DCTA Overview

DCTA is a coordinated county transportation authority created by House Bill 3323, under Chapter 460 of the Texas Transportation Code, approved by the 77th Texas Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2001. On November 5, 2002, the voters in Denton County approved the confirmation of DCTA by 73%. Since being formed in 2002 and funded in 2003, DCTA has worked quickly to establish service and meet the transportation needs of Denton County.

Recognizing the importance of public transportation in a small urban county facing tremendous population and employment growth, the voters of Denton County, Texas authorized the formation of the Denton County Transportation Authority in 2002.  With that authorization, the citizens adopted the authority’s Service Plan which details the new transit entity’s future priorities to enhance mobility, provide transportation alternatives and develop solutions to growing congestion and air quality issues.  These service priorities included three layers of bus service, a university shuttle system and a regional rail system.

DCTA staff has moved aggressively to implement the components of the Service Plan which has resulted in an increase of transit ridership by 36%. The agency carried 2 million passengers last year.  Recently, all of the bus initiatives identified in the Service Plan have been fulfilled.  This includes fixed route services in Denton and Lewisville, a demand-response system and a regional commuter service into the Dallas Central Business District.  For more information on DCTA bus services, visit dcta.net.

While DCTA has experienced much success over the last six years, the agency continues to push an aggressive service implementation schedule for the launch of their regional rail service, the A-train. The aggressive schedule is critical to keeping the North Texas region moving for two reasons. First, DCTA is committed to connecting with DART’s Green Line at Trinity Mills in Carrollton. This technology will provide customers with a vastly improved commute. Commuters will have an alternative to I-35E during its planned expansion and to help mitigate any construction related congestion.

DCTA’s commitment to an aggressive service implementation schedule is illustrated by the strategic moves that the DCTA Staff and Board of Directors have made over the last few years to keep the agency on schedule and under budget.  Realizing that the federal New Starts process threatened to delay the rail project, the DCTA board directed staff to forgo the federal process and seek additional funding sources.  Now that the project is being funded by regional and local funds, the Federal Transit Administration transferred environmental clearance authority to the DCTA Board. This was another strategic move to the keep the schedule on track but also allow the board to demonstrate their commitment to follow the National Environmental Policy Act.  The environmental clearance process involved more than two years of working with local officials and citizens in the communities along the corridor, and the DCTA Board remains committed to the mitigation measures proposed in the environmental document.

As part of an ozone non attainment area and the second fastest growing county (with a population of over 500,000) in the United States, Denton County faces staggering growth projections and critical air quality and sustainability issues.  DCTA’s aggressive approach to service implementation and the formation of key partnerships has allowed the agency to quickly respond to the mobility needs of Denton County and the North Central Texas region.  As the agency moves forward toward implementing their 21-mile regional rail service, they will continue to work with regional partners to seek better ways to provide people with transportation alternatives and meet the area’s critical growth needs.

The Denton County Transportation Authority is governed by a 14-member board appointed by respective entities. Large cities, small cities and at-large members serve two-year terms. Board members must have professional experience in the field of transportation, business, government, engineering or law. In accordance with DCTA By-laws, the Board adopts the annual operating budget and is responsible for setting policy. The president oversees the day-to-day operations of the DCTA and implements policies set forth by the Board.