r
in
th
THE ALTERNATIVE
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kb
riv
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fr
on
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co
al
cre
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Furthermore, it would allow DART to simplify

bus routes and provide more efcient public
transit to residents in need.
t
ec
oj
pr
A LOGICAL EXTENSION
The Trinity Tollway has always been planned
as a logical extension of 175 after its
intersection with I-45. However, its been
documented in the EIS report itself that
the community cant afford to pay the tolls
to travel on it. Creating a new connection
between 175 and Riverfront would expedite
travel times while at the same time optimizing
real estate opportunity on the current
southern portion of Riverfront.
t
igh
wr
ext
en
sio
n
m
ts
do
tx
FIXING DEAD MANS CURVE

TxDOT is already proceeding with the
straightening of Dead Mans Curve and linking
175 directly to I-45. This will be a very positive
x for the neighborhood as it will allow for the
removal of the elevated S.M. Wright Freeway.
S.M. Wright Blvd. will offer yet another
surface street option into downtown, but still
fails to address optimal east/west travel for
southern Dallas.
ar
la
riv
erf
ro
nt
175
The Riverfront Extension

creates a new multimodal East/West
connection within
roughly the same
boundaries as the
southern end of the
Trinity Tollway.
STUDIOS

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TIME COMPARISON
21
TRINITY TOLLWAY TRAVEL TIME
We can estimate the approximate trip time
for the proposed Trinity Tollway by tallying the
following:
minutes
42

(off peak)

(rush hour)
minutes
1) Time from John Q. Adams Elementary

to 175 & Lamar(where the Tollway would
effectively begin)
8 minutes
2) Estimating that one would travel
approximately 6 miles along the tollroad at an
average speed of 55mph
6.5 minutes (approx.)
3) Calculating approximate exit time at
Hampton Rd (1 minute) & adding it to existing
distance from the foot of the levee (1298
Conveyor Ln) to parking at Parkland Hospital.
6.5 minutes (approx.)
The results show that time savings will be a
wash during off-peak hours. Since we cant
predict rush hour behavior or unexpected
incidents such as ooding for the Trinity
Tollway, we havent included rush hour
estimates.
21
minutes*
trinity tollway
(*estimated off peak)
What about traveling

on the tollway?
STUDIOS

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TIME COMPARISON
21
RIVERFRONT EXTENSION TRAVEL TIME
We can estimate the approximate trip time
for the Riverfront Extension by tallying the
following:
minutes
42

(off peak)

(rush hour)
minutes
1) Time from John Q. Adams Elementary to

175 & Lamar(where the SM Wright Project
would start)
8 minutes
2) Time from I-45 to Corinth St. along S
Lamar St. as a comparison
4 minutes
3) Adding the existing travel time from the
intersection of Riverfront and Corinth to
Parkland Hospital
13 minutes
25
minutes*
riverfront extension
(*estimated)
IMPROVING TRIPS BY BUS

As stated before, public transit is extremely
important for Pleasant Grove residents.
Bus travel times tend to vary depending on
frequency and number of transfers. Assuming
two transfers, we can calculate that a route
along the Riverfront Extension would be about
double the amount of time it currently take for
the #63 bus to go 4.5 miles along Riverfront
and Irving Boulevard
34 minutes
Then we add the trip time it takes to get from
John Q Adams to Lake June Station on bus
#592
9 minutes
50
minutes*
(by bus - estimated)
hour
30
minutes
existing bus only travel time
Then well add a bit of contingency for

transfer time, delays, etc.
7 minutes

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STUDIOS
MONEY SPENT PER

MINUTE SAVED
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estimated overall costs
trinity tollway
$300m
$600m
$900m
$1.2b
$1.5b
estimated minutes saved (vs rush hour on existing system)
trinity tollway
0
COMPARING SOLUTIONS
Since off-peak travel time is a wash for the
Trinity Tollway, well compare the amount of
money spent (for the project as a whole) to
the minutes saved during rush hour on the
existing system. Some statements regarding
Trinity Tollway vary, but for this purpose we
are going to assume $1.5 billion overall. Well
also say worst case scenario, the Riverfront
extension costs $150 million to build.
10
minutes
15
20
25

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STUDIOS
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overall travel time
42
minutes*
21
25

(rush hour)
trinity tollway
(*estimated off peak)
(*estimated)
minutes
minutes*
millions spent per minute saved (vs rush hour on existing system)
trinity tollway
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
millions of dollars
trinity tollway
$1.5
$150
billion spent
21
minutes saved
$71.4
million spent per minute saved
million spent
17
minutes saved
$8.8
million spent per minute saved
All costs based on estimates only. All time data compiled from Google Maps.
STUDIOS

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CONCLUSION
NOT MONEY WELL SPENT

If we compare the amount of money spent per
minute saved, its easy to see that the Trinity
Tollway is not a wise investment. Since there
will be little to no time-savings during offpeak hours, we can expect very little incentive
for use of the Tollway, especially for our most
vulnerable citizens.
MORE INFRASTRUCTURE, MORE UPKEEP

The Trinity Tollway would require 9 new
miles of road that expand up to 10 lanes
wide including on-ramps, access roads and
travel lanes. To maintain this infrastructure
in a oodplain will surely be an expensive
endeavor that will require an increase in tolls.
Extending Riverfront would necessitate
approximately only 2 miles of new roads and
bridges.
LESS PARK, LESS TRANSFORMATION

Parks and roads have co-existed for quite
some time. These roads have stoplights, slip
roads for parking, sidewalks and bike lanes.
Never before has anyone proposed that a park
of this magnitude and importance co-exist
with a high-speed limited access highway for
the entirety of its footprint.
The Riverfront Extension would allow
the Trinity Park to maintain its value and
provide for new access points and economic
development along the way.
We hope that youll

take this study into
consideration.
Thank you for your
time.
Sincerely,
ROBBIE GOOD
principal / designer
br_dge creative studios llc
STUDIOS

Riverfront Alternative For The Trinity River Toll Road

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BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

2919 Commerce Street Suite #212

Senator Royce West

Trinity Tollway Alternatives

The Riverfront Extension

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

Furthermore, it presents extensive

Most signicantly, the extension of Riverfront

Multi-modal corridors are known to have

Riverfront offers more

*PROTECTED BIKE LANES MEAN BUSINESS

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

MEDICAL DISTRICT / STEMMONS CORRIDOR /

WEST BOUND I-30

VICTORY / DNT / NORTH BOUND I-35

SOUTH BOUND I-35

TRINITY GROVES / WOODALL RODGERS / 75

CEDARS/EAST BOUND I-30

WEST DALLAS / OAK CLIFF / DOWNTOWN

CEDARS/SOUTH DALLAS/EAST OAK CLIFF

REUNION / NORTH BOUND I-35

*New cross river connections could be made from

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

GETTING FROM PLEASANT GROVE TO

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

existing highway system

existing highway system

MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY?

What if one wanted to avoid the Mixmaster,

However, as anyone in DFW knows, rush

In many neighborhoods surrounding

at evening rush hour

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

LIMITED SURFACE STREET ACCESS

Pleasant Grove has

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

OPTION 2: Bruton/2nd to Lamar

Its not easy for Pleasant

*All time data compiled from Google Maps.

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

175 to lamar to riverfront

OPTION 3: 175 to Lamar to Riverfront

Even with the existing system, cutting

*All time data compiled from Google Maps.

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

dart bus + green line

OPTION 4: Using DART

By bus, the situation is even more

dart bus only

Reliable public transit

*All time data compiled from Google Maps.

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

Furthermore, it would allow DART to simplify

FIXING DEAD MANS CURVE

The Riverfront Extension

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

existing highway system

existing highway system

1) Time from John Q. Adams Elementary

What about traveling

*All time data compiled from Google Maps.

BR_DGE Creative Studios LLC

existing highway system