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The 13^th Annual Transportation and Infrastructure Summit is off to a great start. The Chamber's Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hosted its August meeting at the Summit - bringing in special guest speakers gubernatorial candidate Bill White and Jeff Fegan, CEO of Michaels.

Both the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram recapped some of White's comments.

Robert Martinez, Chairman Elect and T&I Committee Vice Chairman leads off the meeting

Gubernatorial Candidate, Bill White.

Jeff Fegan, CEO of D/FW International Airport

The Chamber has released a study of the economic impact of eleven Irving-based businesses within the DFW Airport Corridor.  The analysis compiled by consulting firm, Angelou Economics, comes as part of an international marketing program initiative led by D/FW International Airport.

The marketing campaign aims to boost the visibility and reputation of North Texas throughout the world and to add and retain international air service to the world's third busiest airport.  To support this goal, the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber, the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with chamber and convention and visitors bureau representatives from Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine and Arlington are working in partnership on the project.

The Chamber helped guide Angelou Economics in compiling data regarding the economic impact of the following Irving-based businesses located in close proximity to D/FW Airport: Aviall, ExxonMobil, Fluor, Flowserve, NEC, Nokia, NCH Corp, Microsoft, RIM, Citi and Allstate.

Key findings of the Economic Impact of Key Businesses near DFW study indicate that the economic impact from these eleven corporations on the DFW area is more than $8.7 billion annually.  These businesses also indirectly support 20,768 jobs and create $231.8 million in additional retail sales for the area.

Facilities were built for all of these major businesses with an investment of over $1 billion.  The initial construction for these businesses created an additional $1.75 billion in economic activity, more than 10,600 one-time jobs, and $606.6 million in employee income. 

Tax revenues from these Irving-based businesses average nearly $900 million annually for Dallas County, the State of Texas and the United States.  Along with this finding, the one-time construction of facilities for these businesses drew nearly $150 million additional tax dollars. 

"Irving's strategic location adjacent to D/FW Airport is clearly a major factor in the success of the businesses examined in the study, and it is a primary draw for relocating businesses as well," said Chamber President / CEO, Chris Wallace. "As a leading pro-business city with easy access to both coasts and to points all over the world, Irving is well-positioned for continued growth and economic success."

HMS, Clorox, TWG Insurance and Shared Technologies are among the companies who have chosen to relocate operations to Irving in recent weeks.  The Chamber-managed Irving Economic Development Partnership has initiated 78 new relocation or expansion projects this fiscal year.

 Angelou Study

The City of Irving will provide an overview of proposed amendments to the sign ordinance and dumpster enclosure design guidelines from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 825 W Irving Blvd. Attendees will have an opportunity to submit feedback forms.

The Chamber encourages businesses to attend this session. RSVP to Don Williams at dwilliams@irvingchamber.com

On behalf of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, the City of Irving, our many co-host cities and counties from throughout the United States, various transportation authorities, and national trade associations, we would like to invite you to attend the 13th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Summit and the third Annual Global High Speed Rail Forum, August 10-13 at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving - Las Colinas. The Summit is a four-day event that has attracted the most prestigious registrants and speakers from 41 states, 13 countries and 55 national and international trade and transportation organizations, making it one of the premier multi-modal transportation policy summits in the world.
 
Top government officials and experts confirmed to speak include: Congressman John Mica, R-FL, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison R-TX, John Horsley, Executive Director, AASHTO, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-TX, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, D-FL, five state DOT directors and Chairman Kasai, Central Japan Railway Company.
 
You can register for the 13th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Summit and 3rd Annual Global High-Speed Rail Forum August 10-13, 2010 in Irving by visiting www.transportationsummit.com or by clicking this link. See the flyer by clicking the two image links below.

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As part of its "Future of Safety" tour, Ford recently demonstrated backseat inflatable seat belts that are production ready and the company's "active park assist" system for automated parallel parking. This look into the "future of safety" happened right here in Irving at Ford Motor Credit, 3660 Regent Boulevard. 

With functionality similar to an airbag, the belts work to redistribute the pressure from a collision over the passenger's entire upper body. The units also more effectively protect the passenger's head and neck.

As the demonstrations revealed, the company's "active park assist" system for automated parallel parking delivers every time.

In the first quarter of next year, a five-year reconstruction project on a 17-mile section of LBJ Freeway in North Dallas connecting onto part of southbound Interstate 35E will begin. The massive $3.2 billion project is designed to ease congestion by widening lanes and adding toll-operated express and managed HOV lanes on two freeway levels.

Mark Dickenson, senior vice president of Cousins Properties and a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors recently did a Q & A assessing the impact of the project in the Dallas Business Journal.

See what Mark has to say here.

The following are notices of major street restrictions and lane closures for the week of May 31 as DART continues construction on the Orange Line.

·         Nights of June 1, 3 and 5, girder erection will require a full closure of the Spur 482 frontage road.

·         Beginning Wed, June 2, Teleport will be closed to thru traffic just past the Irving Fire Department-Fire Station #8 driveway.

·         Night of June 2 (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.), onramp from Hidden Ridge to Spur 348 (Holiday Inn Express) will be closed.

·         Nights of June 1, 2, 3 and 7 (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.), ramp from eastbound SH 114 to Spur 348 will be closed and right lane of the ramp from SH 114 to MacArthur will be closed.

·         June 2 and 4, Green Park will be closed at Hidden Ridge and Meadow Creek.

·         Beginning June 1, the North Lake College entrance from MacArthur Blvd will be closed.

This three-part post covers a major milestone event for the City of Irving - breaking ground on the long-awaited Spur 348 / Las Colinas Boulevard Interchange. We'll start with the action shots of the shovels hitting dirt, then we'll give you some background information on the project courtesy of George T. Shackelford, Senior Vice President Projects/Public Policy Consultant, Dean International. Finally, we'll provide a few pictures of some of the day's speakers -- briefly highlighting some of their remarks on this historic occasion.

PART ONE: BREAKING GROUND!

PART TWO: BACKGROUND ON THE INTERCHANGE  
(Article by George T. Shackelford)

Construction of the Spur 348 bridge, allowing for the completion of Las Colinas Blvd., will open a critical new gateway into the heart of the Urban Center and provide direct access to State Highway 114, George Bush Turnpike, Interstate Highway 635, and D/FW International Airport.

Irving's Convention Center at Las Colinas will require ease of access for both vendors and conventioneers. Completion of the Spur 348 Interchange, anticipated to coincide with opening of the Convention Center in December of this year, will provide direct access that is vitally important to both. Patrons of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Orange Line, with stations at the intersection of Lake Carolyn Parkway and O'Connor Blvd., and just to the east of the Convention Center, will have easy access as a result of this project.

Traffic congestion in the Urban Center created by full occu­pancy of existing office buildings and apartment complexes, along with new development such as the Irving Convention Center, has long been a concern for planners and developers. The Spur 348 Interchange and the fourth point of entry into the Urban Center will eliminate that concern. The planned Entertainment Venue, Water Street, hotels, restaurants, high-end residential product, and addi­tional office product will have a reason to open and flourish.

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is slated to approve the Spur 348 Bridge later this month with construction to follow immediately thereafter. This seamless connection of Las Colinas Blvd. from the Urban Center to primary transportation arter­ies was envisioned by the founder of Las Colinas and the Urban Center, Ben Carpenter, over 35 years ago and has been a focus of City of Irving planners for the past 10 years. Hard work by count­less persons, cooperation between governmental agencies, and TxDOT's making this a priority, has brought this project to fruition.

The first of many new projects in the Urban Center to directly benefit from this major access route will be the Irving Convention Center. The Convention Center is already proving its effectiveness as an attraction for the City of Irving; staff has begun booking cor­porate meetings, regional events, sporting events, and even trade shows. Such events will require superior access and proper circula­tion for the expected traffic. An 800-car parking garage which will be available to those visiting the Convention Center further illustrates the need for enhanced traffic flow in the Urban Center.

DART's Orange Line will provide service for the Convention Center and all of Las Colinas, having a much larger impact on the entire area. The expansion of the Orange Line, which will reach all the way to D/FW International Airport, will maximize the accessibil­ity of the Convention Center, incorporating the benefits of light rail into the planned development zone. By linking D/FW International Airport with Dallas Love Field Airport, and downtown Dallas by way of Irving, the expanded access to the Convention Center will be unprecedented in the amount of business and economic income to the region.

The atmosphere of fast-paced growth in the D/FW Metroplex is driven by ambitious and influential projects such as the City of Irving's transportation projects which will transform our community's infrastructure. This project will have an impressive impact on the quality of life for the citizens of Irving living in Las Colinas.

PART THREE: PHOTOS AND BRIEF SPEAKER REMARKS 

A huge turnout for the event filled the tent.

Mayor Pro Tem, Sam Smith begins the program by thanking all those gathered to see this historic moment. Many in attendance, he said, were instrumental in the project.

Council member Rick Stopfer spoke briefly about the significance of the interchange.

State Representative Linda Harper Brown presented a proclamation to Sam Smith in commemoration of the event.

Tracey Friggle, Dallas District Director of Construction for TxDOT spoke about many of the organizations such as Mario Sinacola & Sons Excavation who have been stars in getting them to this point.

 Maura Gast, Executive Director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, spoke about the new Convention Center at Las Colinas, which provided an excellent backdrop to the ceremonies. She also credited TxDOT for their work in helping secure access to and from the new facility slated to open in January 2011.

 Rob Franke, Mayor of Cedar Hill and Co-Chair of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition credited Irving's "can do" attitude and he expressed his appreciation for bringing this project to fruition. Transporation wins in Irving benefit the entire region he explained.

Bernice Washington, Board Member of the DFW Airport and Regional Transportation Council, spoke about the DART Orange Line which stops in the Urban Center adjacent to the site. With Irving-Las Colinas as the first stop from DFW Airport, she explained there is no way to get to Dallas without experiencing Irving!

Rick Lindsay, Chairman of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, spoke on behalf of the business community and welcomed the great access the interchange provides Irving's more than 10,000 businesses.

 Robert Martinez, Chairman of the Chamber's Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and Chairman Elect for the Chamber, spoke about the real need for projects such as this given the congestion that comes with population increases. The city has to continue its hard work advocating for transportation and infrastructure improvements as more businesses and residents move into the City of Irving.

Upcoming Road Closures and Lane Restrictions for the Orange Line - (more information available at www.dart.org/about/expansion/construction.asp )

Please note the restrictions below beginning on April 12 beams sets next week in front of the Fed Ex and Central Freight Area.

* Rolling night closures of Spur 482 will be required for girder setting operations beginning Mon, Apr 12. These closures are scheduled to last for 6 nights (12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17) and will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

* Night closures of the Spur 482 frontage road will be required for girder setting operations beginning Mon, Apr 12. These closures are scheduled to last for 6 nights (12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17) and will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. These activities will require periods of full closures, rolling closures, and lane restrictions as beams are set. The onramp to Spur 482 from the Spur 482 frontage road will be closed at times during each night for girder transports.

* Beginning the week of Apr 12, restrictions of the right lane of the SH 161 frontage road just south of Valley View will be put into place for 2-3 weeks.

* Continued lane restrictions along Lake Carolyn Parkway, Meadow Creek/Green Park, and MacArthur Blvd.

Upcoming Road Closures and Lane Restrictions for the DFW Connector Project -- (more information available at www.dfwconnector.com )

There will be no lane closures on Samsung Mobile 500 Weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway (April 16-18).

Main Street Bridge is currently reduced to 3 lanes until further notice.

Northbound: 2 lanes
Southbound: 1 lane

There will be a single-lane closure on southbound SH 121 and various lane closures on westbound SH 114 from International Parkway to west of Texan Trail.

Dates: 4/12/2010 to 4/30/2010
Times: 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM nightly

Starting at 8:00 PM on April 12, the Texan Trail off-ramp on westbound SH 114 will be closed - please use the Main Street exit at this time. Once work here is complete, the Texan Trail off-ramp will be opened and the Main Street off-ramp will be closed - please use the Texan Trail exit at this time.

Dates: 4/12/2010
Times: 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM

There will be various lane closures on eastbound SH 114 from west of Texan Trail to International Parkway.

The Award-Winning Irving Community Television Network (ICTN) did an excellent job of capturing video of the implosion. As you might imagine, Irving saw a huge spike in news coverage over the weekend.

If you have some time on your hands, Google reports 1073 news articles.

If you are more the visual type, head over to YouTube and watch any of the 600 implosion videos posted there within the past 24 hours.