Dallas-Fort Worth Bicycle-Pedestrian Projects Awarded $55 million
These funded improvements will connect people who choose active modes of transportation, such as walking and bicycling, to schools and major hubs of employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In addition to connecting people to destinations, projects awarded funding by the RTC will improve safety and comfort, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. The projects were chosen from among 33 project applications competitively evaluated based on the criteria implementing the goals of the long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan, including regional connectivity, access to major destinations, equity, safety benefits, and project readiness.
Among the 13 projects funded are critical trail bridges for the planned Cotton Belt Trail in Plano ($14 million) and Addison ($12 million) being implemented alongside Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Silver Line commuter rail line, which will run from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Plano. Funding for the Rowlett Creek Trail in Allen ($3 million) and the Iron Horse Trail in Frisco ($4 million) will fill in critical gaps in the regional trail network in Collin County and connect neighboring cities.
Transportation safety is a major focus for the North Central Texas Council of Governments to significantly reduce traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities throughout the region. Approximately $3 million in funding was awarded to Safe Routes to School sidewalk projects located in Fort Worth (A.V. Cato and A.M. Pate Elementary schools), and North Richland Hills (Smithfield Middle School). These projects will facilitate safe travel for children accessing schools in disadvantaged communities.
In addition, more than $3.3 million in federal funds will fill sidewalk gaps surrounding the downtown Garland DART station and will improve safe pedestrian access to the rail station. Funding was also awarded to Fort Worth ($2 million) to implement safety improvements along Oakland Boulevard / Miller Avenue. This corridor was identified by the City of Fort Worth in a safety plan as having a high number of crashes for bicyclists and pedestrians.
More information on the Transportation Alternatives Call for Projects is available at www.nctcog.org/2022_TACFP. For a summary of the projects awarded funding, see the links below.
Additional Funding Details
List of Projects Map of Projects
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint decisions.
NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered in the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. Currently, NCTCOG has 238 member governments including 16 counties, 169 cities, 19 school districts and 27 special districts. For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit www.nctcog.org/trans.
About the Regional Transportation Council:
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 44 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at www.nctcog.org.