The Texas Transportation Commission will distribute approximately $284.8 million to expand safe, reliable bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure across the state.
Projects statewide will benefit from the allocation, predominantly supporting new sidewalks, shared-use paths, dedicated bicycle lanes and pedestrian bridges. Recipients will also use the awards to develop active transportation plans, establishing and implementing policies and frameworks to create non-motorized connected networks for local communities.
The fund will be delivered through the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) Program. The program allocates awards to:
- Medium urban areas with a population of 50,000 to 200,000 located outside Transportation Management Areas (TMAs).
- Small urban areas with a population of 5,000 to 49,999.
- Non-urban areas with a population of less than 5,000.
- Projects in communities located inside or outside TMAs.
Here is a selection of projects receiving the largest awards through the program.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will benefit from a $25 million injection to advance the third phase of the Cotton Belt/Silver Line Rail Trail project. The project – in collaboration with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) – will pave a regional trail connecting the cities of Plano and Fort Worth. The Cotton Belt Trail will follow a portion of the Silver Line rail corridor and intersect with three other regional trails. The third phase of the project will complete the trail between Dallas and Addison before continuing westward. As part of the project, DART will align 4.1 miles of trail outside of the rail right-of-way with the Cotton Belt Trail.
El Paso County will receive $17.7 million to support the Magoffin/Piedras/Paisano Shared Use Path project. Plans include building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure across Magoffin Avenue, Piedras Street and Paisano Drive. Components of the project will feature pedestrian illumination, high visibility crosswalks, street trees, irrigation and wayfinding signage.
The University of Texas (UT) at Tyler will spend approximately $17.1 million to advance the UT Tyler Campus Pedestrian Safety Enhancements project. While additional information has not been released about the project, it’s anticipated to closely align with the university’s efforts to prioritize improved pedestrian infrastructure to reinforce safety, connectivity and mobility as detailed in the 2025 Campus Master Plan.
The city of Amarillo will benefit from a $16.1 million injection for the Amarillo Boulevard (BI 40-D) Northwest Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements project. The project will build an 11-foot-wide shared-use path along both sides of Amarillo Boulevard. In addition, the city will build corresponding necessary ADA-compliant infrastructure on nearby streets.
The Northeast Texas Trail (NETT) in Paris will spend $15.9 million to advance the NETT Southwest Paris Gap project. The funding will enable the sponsor to build five miles of 10-foot-wide shared use path and 1 mile of bicycle lanes along the trail. Additional work will consist of installing clearing striping and safety bollards for street crossings. Once completed, the project will cover a critical gap in the 130-mile-long NETT.
Photo by Drone Doggy from Pexels
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