First segments of DART Rail Orange Line likely delayed
Written by jrood
Utility relocations associated with Texas Department of Transportation construction on portions of State Highway 114 will likely delay the opening of the first two segments of the DART Rail Orange Line, DART officials said.
DART and TxDOT staffs
continue working to shorten the length of the delay; so new opening dates have
not been finalized. However, based the current project status the first segment
of the Orange Line – from Bachman Station to Las Colinas – would open in August
2012 instead of December 2011.
"We were very
disappointed to officially receive the news from TX DOT about their project
delays earlier this month," DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas
said. "We have been monitoring their progress and meeting with them
regularly for updates and to offer our assistance where it was appropriate. Now
we’ll turn our attention to supporting their efforts to reach their new targets
which will allow us the access we need to complete our work."
Sections of State Highway
114 will be adjacent to the Orange Line. DART has to have access to portions of
the construction area where the rail line and highway will intersect. There are
two construction windows to allow DART to complete that work. Since one of
those windows will not be met as anticipated, DART will have to delay
construction and the planned opening of the Orange Line.
