Metro goes with Fulton for northside rapid transit

Metro's board has chosen an alignment for its North Corridor rapid transit route: a bus rapid transit line that will head north along North Main from the future downtown intermodal center to Boundary Street, where it will turn east, then north on Fulton to Northline Mall. By picking that route, Metro rejected an alternative that would have veered north on Irvington at Moody Park, then returned to Fulton via Cavalcade, allowing the line to avoid about a dozen blocks of Fulton north of Moody Park.

Arguments against the all-Fulton alignment centered on concerns that the line would shut down some businesses, but residents who spoke to the Metro board yesterday discounted those worries:

"A vote on any route but Fulton would ignore the ridership in favor of personal property interests," said [Jose] Quintero, one of five speakers who urged the board to adopt that alignment. Several also urged Metro to get it built as soon as possible.

"It's time to saddle up and get going," said Richard Leal. He also advised the board to "brave up" and not give in to pressure from opponents.

"We've been waiting a long time," said Ed Reyes. As to the impact on business, he added, "There are a lot of bars and cantinas that need to be weeded out."

Quintero, president of the PTO at Roosevelt Elementary on Fulton, had been worried that the line would endanger kids as it passed by the school (which it would do under either alignment, by the way), but he said yesterday he feels better about things since Metro said it plans to elevate the line near Roosevelt. As for opposition to the line, no one expressed it during Thursday's meeting; Janet Kennison, a Metro consultant, said previous public comment sessions showed 70 percent of people in favor of running the line along Fulton. (More on the process at Intermodality.)

Assuming the line gets federal funding — the next step in the plan — it will likely open in 2010 as a BRT line, with special buses running on dedicated guideways and stopping at platforms like the existing Red Line does. According to Metro, rails will be laid and covered with pavement; if ridership later justifies it, the tracks could be uncovered and the line could be converted to rail.