National Honorable Mention Award and Engineering Excellence Award, Transportation Category

Awarded By - American Council of Engineering Companies and Texas CEC

DART North Corridor Extension sections NC-3, NC-4 and NC-5, Dallas, Texas

CP&Y, Inc. was principal designer on three line sections (NC-3, NC-4, and NC-5) of this busy North Central Corridor extension project which extended Light Rail service for approximately 12.5 miles from North Dallas to Plano, Texas. Nine new stations are sited along the route. The North Dallas and Richardson area locations were opened to commuters in the summer of 2002.

• Park Lane Station, DART’s first aerial station, provides access to bus routes, park-n-ride spaces, and rail access to close by shopping and entertainment areas.
• Walnut Hill Station is a ‘destination’ aerial station that serves the Presbyterian Hospital and surrounding area.
• Forest Lane Station is an aerial station with park-n-ride facilities.
• LBJ/Central Station is a prototypical at-grade station with a large park-n-ride lot.
• Spring Valley Station is an aerial station with a park-n-ride facility.
• Arapaho Center Station in Richardson serves the Civic Center, Town Hall and the existing bus transit center.
• Galatyn Park Station, North Central Expressway and Lookout Drive, is adjacent to a new transit plaza servicing a major hotel and conference center.
• Downtown Plano Station serves the historic downtown Plano area, and is adjacent to a city park and transit mall.
• East Plano Station is the line’s terminal station, joining the existing East Plano Transit Center and a large park-n-ride facility.

On-site landscaping was employed to minimize the effect of the large concrete parking area by focusing attention on the platform and canopy, and defining entryways. CP&Y’s scope of work included the design of the dual-track guideway, including eighteen bridges, retaining walls and historic bridge rehabilitation. Design also included 20 at-grade crossings, and street modifications for five streets along the route.

Other responsibilities included design of all drainage improvements, park-n-ride facilities, and environmental protection along the alignment.

The design of the North Central Corridor took approximately two years. All projects were delivered within budget and on time. CP&Y also provided Construction Phase Services for the three-year construction timeframe.