ST9304-CS 860130i' E R R A
January 30, 1986
City Council
City of Coppell
616 S. Coppell Road
Coppell, Texas 75019
Re: Belt Line Road Relocation
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmen:
We are pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you on Monday
evening in your workshop session and review the facts regarding
Belt Line Road. While we know that you have received volumes of
technical data and other information over the past several weeks,
we wish to restate some key points that indicate that, due to
safety, cost, time and environmental considerations, the relo-
cation alternative is ill-advised.
IF BELT LINE ROAD IS RELOCATED TO THE SOUTH:
The relocated roadway will be less safe to the motoring pubic
because:
Railings on the MacArthur Bridge over Grapevine Creek
will reduce the sight distance of the MacArthur/Belt
Line intersection.
Railings on the Belt Line Road bridge over Hutton
Branch and the sharp angle with which Hutton Drive will
intersect the curve of the proposed Belt Line Road will
limit sight distance at the Hutton Drive/Belt Line
intersection.
DP&L transmission lines will be very close to the relo-
cated roadway. These lines must be raised to provide
sufficient clearance between the roadway and lines.
Raising these lines requires six new towers costing
approximately $250,000.00 for each.
The cost of constructing the relocated roadway will increase
because:
The total roadway length increases by approximately 200
feet.
The total length of all bridges along the new alignment
will increase by approximately 1,000 feet over the
current alignment.
TERRA COMPANIES
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~ity Council
January 30, 1986
Page Two
Grapevine Creek and the Elm Fork main channel must be
channelized to accommodate flood flows. This
channelization is not necessary with Belt Line in its
present location.
Approximately 58 acres of land will have to
purchased or dedicated for the new right-of-way.
be
Land will have to be acquired for six access easements
to the land on the north side of the existing Belt Line
Road. Access to these properties will be denied if
Belt Line is relocated.
Numerous improvements outside of the proposed Belt Line
right-of-way will be necessary because of relocation.
Whether the County, the cities of Coppell and
Carrollton, or the property owners along Belt Line pay
for these improvements remains to be seen. These
improvements will include extending Mockingbird Lane
and building a bridge for Mockingbird over Grapevine
Creek and can include widening of the MacArthur bridge
over Grapevine Creek to provide room for storage lanes
at the Belt Line/MacArthur intersection.
Environmental damage and reduced aesthetics of the area can occur
because:
The existing trees along the Elm Fork channel will be
destroyed due to the channelization of the Elm Fork.
Landscaping along Belt Line Road may not be done
because the road will pass through commercial areas
instead of areas already committed to landscaping.
Construction time will increase because:
1. Right-of-way acquisition would take longer.
The time involved in obtaining Corps of Engineers
approval for a 404 Dredge and Fill Permit with lengthen
due to additional complexity and scope of the project
due to the channelization of several creeks and longer
bridges.
Approval time from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) is likely to also increase.
~ity Council
January 30, 1986
Page Three
Approval from the City of Dallas will also be necessary
for the relocated roadway because Dallas owns the Elm
Fork channel. The City of Dallas must agree to the
channelization of its property.
A road should be moved from its already approved alignment only
if it can be clearly shown that the relocation will produce
substantial, tangible benefits. A study of potential tax revenue
for the City of Coppell indicates that the City will receive no
more revenue from increased property value with the relocation
than it would with Belt Line in its present location.
We believe the case for moving Belt Line Road has not been
definitely made. And if relocation does not make the road
significantly cheaper, safer or quicker to construct, a reloca-
tion is not warranted.
By keeping the present alignment, the City of Coppell will retain
an attractive gateway and Belt Line Road will be built in a much
safer, timely and cost efficient fashion.
We look forward to reviewing these issues with you in more detail
Monday evening.
Sincerely,~_.
Jay Patterson
President,
Terra Land Development Co.
JP/sm