Starting today, the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Cotton Belt corridor regional rail project in North Texas is now available for a 45-day public review and comment period, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officials announced.

The 26-mile Cotton Belt Corridor extends between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano, Texas. The project’s primary purpose is to provide passenger-rail service in Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties, Texas.

The service is proposed to improve connections to major employment, population and activity centers in the northern part of DART’s service area.

The Cotton Belt project would connect with three DART light-rail transit lines: the Red/Orange lines in Richardson/Plano, the Green Line in Carrollton and the Orange Line at DFW Airport, according to DARTs website.

In addition, at DFW Airport, the project would connect to the Forth Worth Transportation Authority’s future TEX Rail commuter-rail line to Fort Worth, as well as the DFW Airport Skylink People Mover. The TEX Rail project is under construction, with service slated to begin late this year.

Public hearings on the DEIS will be held May 14 in Addison, May 15 in Richardson and May 16 in Irving, Texas.

DART has been working with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Aviation Administration to prepare the DEIS.