Airport expansion and transportation needs in Arkansas
Pat Lynch has a good analysis of the recent discussion in a legislative hearing where the LR airport made a pitch for a dedicated revenue source in the 2009 legislative session.
Of course, my position is and has always been that the top two priorities in the state are education and economic development. Just below that, though, is the need for infrastructure and transportation, and to me, that usually means new/widened highway needs. The AHTD has a long list of priorities, beginning with state matching funds for new and existing interstates and U.S. Highways (click here for the 2006 Highway Needs Study). The Northwest Arkansas Times reports on a trucker this morning who wants to see passing lanes added to the pig trail -- that's pretty far down the priority list.
Outside of highways, transportation needs in Arkansas include expanded air passenger traffic, passenger and commercial rail, and waterborne traffic. I've long been a proponent of navigation of the Red River north from Shreveport/Bossier and think that it would complement other transportation efforts in the Ark-La-Tex. Of course, funding all of our transportation needs is impossible, and it requires prioritizing the most crucial ones.
Lynch points out that much of the LR National Airport expansion is not for an expanded terminal with additional gates but for land that will become industrial sites. He then raises the prospect of high speed rail in Arkansas, something that is about to become a reality across State Line Avenue in Texas (click here for its status). No more worrying about delays or weather or even getting to the airport two hours before a flight -- just show up 15 minutes before the train departs. While in Taiwan, I had the opportunity to learn about its high speed rail system, which is connected through a light rail system and other rapid transit. There, high speed rail is necessary to relieve congestion -- not a valid concern here in the vast majority of our state. High speed rail can, however, significantly reduce travel time, even versus short commuter flights.
Here's a video I took while on the high speed train in Taiwan, where we traveled at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour. That could get you from Texarkana to Little Rock in about 45 minutes and from Texarkana to Fayetteville in 80 minutes. That'd be nice, but it's probably cost prohibitive (Taiwan's is the most expensive ever constructed and cost $18B). Texas has the population and the need for such a system, but I can't imagine too many people that need to travel from one corner of our state to another on a daily or weekly basis. Regardless, it points out the fact that we must prioritize transportation needs in the state and to determine where we should be decades from now.
Of course, my position is and has always been that the top two priorities in the state are education and economic development. Just below that, though, is the need for infrastructure and transportation, and to me, that usually means new/widened highway needs. The AHTD has a long list of priorities, beginning with state matching funds for new and existing interstates and U.S. Highways (click here for the 2006 Highway Needs Study). The Northwest Arkansas Times reports on a trucker this morning who wants to see passing lanes added to the pig trail -- that's pretty far down the priority list.
Outside of highways, transportation needs in Arkansas include expanded air passenger traffic, passenger and commercial rail, and waterborne traffic. I've long been a proponent of navigation of the Red River north from Shreveport/Bossier and think that it would complement other transportation efforts in the Ark-La-Tex. Of course, funding all of our transportation needs is impossible, and it requires prioritizing the most crucial ones.
Lynch points out that much of the LR National Airport expansion is not for an expanded terminal with additional gates but for land that will become industrial sites. He then raises the prospect of high speed rail in Arkansas, something that is about to become a reality across State Line Avenue in Texas (click here for its status). No more worrying about delays or weather or even getting to the airport two hours before a flight -- just show up 15 minutes before the train departs. While in Taiwan, I had the opportunity to learn about its high speed rail system, which is connected through a light rail system and other rapid transit. There, high speed rail is necessary to relieve congestion -- not a valid concern here in the vast majority of our state. High speed rail can, however, significantly reduce travel time, even versus short commuter flights.
Here's a video I took while on the high speed train in Taiwan, where we traveled at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour. That could get you from Texarkana to Little Rock in about 45 minutes and from Texarkana to Fayetteville in 80 minutes. That'd be nice, but it's probably cost prohibitive (Taiwan's is the most expensive ever constructed and cost $18B). Texas has the population and the need for such a system, but I can't imagine too many people that need to travel from one corner of our state to another on a daily or weekly basis. Regardless, it points out the fact that we must prioritize transportation needs in the state and to determine where we should be decades from now.
posted by Steve Harrelson @ 7/21/2007 01:17:00 PM | Permalink |
<< Home