Light Rail for NW Arkansas?

Picture working for Walmart, living in Fayetteville or Springdale and not having to fight traffic to get to and from work. Read the newspaper on the way (if they still exist) or keep up with your email. This could be the reality in 10 to 20 years in NW Arkansas.

Thursday the idea for light rail in NW Arkansas got a boost when the Washington County Quorum Court unanimously passed a resolution to implement a feasibility study on the issue. This is the first step toward getting federal funding for such a project.

This is welcome news to me, as I have been bemoaning the slowness of infrastructure improvements in NW Arkansas for a long time, especially for transportation. But the city of Fayetteville passed a similar resolution on July 7, and Springdale passed a similar resolution on August 25.

Some people think the idea is way too idealistic and can never come to pass, but a growing number of supporters say otherwise. Justice of the Peace Gary Carnahan, who brought forward the resolution is one of them. He compared the idea of light rail now to the development of the NW Arkansas Regional Airport and credited our “nice airport” to visionary people in the area.

For light rail, one of those visionaries is Stephen Luoni, director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center in the Architecture Department. About a month ago, I heard Luoni speak at an informational meeting at the Fayetteville Public Library. It all made perfect sense to me since we already have the rails for a large part of the system. A majority of costs in other areas have been to acquire right of way, and we already have an underused rail system passing through all of our major towns.

The Community Design Center has already thought through many aspects of the project and compared it to similar projects in other parts of the country. Although NW Arkansas is not a major city, such projects in other less populated regions have met with success.

The poster child for light rail projects has been Dallas, where similar objections were voiced two decades ago. Now the Dallas rail system is considered to be one of the best in the country and has generated more than $1 billion in mixed-use, high quality urban development.

The NW Arkansas system would extend from the Fayetteville airport north through Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers and Bentonville and end at the NW Arkansas Regional Airport. It could stimulate economic development, create new housing and commercial projects revitalizing central areas of our towns, and provide sustainable “green” growth instead of the sprawl that results from new highway construction. It would be a less expensive way to move more people, and it could enhance our already-famous quality of life indices.

Other advantages are that it would allow more parts of NW Arkansas to stay “natural” and create so-called Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). This type of development creates a lifestyle not just a transportation system, and it guides smart growth. I could go on, but there’s too much for just a blog article.

For the feasibility study to actually take place, federal funding must be pursued by the NW Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Mobility Authority, and the Northwest Arkansas Council.

I hope they start the process soon. It’s going to take a long time for all of this to happen so we need to start now.

For more information about the system envisioned, visit the U of A Community Design Center website at http://uacdc.uark.edu/. Download a nifty book about the envisioned transit system, or for a small fee, have them mail you a copy.

Getting from Here to There--Transportation in NW Arkansas

I came across an article the other day regarding a proposal for a high-speed, state-of-the-art rail line that might someday run between San Diego, California and Vancouver, B.C. While I don’t expect NW Arkansas will ever be ready for something like that, it did get me thinking (again) about the need to improve transportation in our area.

I’ve written about this problem before – but I don’t see a lot of significant progress.

For example, plans for a proposed light rail system in NW Arkansas don’t seem to be any further along than they were a couple of years ago. In fact, I don’t know if they’re still on the drawing board.

NW Arkansas is still very “car” oriented. There are decent bus lines but the funding is limited which means the routes are limited. The majority of folks in NW Arkansas have multiple vehicles and multiple garages to house them. Want to go to the movies? Get in the car! Want a hamburger? Get in the car! We bank from our car, get our prescriptions and other items at the drive-through. This love affair with the automobile will not help the new "Green" image NW Arkansas is trying to promote.

Meanwhile, traffic on I-540 and the connector roads during the rush hours grows worse by the day. I-540 needs to be widened to 6 lanes (3 north, 3 south). There’s good news lately about the Bella Vista bypass. Currently, the high-speed interstate ends in Bella Vista and cars and trailer trucks crawl through a town with several traffic lights. When the traffic finally reaches Missouri, the road once again becomes a high-speed highway. Lack of funding has delayed this project for years.

Now it appears the Arkansas and Missouri highway commissions will make a joint request for funds for the Bella Vista bypass from the $1.5 billion federal stimulus money being made available to states for major highway projects.

The proposed Hwy. 412 bypass north of Springdale was finally approved last year but doesn't have the money to even acquire the land--never mind actual construction.

My mother used to say "make hay while the sun shines." The sun is now glowing brighter than ever with the $787 billion economic stimulus bill Congress approved plus we have a sympathetic ear in Washington these days.

Those in positions to do something about the transportation situation in NW Arkansas should get on the stick and do whatever it takes to obtain funding for necessary infrastructure improvements. If we can’t get a light rail system up and running, we need to improve roads.

The city of Springdale has been proactive in developing alternative routes to Hwy. 412 for east/west transportation, which was always a nightmare, especially during rush hour. Huntsville Road is now almost done with 4-5 lanes from I-540 going east to Hwy. 412. The new Don Tyson Parkway across the south side of town was exceptional planning and now provides a great alternative to Hwy. 412. And work continues on another east-west road across the northern part of the city. Springdale has shown great foresight in passing bonds to get these improvements completed.

Rogers built a new exit from I-540 to the Pinnacle Hills Mall. Another example of foresight is the recently widened New Hope Road.

Bentonville improved S. Walton Blvd. from a little two-lane road to 5-lanes (and it’s jammed with traffic). I can’t imagine how that city could have grown as it has without widening that major road.

Contrast this to Fayetteville, where the ‘head in the sand’ mentality seems to prevail with regard to growth. The ‘Keep Fayetteville Funky’ folks would like that growth not happen, but it is happening and must be dealt with in a positive manner and with foresight. I don’t mean to imply Fayetteville hasn’t done anything. Indeed, the widening of Hwy. 16 West (Wedington) has really improved transportation to I-540. And in the near future, a similar project will widen Mt. Comfort Road.

On the other hand, getting from the east side of Fayetteville to the west side (or vice versa) is a nightmare. Having a mountain in the middle of town doesn't help, of course, but people rightfully expect to move expeditiously from one side of town to the other and funky little two-lane roads do not cut it.

The wider Joyce Blvd. is great, but we also need wider and easier access on the south end of town and through the middle of town. I can't picture a 4-5 lane through the historic district, so Township would seem to be IT in this regard. There was a proposal several years ago to make Township a 4-lane road from Crossover to Gregg Street. It was blocked by residents along that route, especially from College to Crossover, and I fully sympathize with property owners there. On the other hand, the few residents that this would have affected need to be cognizant of larger goals.

If we are proactive in transportation and infrastructure, our area will continue to be on national lists of "10 Best" places to live. If we keep burying our heads in the sand while hoping for a miracle, growth will come to a stand still along with the traffic.

This area is still growing and will continue to do so. Any major improvement will take years and lots of money to accomplish but if we formulate tangible plans and work with our elected officials in Washington, it might be possible to get moving. It’s time to get on the stick and do whatever it takes to obtain funding for necessary infrastructure.

If we can’t get a light rail system up and running, or at least a public bus system, we need to improve roads.

For more information:

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/5/11/highspeed_rail_may_connect_california_to.htm
http://www.arkansashighways.com/Environ/SpecialStudies/001966/001966.htm
http://nwasource.com/gov/2009/03/13/state-will-file-bella-vista-bypass-application/

Light Rail – What is it and when is it coming to Northwest Arkansas?

As a professional Realtor®, I spend a good amount of time on the roads of NW Arkansas and frequently get stuck in gridlock. Traffic backs up on the ramps to and from I-540. The major intersections in Fayetteville and Bentonville repeatedly resemble parking lots. Traffic congestion is a huge waste of productive time, causes unnecessary expense at the gas station, adds to pollution, and increases daily stress.

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you heard me complain about the need for improvements to infrastructure and a light rail transportation system in NW Arkansas. Perhaps the time is getting closer for some serious consideration of light rail.

First, let me explain the term “light rail.” It generally refers to a system of streetcars that operate on some type of electric rail, ideally separated from automobile traffic. However, life is seldom ideal so light rail is often mixed with other city traffic.

Light rail usually makes frequent stops to load and unload passengers. It does not operate as fast as true rapid transit systems such as those found in large cities (think subways and elevated trains in New York or Chicago). Neither is it a railroad train that runs between cities and across the country.

Infrastructure has simply not been able to keep up in NW Arkansas. No matter how fast new roads are built or widened, they become clogged. Yet, many people don’t want to seriously consider light rail yet. Would they rather wait until we way behind on that front as well?

No one knows what a light rail system would cost. Coupling design/engineering/utility costs with right-of-way acquisitions and construction costs puts the estimate as high as $1 billion. That’s an astronomical amount of money. On the other hand, doing nothing for another 10 or 15 years would probably make $1 billion sound like a bargain.

There are many points to consider, such as:

Is our population large enough to support a light rail system? (Estimates are approximately 400,000 people live in Washington and Benton Counties.)

Would people avail themselves of light rail or continue to drive their gas-guzzling SUVs?

What other economic benefits would a light rail system provide?

What are the costs of not building a light rail system? (More and more roads?)

What high will the cost of gasoline rise?

I am not the first to think a feasibility study needs to be conducted to evaluate light rail and other methods of moving people around this area. The study might cost $1 million but the cost of doing nothing is much more expensive. My hope is that we can get moving on the study within the next year.

For more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail#Categories_of_light_rail

http://nwanews.com/nwat/News/64791/

Way to Go, Mayor Womack!

I attended the annual business luncheon last Friday (Jan. 18) at the John Q. Hammonds Convention Center in Rogers, sponsored by the Center for Business and Economic Research of the U of A (more on this in a future post).

As I zipped up I-540 from Fayetteville I made good time, since it was before mid-day. But then I arrived at the Pinnacle Hills Parkway exit. Cars were backed up at a standstill so that it took almost 1/2 hour to go from where the northbound exit ramp leaves I-540, under the freeway to where the newly widened street turns left onto Pinnacle Hills Parkway. The way the stoplights were adjusted, only a few cars could turn left at each light, so that there were even more cars behind me still "parked" not only on the exit ramp, but a good ways down the freeway.

As I arrived at the intersection to make a left turn onto Pinnacle Hills, a gentleman in a black overcoat entered the scene and began directing traffic. He blocked part of the traffic going south on Pinnacle Hills so that people from the freeway exit turning left to get to the meeting could proceed more smoothly. With more than 1,000 business people in attendance, the traffic bottleneck made a lot of them late. I did get there on time, but just barely. As I was leaving, I chatted with another person from the luncheon who told me that the man directing traffic was Rogers' Mayor Steve Womack and that he did "stuff like that" from time to time.

I applaud Mayor Womack's initiative in taking charge of the situation and making sure business people got to this important annual economic event (if it was him--I'm not sure since I have never met him personally). But the incident points out the continuing problem of infrastructure keeping up with growth in NW Arkansas, particularly with regard to transportation.

Following are a few updates on various transportation/infrastructure projects for NW Arkansas:

The exit for Pinnacle Hills Promenade Mall is open from northbound I-540 but the overpass to the west side of I-540 and the exit from southbound I-540 are not. If the overpass had been finished, the traffic delay I encountered would probably not have happened.

In southwest Rogers, work is under way on Pauline Whitaker Parkway, a north-south street that will connect with the Promenade interchange on the west side of I-540, providing access to the new Mercy Medical Center, which will open in March. According to the current timetable, the road should be completed in May.

Several other north-south road improvements will soon be open in Rogers.

Bentonville is also busy widening roads, improving interchanges, installing drains, and working on concepts for future projects. As hard as the city works, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the need for more infrastructure.

One bright spot is the cities of Rogers and Bentonville partnering on some projects that affect both.

Bella Vista will, unfortunately, have to struggle with its traffic bottleneck long into the future. U.S. Hwy. 71 carries all interstate traffic right through the middle of town. A bypass connecting Arkansas and Missouri has been studied for years but now seems dead in the water. The latest estimates show a $139 million shortfall between construction cost and projected income from tolls. That report caused Missouri to reassign the funds they were planning to spend for their portion of the connector.

Springdale is going full speed ahead on three east-west corridors to relieve traffic on U.S. Hwy. 412. The city and voters alike are to be commended for their foresight and planning. Voters approved a 1% sales tax in 2003 to back $105 million in bonds and the city has been constructing roads non-stop. In light of ever-increasing inflation and growth, that vote was a good move.

In November 2007, the first section of the southern corridor between 40th and 48th streets opened. When complete in spring of 2009 the southern corridor will run from 48th Street to Butterfield Coach Road, which is currently the eastern edge of the city limits.

The northern corridor, which is located near Wagon Wheel Road, is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2009.

Portions of the central corridor have been complete for some time. The phase that will connect Hwy. 71B to Old Missouri Road is scheduled to finish in November 2008. The third phase of the central corridor that will connect Emma Avenue to Robinson Avenue on the eastern side of the city is scheduled to be complete in May 2009.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department opened a new, wider 6-mile section of U.S. 412 near Hindsville. If and when all the planned improvements are made to U.S. 412, it will be a 4-lane highway from the Oklahoma border east to Huntsville. The state is also planning to widen a 1.6-mile stretch of Old Wire Road in Springdale from Randall Wobbe Lane north to Arkansas 264. No work is evident here yet.

Fayetteville is also busy improving roads but perhaps not on the same scale as some of the other cities. Portions of Wedington Drive are being widened and, it seems to me, moving along at a good pace. As I recall, it took some five years to widen about three miles of Hwy. 265 so I am impressed with the progress I see on Wedington.

And on the subject of Hwy. 265, Fayetteville has been notified by the state transportation department that it wants to proceed with widening that highway from Mission Boulevard north to Joyce Boulevard. Earlier plans had called for a 4-lane highway north to the Springdale city limit but inflation caused those plans to be scrapped.

Meanwhile, plans for public transportation on a major scale are sorely lacking. Ozark Regional Transportation provides some bus service on fixed routes in Fayetteville and Springdale. A few routes in Rogers and Bentonville are scheduled for this year. Sadly, a route from Springdale to Lowell to Rogers was canceled recently due to lack of funding.

Razorback Transit at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville provides free bus service for the area around the campus and to the Northwest Arkansas Mall.

It seems to me that serious consideration must be given to improving public transportation on a regional scale (think light rail or funding for a beefed-up bus system). I don’t pretend to be a planning engineer but I do know congestion, traffic delays, and gridlock when I see it. Every once in a while I hear “light rail” being tossed around but I haven’t see any firm projections.

For more information:

http://www.bentonvillear.com/docs/street/street_newsletter_120107.pdf
http://www.rogersarkansas.com/planning/2010Bond.asp
http://www.nwarktimes.com/brog/News/55678/
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/National/201929/print/
http://www.joplinindependent.com/display_article.php/l-marble1192477593
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/12/05/news/120607sz412eupdate.txt
http://www.ozark.org/RidingORT/home.html

Bus Ridership is Increasing in NW Arkansas

I was pleased to read in the Northwest Arkansas Times newspaper that more people are using public transportation to get where they want to go. Of course, that isn’t a big surprise given the high cost of gasoline these days. As I write, gas in our area is averaging about $2.90 a gallon. Add that to all the other costs of driving a vehicle and it’s easy to understand why bus ridership is increasing.

But gas prices aren’t the only reason ridership is up. Ozark Regional Transit deserves a pat on the back for expanding service. Ozark currently has seven fixed routes serving 110 square miles. As they are able to obtain more funding, Ozark plans to increase the areas they serve.
I sincerely hope this trend will continue. Commuters face gridlock twice a day just trying to get back and forth to their work places. Even in the non-commuting hours of the day it’s not unusual to face traffic delays as people go about their shopping, appointments, and general business of the day. No one enjoys gridlock. It creates more stress on both people and the environment.

I have stressed for several years the need for a good public transportation system in NW Arkansas. Yes, I know it’s not nearly as bad here as New York or Los Angeles or many other large cities, but we need to make sure it doesn’t get that bad. Reliable bus service with a good route system and frequent trips will be a big plus for this area.

If people can rely on the bus to get them where they want to go in a reasonable amount of time, bus ridership will undoubtedly increase.

For more information:

Ozark Regional Transportation, http://www.ozark.org
http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/42137/

Good News/Bad News for the Springdale Northern Bypass

The U.S. 412 bypass of Springdale has received a record of decision from the Federal Highway Administration. Now all that needs to be done is to figure out how to pay for it! The estimated cost currently stands at some $300 million with only $31 million in combined federal and state funds earmarked for the 20-mile highway.

Ten years have passed since a study of alternatives for the bypass began in 1996 and it will be many more years before it is even partially constructed. With the escalating price of land in the area it seems obvious that costs will only go one way – up. “This project has to have federal money,” said John McLarty, transportation planner for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. “It’s just too big.”

Highway 412 is a major east-west route through Springdale for traffic coming to and from Tulsa area as well as off Interstate 540. No one argues the need for the bypass, which is expected to channel much of the truck traffic around the city. However, it appears the bypass will have to be built in segments, as funding becomes available. It may take until the year 2030 before the road nears completion.

As I mentioned in my posting March 6, “A Western By-Pass? Great Idea!” (scroll down to read the article) other roads are being planned to alleviate gridlock in Northwest Arkansas, but the 412 bypass is scheduled to come first. We must find a way to get moving on all these projects, the sooner the better.

For more information:http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/147680/

A Western By-Pass? Great Idea!

Planners and elected officials in Northwest Arkansas are eyeing a four-lane highway to cut through western Benton and Washington counties and avoid additional gridlock on Interstate 540. It doesn’t have an exact location, nor money to pay for it--yet.

The Northwest Arkansas Council, which includes some of the region’s wealthiest and most influential people, has placed the proposed highway on its list of road projects it deems important to the region’s future. And a committee of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission has included the highway, known as the western bypass, in the draft of a 2030 long-range transportation plan the commission will hand over to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department next month.

The proposed highway wouldn’t be constructed until after a western bypass of the Bella Vista stretch of I-540 and a U.S. 412 bypass north of Springdale are completed, according to John McLarty, the transportation planner for the regional planning commission. “But it’s not too early to begin planning the road.”

The western freeway is a great idea, and it’s encouraging to note that planners are starting to think in longer terms. It takes years to go from identifying the need to completing the project, and it is essential to get this project in place while there is still sufficient, undeveloped land available. The 412 bypass has been delayed again and again by impact studies while the areas where the original three proposed routes might have been built have been filled up with new homes. And since the 412 bypass won’t be built for many years due to funding deficits, maybe these planners can begin getting their proposal to legislators so that when the project is ready, the funding will be there.

In the meantime, there will have to be improvements and additions to I-540. Twenty-five years is a long time for the western bypass to become a reality. But knowing that planners are even thinking about it is a start.

For more information: http://nwanews.com/adg/News/147123/

Architects studying possibility of light rail in Northwest Arkansas

Studies through the University of Arkansas School of Architecture are being conducted to research how a light rail system might alter development in Northwest Arkansas. Teams have recently studied the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, and the possibility of establishing a light rail system in the Washington, D. C. area.

A concept posed in the past for NW Arkansas would traverse 41.27 miles of rail with about 10 stations along the Interstate 540 corridor and a loop to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. Buses could be used to tie more immediate areas to the rail, and high-occupancy lanes could be established along the interstate.

NW Arkansas needs something like this and needs it fast. Rush hour traffic is horrendous and daytime traffic is not too much better. Studies indicate that approximately 1000 additional people move to this area every month. Unfortunately, the infrastructure isn’t keeping up. Some sort of public transportation system is needed to alleviate the congestion on our roads.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Times, February 12, 2006