Planning Projects

NCTCOG is partnering with five local governments including the Cities of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster; Dallas County, and the Texas Department of Transportation, to prepare preliminary design and opinion of probable construction costs for a connected Regional Veloweb trail alignment across southern Dallas County.  The project study area (Veloweb Trail Alignment Study Area Map) is bounded on the west in the City of Cedar Hill by the existing trail along FM 1382 near the intersection of W. Pleasant Run Rd., and to the east in the City of Lancaster, with the existing trail along E. Pleasant Run Rd., near the intersection of N. Lancaster-Hutchins Rd.  The alignment is anticipated to focus on the gaps between various existing or planned shared-use paths and bikeways in each of the four cities.  Anticipated completion date of the Study is Spring 2021.

In August 2018, NCTCOG's Regional Transportation Council and the Executive Board authorized funding to implement an eco-friendly bike parking design in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas. The Retrofitting Neighborhood Commercial with Green Bicycle Parking Pilot Project designed and developed an easily replicable parklet to include a “green” design bicycle parking area, suitable to be replicated in various mixed use and neighborhood walkable retail districts.
 
The bike parking parklet was installed at the intersection of N Bishop Avenue and W 8^th Street, to facilitate multimodal transportation and to ease the overall demand for vehicle parking in the Bishop Arts District. The project utilized the dimensions of two on-street automobile parallel parking spaces for the parklet, constructed on top of the existing street, as a relatively inexpensive retrofit. The parklet design includes buffered wheel stops at each end, and vertical landscape planters, to make the structure visible to traffic. The bicycle parking area is grade-separated from surrounding vehicle travel lanes and can accommodate parking for thirteen bicycles by using a small angle iron under the corner of each bench as a lock post. It also accommodates seating and a shade structure. 
 
A ribbon cutting event to mark the opening of the parklet took place on Friday, December 18, 2020.  Photos from the event and of the completed parklet can be viewed by clicking here.  
 
Construction plans for the parklet are shared use and can be downloaded by clicking here.  

NCTCOG, in partnership with Streams & Valleys Inc. and the City of Fort Worth, collaborated to prepare preliminary design and opinion of probable construction costs for the Bomber Spur Trail located in a former railroad corridor in west Fort Worth. The alignment for the project is approximately 3.1 miles in length from West Vickery Blvd to Calmont Ave (see Bomber Spur Trail Location Map). The preliminary design consists of a 12-ft. wide paved shared-use path, trail bridges, at-grade crossings, and possible trailhead locations.  The Bomber Spur preliminary design was completed in November 2020 and will be implemented by the City of Fort Worth.

NCTCOG, in partnership with the cities of Midlothian and Waxahachie and Ellis County, coordinated to prepare preliminary designs and opinion of probable construction costs for the alignment identified in the Ellis County Regional Trail Corridor study completed in 2015. The project is approximately 9.8 miles in length generally along Waxahachie Creek and the Union Pacific Railroad from the existing Waxahachie city trail in Getzendaner Park to Midlothian Parkway at Hawkins Spring Park (Midlothian) (see location map exhibit).  The preliminary design consists of a minimum 12-ft. wide hard surface trail, trail bridges, various at-grade and grade separated railroad crossings, and possible trailhead locations. Preliminary design of the regional trail was completed in August 2019 and will be implemented by the local communities.  The preliminary design summary is now available. 

The City of Fort Worth, in partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, developed the Active Transportation Plan with a vision to create a regionally coordinated and locally connected bicycle and pedestrian network that provides a safe, comfortable, accessible, and equitable network of trails, sidewalks, and on-street bicycle facilities for people of all ages and abilities. The Fort Worth Active Transportation Plan identifies the priority infrastructure network for citywide and regional active transportation travel, placing an emphasis on local, short trips and connections to transit. 

The 2014 Active Transportation Routes to Rail study is an update to the 2003 Access to Rail study performed by NCTCOG. Using 2013 data related to existing and planned sidewalks, trails, and bikeways, the Active Transportation Routes to Rail study examines walking and biking routes within a one-half mile radius of the existing 74 light rail and commuter rail stations in the Dallas – Fort Worth (DFW) region.

Project Description: NCTCOG, in partnership with the cities of Midlothian and Waxahachie, Ellis County, and the University of Texas at Arlington worked together to study alignment options and the feasibility of constructing an eleven mile regional shared-use path in Ellis County linking the cities of Midlothian and Waxahachie. The planned path will provide safe, alternative modes of transportation, improve air quality, spur economic development, encourage physical activity and promote connectivity between the two cities. Researchers examined existing natural and human features to generate alternative trail system routings. Potential spurs to nearby destinations were also explored.

The final draft of the corridor for a proposed regional shared-use path that will connect the cities of Midlothian and Waxahachie is now available. The City of Waxahachie's Parks Board adopted the plan on March 5, 2015 and the City of Midlothian's Parks Board adopted the plan on April 13, 2015.

Final Study [PDF]
Map Segment A [JPG]
Map Segment B [JPG]
Map Segment C [JPG]
Map Segment D [JPG]
Combined Map [PDF]
Conceptual Trail Corridor Alignment to view in Google Earth [KMZ]