Plans to build a new DART rail appear to moving full speed ahead, but some homeowners want to pump the brakes.
The new line would run along the Cotton Belt Corridor starting in east Plano and ending at D/FW Airport.
DART held the first of a series of community meetings Wednesday in Richardson.
"This is our most important project,” said Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker.
The new line could ease traffic congestion on U.S. Highway 75 and the George Bush Turnpike.
Homeowners who live along the proposed route are concerned.
"Safety is one issue, but they're also proposing a commuter rail, which is not the same as the rest of the DART system. It’s more like Denton's A-train, so some people are concerned about noise and vibration,” said Cookie Peadon with the Cotton Belt Concerned Citizens Coalition.
Until recently, plans were to build the DART rail in 2035 time frame.
“Fortunately, economic conditions have changed and so we're looking at accelerating it to kind of the 2022 time frame,” DART spokesperson Morgan Lyons said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Five more community meetings are planned for later this month, including one on August 29 that Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings will attend.
