DART Receives $6.5 Million Grant
Congressman Leonard Boswell joined Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez in announcing a $6.5 million grant for the Des Moines Area Transit Authority (DART) to fund construction of a new transit hub in downtown Des Moines.
“As DART continues to see its ridership grow as more Iowans rely on public transportation to get to work, school, and around town, it is important that we make certain that bus service is up-to-date, reliable, and remains an enjoyable experience for riders,” said Boswell, a senior Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “With gas prices still high and families’ budgets stretched thin, the DART buses are an important transportation option for many in the metro area. Additionally, this $20 million project with $6.5 million in federal funding filters down into private sector employment. Local small businesses like the architecture firm hired for this project, Substance Architecture, have seen their business grow as a result of this kind of federal investment.”
Ankeny Mayor and DART Commissioner Steve Van Oort said the grant represents a significant step toward making the $20 million transit hub a reality, noting the $4 million in IJOBS money that Gov. Chet Culver and state Sen. Matt McCoy helped secure for DART earlier this year. Construction of the hub can now begin, while DART staff continues to apply for federal grants in order to complete the project. The first phase could open as early as 2012.
“This is a great day for public transit in Greater Des Moines,” Van Oort said. “Building a new hub is an integral component of building a first-rate transit system in Greater Des Moines, and now we’re on the way to making it a reality for our riders.”
Senator Tom Harkin, who was unable to attend today’s announcement, released the following statement.
“These are funds that will create jobs in the short-term and help Iowans get to work and complete their daily activities for the long-term,” Harkin said. “Building this new DART transit hub will improve public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road, all the while boosting economic development. It’s a win-win for our state.”
DART Driver Places Second at State Roadeo
Driver Cesar Chavez of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority placed second in the long-bus division of the state bus roadeo competition held Saturday in Sioux City.
In a bus roadeo, drivers navigate an obstacle course far more challenging than the public streets they drive as part of their day jobs. The course includes tight serpentine turns, backing up into narrow passageways, and shooting through an alley of barrels with only inches of clearance on either side of the bus. Drivers are scored on time and precision of driving.
Chavez’s score of 433 was second only to that of Ames’ CyRide’s Paul Klimesh, who scored 469 and has won the division three of the past four years. Klimesh and Chavez will go on to compete in the national bus roadeo in May 2011 in Memphis, Tenn.
“It’s outstanding that Cesar did so well. That course would be tough in a car and he made it look easy in a bus,” said DART General Manager Brad Miller, who volunteered as one of the event’s judges. “Cesar and the other competitors from DART reflected well on all of DART’s drivers. They perform these same skills every day around Des Moines while driving DART buses so it’s great to see them get recognized.”
Chavez became the first driver from DART to place in the competition since DART started holding qualifying events in 2008. DART initially reported that Chavez finished second in this year’s DART Bus Roadeo, behind driver Ron Bienfang. But an audit of the final scores found that Chavez had in fact placed first and Bienfang second. Chavez won the qualifying event in 2009, as well.
The four other DART employees who competed at Saturday’s state competition include three drivers, Bienfang, Wayne Payeur and Luis Valle, as well as one mechanic, Eddie Mehmedovic.
DART Adjusts Service Starting Sunday, June 13
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority will make multiple adjustments to bus service starting Sunday, June 13. The changes include:
Route 1 — An evening peak trip will be added. It will leave Walnut and Seventh Streets at 5:25 p.m. and head to East 42nd Street and Northeast Hubbell Avenue. This trip was left off the schedule by mistake as part of the April 25 service change.
Route 3 — The Roosevelt High School loop will be eliminated for the summer beginning Monday, June 14.
Route 7 — Time points will change slightly due to the end of the school year.
Route 8 — Time points will change slightly due to the end of the school year.
Route 11 — Service to and from the Jordan Creek area will start earlier in the day. The first westward bus will leave downtown at 6:20 a.m. and arrive at Jordan Creek around 7:14 a.m., approximately 20 minutes earlier than previously available. The first eastward bus will leave Jordan Creek at 6:51 a.m. and arrive downtown around 7:45 a.m., about 60 minutes earlier than previously available.
The route will also service the new AVIVA campus in West Des Moines. The morning route will vary slightly from the evening route, with the morning route servicing AVIVA before Jordan Creek and the evening route servicing AVIVA after Jordan Creek. The route will continue to service the Wells Fargo campus.
New schedules are available online at www.ridedart.com/whatsnew.asp. For more information, call 515.283.8100.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority is the public transportation provider that serves Polk County. DART operates a family of transportation services that makes getting around the Greater Des Moines area easier and more convenient. For more information about DART services, schedules, route changes, or directions to the nearest DART stop, visit our website at www.ridedart.com or call 515.283.8100.
The MPO Wants to Know: Sustainability Efforts in greater Des Moines
As the MPO strives to better understand public views, the next MPO Wants to Know survey is now available. This survey relates to sustainability efforts in the Des Moines