ST9304-CS 860320'" DALLAS CO 'NTY
PUBLIC WORKS
March 20~
MEMORANDUM
DATE ~~'~~
Tilde ' "'""-
R,.F,..~R~D TO ~
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Commissioners Court
Director of Public Works
Report on Belt Line Road
(Coppell and Carrollton)
The 1985 Dallas County Bond Election included funding for
improvements to Belt Line Road for upgrading to a 4-lane
major thoroughfare between the Coppell City limits and
I.H. 35E in Carrollton and from Denton Tap Road to the
Coppell east city limits in Coppell. The funding for the
two projects to be provided by the County are as follows:
(City participation in funding these projects was
anticipated.)
a. Coppell - Belt Line Road (Denton Tap
to Coppell City Limits) and;
Denton Tap Road (Belt Line
to County Line)
$4,250,000
be
Carrollton - Belt Line Road (Coppell
City Limits to IH 35E)
$5,150,000
In July 1985, the Commissioners Court approved the sale of
bonds to initiate design on the projects in both cities.
The Engineering firms of Albert H. Halff and Associates, Inc.
and Ginn, Inc. were reconunended for selection by the Public
Works Department and approved by the Commissioners Court to
provide engineering services for the projects. The selection
recommendations were based upon the two firms having the
qualifications, extensive experience and knowledge of develop-
ment in the two cities. Ginn, Inc. was then under a contract
with the City of Coppell to perform a study of the Belt Line
Road and Denton Tap projects to determine methods of City
cost participation to implement those projects. The Public
Works Department deferred negotiations with Ginn, Inc. on
those projects pending the outcome of that study.
161 Commerce
Dallas, Texas 75207
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749-8151
Co~l~illionerl Court
#arch 20, 1986
Page 2
Dur£ng negot£ations for a fee with Balff and &ssociates on
Belt Line in Carrollton, the engineers presented a proposal
to the Public ~orks Department staff ind£catinq an
on new rights of way south of Belt Line l~oad. It was ~elt
that the proposal had merit based upon the follow£ng:
a. The proposed new location to the south had been
filled above the 100 year flood elevation, thereby,
essentially eliminating the need to haul in fill
materials.
b. The construction costs and time required for con-
struction could be reduced by the elimination of
phased construction.
c. The elimination of the disruption to traffic by
utilizing the existing roadway during construction
on the new location.
d. The elimination of delays while utilities in the
existing right of way were relocated or adjusted
to clear proposed improvements.
The proposal for a new alignment was submitted to the City
of Carrollton staff as a concept to be explored with the
property owners affected. The City staff arranged a property
owners meeting in November 1985 to discuss and consider the
concept. As a result of that meeting and the general accep-
tance by almost all property owners of the concept, negotia-
tions for an engineering services contract with Halff and
Associates were resumed to include consideration of a study
to determine the feasibility and costs related to the new
alignment and the existing alignment. A contract was awarded
to Halff and Associates on December 9, 1985. The study wa~
to include the feasibility of a continuation of the new
alignment west of MacArthur Boulevara to provide for the
relocation of the major intersection between Belt Line and
MacArthur at a more suitable grade and a less hazardous
location than directly adjacent to the railroad. It was also
felt that the relocation of the intersection to the south
would allow MacArthur Boulevard to be constructed as an
overpass across the railroad in the event it should become
necessary to do so in the future.
On December 10, 1985, we were invited to, and attended a
meeting of the Coppell City Council to discuss the proposed
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Convnissioner8 Court
March 20, 1986
Page 3
realignment. The matter had been placed on the C£t~*s agenda
b representatives of Terra Companies, owners of & development
Y ...... ~__ ~A.~ --d the St. Louis and Southwestern
~o~ ~'~o~~l~'~t';hi, meeting, an engineer for the
developer Terra Companies, Nathan D. Maier, advised the City
Council that the realignment of Belt Line Road to the south
would:
a. Create safety hazards
b Require an additional;2325 linear feet of bridges;_
c. Require removal of 3 feet of the existing fill; and
d. Would cost over $7,000,000 more than the existing
alignment.
At the request of property owners on the new alignment, the
City council took no action on the matter, but requested that
the County study the matter with the developer's engineer.
The Council was advised that a study and report would be
prepared by Halff and Associates as part of the design con-
tract with the County.
On January 10, 1986, a report and study on the proposed re-
alignment was submitted by Albert Halff and Associates and
forwarded to the cities for review and use in work shop
discussions. The Halff engineering study recommended the
southern alignment as being the most cost effective and
safest location to construct the Belt Line Road improvements.
The study indicated that construction cost on the new align-
ment would be as much as $1,200,000 less than on the existing
alignment and that construction time could be reduced to
about one-half that required on the existing alignment.
Copies of the report were also provided to Terra's engineer.
After a number of meetings with the tw~ consultant engineers
and a meeting with the Corps of Engineers in Ft. Worth
regarding hydraulic analysis prepared by Halff and Associates,
a memorandum dated January 29, 1986 was submitted to the court
outlining our recommendations proposed to be presented to the
two cities. Attached is a copy of the letters that were sub-
mitted to the two cities in February outlining recommendations
from the Public Works Department. The City Councils of
Coppell and Carrollton approved of the Public Works Department
recommendations for proceeding with the project on February 3
and February 11, 1986 respectively.
On March 10, 1986, the firm of Ginn, Inc., Consultant Engineers
were authorized to perform an engineering study and cost
estimates for alternative alignments on Belt Line Road between
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commissioners Court
March 20, 1986
Page 4
Moore Road and the vest overflow swale of the Elm Fork
Floodway.
The following is a fummary of the two reports:
I. Halff and Associates Re~ort dated January 8, 1986
A. Recommends the southern alignment based upon:
1. Safety considerations at the Luna Road and
MacArthur Boulevard intersections.
The hydraulic analysis for the Elm Fork
floodway indicate that approximately 1260
linear feet of bridge is required on
either alignment. (The Hutton Branch
bridge span would be approximately 120
feet longer on the southern alignment.)
e
Reduced time for construction by approxi-
mately one-half.
The existing alignment would require addi-
tional right of way, while the southern
alignment is based upon property owners
committment to dedicate right of way in
exchange for the existing right of way.
Property owners on the southern alignment
have a committment to the City and County
to provide access to those properties north
of the railroad that currently have access to
Belt Line Road.
The estimated construction cost on the
southern alignment is approximately
$1~00,000 less than for the existing
alignment based on estimated cost of
$~t.0~.~0 on the existing and $6,300~000
on'~'~6~thern alignment. 7,~=~,
II. Ginn, Inc. report dated March 16, 1986
The report provides a narrative and comparative cost
estimate for three alternate alignments in the City
of Coppell between Moore Road and the west overflow
swale of the Elm Fork floodway·
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Conunissioners Court
~arch 20, 1986
Page 5
?he three alternative &ligrunents include:
From Moore Road along a new southern loca-
tion to connect to the southern &lignment
at the west overflow swale.
a) Cost Estimates:
6-lane:
4-lane:
$3,393,000
$2,925,000
On the existing alignment to Mockingbird
Lane then along the southern alignment to
the overflow swale.
a) Cost Estimates:
6-lane:
4-lane:
$3,754,000
$3,282,000
3. Along the existing Belt Line Road Alignment.
a) Cost Estimates:
6-lane:
4-lane:
$4,382,000
$3,762,000
It is anticipated that the report from Ginn, Inc. will be
submitted to the City Council of Coppell for their considera-
tion of the alternative alignments. It is our understanding
that the Coppell City Council will consider this matter on
Tuesday, March 25, 1986.
With the Courts concurrence, we would recommend to the City
of Coppell the alternate alignment No. 1, since Ginn, Inc.
estimates indicate cost reduction of approximately $900,000.
We recommend that the engineering design on the alignment
be undertaken by the County by contracting with Ginn, Inc.
JWB: sr
Attachments
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