If only the men who masterminded ’s first transcontinental railroad were still around. What advice would they give to today’s urban planners?
Back in the 1900s, the railroad barons had real problems, like how to chisel tunnels through the
By comparison,
For years, environmentalists and recreation enthusiasts have been pushing for car-crazed
Since then, designers and planners have gone into overdrive, as have a handful of grassroots groups that have been raising money on their own for different sections of the trail network.
To the optimistic eye,
“We see the trails are emerging as a higher and higher priority,” says Willis Winters, assistant director of the city’s park and recreation department, which oversees the new trails’ design and construction.
To date, 85 miles of the overall trail network has been built, providing recreation enthusiasts with a taste of things to come. Funding has already been secured for another 16 or so miles. And more announcements are expected in coming months.
“More and more density in
Nearby Trails
Neighborhood residents stand to benefit from several facets of the overall trail plan. Portions of the White Rock Trail are being repaired and upgraded. And funding has been secured for the Santa Fe Trail, which would run from
Cottonwood Trail will be a four-mile concrete trail that will connect Preston Ridge Trail in Far North Dallas to White Rock Creek Trail. It’s a key part of providing 35 miles of continuous trail from
All but 1.5 miles of the
The cost to complete the trail is high because the connection spots are difficult to design and construct, supporters say. Texas Instruments kicked off the fundraising campaign with a $25,000 donation.
“Those are expensive segments primarily because you’re tunneling under the highway at the high-five” and constructing new bridges, says Poss, who has been working to secure funding for the
At the high-five exchange, plans call for a 500-foot tunnel under Central Expressway, she says.
“This trail will be a very exciting because it will be complete with the amenities that people want,” Poss says. “For example, we will have trees; we already have park furniture that’s been donated. There will be emergency telephones on the route.”
A similar public-private effort is underway with the Katy Trail, which traces the greenbelt along the tracks used by the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (also called MKT or Katy), dating to 1887. In the 1990s, Union Pacific Railroads donated three miles of railroad to the city of
A few years later, a nonprofit organization called Friends of Katy Trail was created to build support for the trail. The trail already connects 125 acres of parkland used by an estimated 300,000 people who live within a mile of the park. Supporters say the space has the potential to be on par with
“Our goal is to create the great American park in the city of
“It’s in the most dense part of the city,” he says. “It becomes this great gathering place for all walks of life.”
It also features 3.5 miles of track suitable for bikers and skaters. A separate, soft-surface running track is planned. The existing trail stretches from downtown, near
near Southern Methodist University.
Kevin Felton, president of For the Love of the Lake, a
“I personally am really excited about this,” he says. “It’s really quite convenient for me.”
The
Growing Support
While completion of the entire trail network is still at least a couple of years away, support for the trail system is growing.
“The mentality toward trails has changed significantly,” says Winters, the assistant parks director. “It’s quite a change from 10 years ago.”
Back then, when the city built a small neighborhood trail in Far North Dallas called
, Winters recalls, many residents resisted the idea. He says some residents feared it would bring criminals into the neighborhood and provide them with a ready means of escape.
In fact, parks officials and residents say, just the reverse has proved to be true. The trails are so well-traveled by neighborhood residents — who don’t hesitate to report a suspicious person from their cell phones — that some residents now feel safer.
“It’s a built in crime-watch — that’s the way we describe it now,” says senior park planner Michael C. Hellman.
To some, the political support for the trail system is overdue.
“We’d love to see the trails built,” says Bruce Fitch, president of the Dallas Trekkers Walking Club. “In my opinion, it needs a lot of work.”
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Dallas Trekkers is part of an international organization that has mapped about 1,500 trails in 41 countries. Although North Texas members have mapped out a dozen 10-kilometer trails — including one that makes use of the existing
“Take a city like
But others see the tide turning soon. In March, park department officials briefed city officials on the trail network master plan. The city’s Park Board is set to approve the plan this year and officials are optimistic about securing more funding in future bond programs. Meanwhile, they’re working on design and construction of the remaining miles that have been funded but not yet built.
Trails enthusiasts say the plans will not only provide more green space, but also strengthen the sense of well-being for recreation enthusiasts.
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