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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution - 2723 - Support Position Paper To Be Presented At Transportation 2020 Forum - 01/28/1988JWF : j s RESOLUTION Resolution #2723 January 28, 1988 Item 17 WHEREAS, "Transportation 2020" is a national multi-year, multi -faceted effort to develop a transportation plan that will meet the nation's mobility needs well into the 21st century; and WHEREAS, a broad range of organizations and agencies, which represent every segment of society that uses and relies on our national transportation system for economic prosperity and social mobility, has been invited to par- ticipate in the "Transportation 2020" project; and WHEREAS, a key component of the "Transportation 2020" program is ob- taining from users and managers of the highway system, perspectives on transportation needs in Texas and every other state as well; and WHEREAS, the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transporta- tion, Texas Good Roads/Transportation Association, Highway Users Federation, and the Advisory Committee of the Transportation 2020 Consensus Program will sponsor a public forum in Lubbock, Texas, on February 17, 1988; NOW THERE- FORE: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK: SECTION 1. THAT the position paper entitled "Testimony on Behalf of the City of Lubbock, Texas Before the Transportation 2020 Forum" is hereby approved for transmission to the appropriate legal entities, political bod- ies, Boards, and Commissions and to other interested persons and/or parties. SECTION 2. THAT a copy of said position paper is attached hereto and made a part hereof for all purposes. Passed by the City Council on this 28th day of January 1988. ATTEST: ty Secret&y B. C. McMINN, MAYOR APPROVED AS TO CONTENT: APPROVED AS TO FORM: Larry V',./)Hof fman,irector of J Worth Fullingim, Assistan ity Transpo tation A rney TRANSPORTATION 2020 Interstate Hii hway System Much of the advance publicity regarding the Transportation 2020 Project states that the construction of the Interstate Highway System will be completed in the early 19901s. Some of the literature indicates that the Interstate Program -is coming to a close and that the Transportation 2020 project is a Consensus Transportation Program for the Post -Interstate Era. Although the ability to designate additional mileage for the interstate highway system ended in 1986, the citizens of Lubbock and the people of West Texas feel that two major links in the interstate system were never designated, much less constructed. Currently, Interstate 27 is in various stages of completion from Amarillo southward through Lubbock. No segments of Interstate 27 are completed south of Lubbock.and the interstate system, as presently established, does not include any designated mileage for I-27 south of Lubbock or north of Amarillo. If the interstate system is not revised or a new interstate -type highway program is not initiated to extend I-27 r .. south of Lubbock, I-27 will "dead end" near the existing south city limits of Lubbock. Stich a situation would result in I-27 being perhaps the only interstate highway in the country to terminate at a major city that is not located adjacent to a coast line or international border. The City of Lubbock strongly supports the concept of extending I-27, or an interstate - type highway, to the south to intersect with I-20 and 1-10. Such an extension would provide continuity to the interstate system that will be lacking if I-27 terminates at Lubbock. Furthermore, the City of Lubbock supports the extension of I-27, or an interstate -type highway, from Amarillo northward to I-70 to provide a needed link between the Panhandle and South Plains of Texas to Denver and points beyond. Since it is being declared that the interstate highway program is coming to a close and the nation is entering the Post -Interstate Era, it is suggested that the inter- state system be examined at all levels of government to insure that continuity is provided throughout the completed system. The missing links in the system should be provided by reinstating the interstate highway program or initiating a new interstate - type highway program. Federal -Aid Primary System The Federal government must continue its support for a non -interstate Federal -Aid Highway Program. Since the construction of the interstate system is nearing completion, funds that would have otherwise been used to build interstate highways should be allocated to the Federal -Aid Primary System. The increased funding for the Primary System should be used for two main purposes: 1. The construction of divided highways to connect major urban areas in the State, and; 2. The construction of new freeways and the expansion of -existing freeways in urban areas. Several projects within Lubbock and the West Texas area fall into these two categories. These projects are listed below in priority order: (1) East-West Freeway in Lubbock (2) State Highway 114 from Dallas -Fort Worth through Lubbock to U.S. 70 in New Mexico (3) U.S. 82 from State Highway 114 to I-44 in Wichita Falls (4) Port -to -Plains Highway (5) Widening of Loop 289 in Lubbock (6) Outer loop in Lubbock (1) East-West Freeway. Consulting engineers have completed a feasibility 2. study for this project in Lubbock (see figure 1). The State Department of Highways and Public Transportation is currently preparing plans that can be used as a basis for environmental hearings and determining right-of-way needs. The State Department of Highways and Public Transportation Commission has authorised the Department to proceed with'"'Che project to the point of purchasing right-of-way. No federal or state funds have been allocated for the acquisition of right-of-way or construction. Howver, the City of Lubbock has approved $2.6 million in bond funds to cover the City's share of the right-of-way cost. It is imperative from the City of Lubbock's standpoint that a strong Federal -Aid Primary Program be maintained to assist with the funding for the construction of this project. (2) State Highway 114. State Highway 114 is the most direct link between the Dallas -Fort Worth Metroplex and Lubbock and points due west of Lubbock (see figure 2). Currently, State Highway 114 is a four -lane divided facility from just west of Lubbock to a point about ninety miles east of Lubbock. The City of Lubbock, as well as other cities along the route, has long supported the up- grading of State Highway 114 to a four -lane divided roadway through- out its entire length from Dallas -Fort Worth to U.S. 70 in New Mexico. The State Department of Highways and Public Transportation has completed a feasibility study for this upgrading. An enhanced Federal -Aid Primary Program would help to insure that this project is completed. 3. (3) U.S. 82: S.H. 114 to I-44. The expansion of U.S. 82 from State Highway 114 to I-44 in Wichita Falls (see figure 2), is another project that falls into the category of providing divided highways to connect the major urban areas in the State. This section of U.S. 82 is in need of upgrading to a four -lane, divided highway to improve the capacity and s,&ty of this important link between Lubbock and Wichita Falls, as well as Oklahoma City. (4) Port -to -Plains Highway. In addition to the extension of Interstate Highway 27 south of Lubbock, the City of Lubbock strongly supports the concept of a "port -to -plains" highway. Such a facility should be at least a four -lane, divided roadway connecting Lubbock, Abilene, Austin and Houston. The construction of this highway would directly connect the Panhandle/South Plains area of Texas to the Gulf Coast, thereby providing a direct link for the shipment of agricultural products from the Panhandle and South Plains to the shipping ports along the Gulf of Mexico. This new route would reduce the number of miles travelled and the amount of time required for these shipments as compared to the alternative routes being used today. (5) Loop 289. Traffic volumes on southern and western sections of Loop 289 are approaching the capacity of this roadway (see figure 3). The completion of the construction of I-27 through Lubbock will generate additional traffic demands on these sections of Loop 289. The need to provide an additional lane in each direction to handle the increasing traffic demand is imminent. Federal -Aid Primary funds will be needed to implement the expansion of Loop 289. 4. (6) Outer Loop. Loop 289 currently encircles a large portion of the developed area of the City of Lubbock. However, during the past fifteen years nearly all of the building and development activity has taken place outside of Loop 289. The amount of development outside of Loop 289 has been so significant that transportation planners have " orporated an outer loop- irrto-tt e Urban Transportation Plan (see figure 4). Although the outer loop is a long-range need for the City of Lubbock, it is another example of the necessity to maintain the Federal -Aid Primary System and to increase the funding for this System. Federal -Aid Urban System The system of local streets makes a significant contribution to the national and state network of roads and highways, and local roads play a critical role in that network. Federal, state and local roads carry out their individual roles with respect to carrying through traffic and providing local access, but all three classifications of roads provide an integrated system for a dispersed pattern of trip origins and destinations. Although the functional hierarchy of road classes relates to the travel distances served by these road classes, the different classes of roads are very interdependent, and one class of roadway cannot function without all of the other classes. The federal government must not only continue its support for the Federal -Aid Urban System, but also increase the level of funding for this program. The City of Lubbock has many older streets on the approved Federal -Aid Urban System that are in need of reconstruction. Other major thoroughfares have bottlenecks that need to be widened to increase the traffic -carrying capacity 5. of the streets. The normal method of financing such improvements has been municipal bonds. However, in recent years the entire bonding capacity for streets has been expended to fund the construction of new streets in developing areas of the City. The City is in dire need of an outside source of funding to be used to upgrade the existing thoroughfare system. Public Transportation Lubbock has had public transportation since 1932. The bus system was privately owned and operated until 1971, when the City began to subsidize it. In December 1976, the current system - Citibus - was created. Currently, the City of Lubbock owns the buildings and buses, and the system is managed by McDonald Transit Associates of Fort Worth. With its fleet of 36 GMC buses and five wheelchair lift -equipped vans, Citibus currently operates three types of service - fixed route, Demand Response Service, and Texas Tech campus service. Recent changes in Federal regulations mean that Citibus is no longer able to operate charter services as it had done in the past. During Citibus' first year, 834,000 passengers rode on the fixed route system. In calendar year 1985, Citibus carried over one million passengers for the first time since 19641. During fiscal year 1987, over 913,000 passengers boarded Citibus. The weak economy and low gasoline prices have caused a dip in ridership over the past two years, but this still translates into a 9.5% increase since 1977. Over the same period, service miles decreased almost 35%. The second type of service operated by Citibus is its curb -to -curb service for elderly and handicapped persons. This service is the Demand Response 6. Service (DRS) and utilizes Citibus' lift -equipped vans. Over the past few years, the DRS has grown at an extremely high rate. In fiscal year 1980, almost 4,000 clients used the DRS. Over 30,000 persons used the service during the past fiscal year, an amazing 660% increase! The vital nature of this service is evidenced by these statistics: 44% of the trips were to go 77 or to return from work, and 45% were for medical appointments. Under contract to Texas Tech University, Citibus provides campus bus service which is paid for through student services fees. However, anyone, not just students, may ride the campus buses at no charge. During the past fiscal year, in fact, almost 1.5 million passengers used a campus bus! Why is public transporation important to all the citizens of Lubbock, even those who have never ridden a bus? There are many social and economic benefits attributed to public transporation. It insures mobility of citizens by providing transporation, particularly for those who either do not desire to or cannot own or operate an automobile. The economic impacts of this are important: If people lack mobility, they cannot get,to work. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has stated that, "If an individual is unable to obtain a job because he lacks means of transportation to reach it, he is effectively isolated from earning a living and may have to be supported by public funds." Having a stable work force is important in any community, and any service, such as public transit, which helps foster it, is valuable to everyone. In addition, transit helps to reduce the cost of social programs. Because transit allows people to have jobs, it reduces costs for such social programs 7. as unemployment, public assistance, or welfare. Transit also benefits those social service agencies with transportation responsibilities for their clients. Last year, almost 71,000 passengers rode Citibus using tickets purchased by various social service organizations within the city. Other ways Citibus provides benefits tcr""Me community include: - Provide direct employment for over 60 persons. - Giving households with one vehicle but more than one working person an added transportation option. - Giving many public school students a way to get to and from school, thereby reducing demands on their parents' time. By their very nature, transit systems operate at a deficit. Citibus is certainly no exception, and receives operating funding from the City of Lubbock and the Federal government. Unlike most large cities in the state, though, Citibus does not collect a local sales tax to fund transit operations. This leaves Citibus very dependent upon Federal operating assistance. Last year, a Federal contribution of just over $808,000 kept Citibus' services available to the citizens of Lubbock. If these services are to remain at their current level, it is imperative that Federal operating assistance be continued, if not increased. Citibus also receives funding for capital improvements. These capital purchases are generally funded with 80% Federal funding; the remaining 20% is funded by the City of Lubbock, with assistance from the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. Timely capital improvements permit Citibus to continue to provide reliable transportation, and again, Federal funding is imperative. A constant, reliable source of State funding for capital improvements would permit some of the resources of the City of Lubbock to be reallocated. Citibus is an important part of Lubbock. Citibus is dependent upon funding from Federal, State, and City governments. Federal funding for ..O. operating assistance and State funding for capital projects are two areas that could be of great benefit to not only bus passengers, but to the city as a whole. The economic well-being of the city depends upon it. 9. 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