A handful of North Texas infrastructure projects, including an Oak Cliff deck park and a city-circling trail, got big boosts this week from nearly $21 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
They are:
- The Southern Gateway, the Oak Cliff deck park that will span I-35E near the Dallas Zoo. It will benefit from $900,000 awarded to the city of Dallas.
- The Loop, which will link Dallas’ hike-and-bike trails into one 50-mile circuit, is getting $12 million to help finish its final section, including the overhaul of a bridge in Pleasant Grove that will help cyclists traverse U.S. Highway 175.
- The Southern Dallas Inland Port, which is adding electric shuttles and upgrading streets and sidewalks in southern Dallas, DeSoto, Lancaster, and surrounding environs. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is getting more than $8 million for the project.
The press release from The Loop includes a lot of quotes from relevant officials talking about how great this 50-mile trail will be. And why not? It should be pretty great.
But for the sake of avoiding redundancy, I’ll just pick one quote. Here’s U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, whose possibly pending retirement is kicking off a lot of speculation about her potential successor.
“This project is more than just transportation infrastructure – this investment will be a catalyst for mobility and economic opportunity and reconnect Pleasant Grove to the rest of Dallas. Improving transportation is a critical part of improving quality of life throughout North Texas, especially for those communities who need it most. Increased mobility can mean access to better jobs, better healthcare and even better education. These are just a few of the reasons why The LOOP will provide great benefit to District 30 residents.”
