Northaven Trail Poised for 2.2 Mile Expansion
Double-click for an enlarged photo of the expansion
Good news for Dallas cyclists: Plans to expand the Northaven Trail from Preston Road to Valley Dale are moving forward. La Terra Studio, the Dallas-based architectural firm that is designing the trail, said they hope to have all the construction documents finished by the end of the year. At a public meeting with the Parks & Rec Department and the City of Dallas on Tuesday evening, CEO Michael Black said that ideally, a year from now the 2.2 mile trail will be usable.
The main pending issue is how to signalize street crossings so that pedestrians and bikers will be safe but motor traffic will not be impeded. The two major crossings that will likely have “pedestrian activated signals” are at Hillcrest and Preston. The remaining six street crossings will probably be painted crosswalks. After some nudging from the crowd, Kris Brown, president of La Terra, said stop lights are not entirely off the table. The final decision will have to get approval from the Texas Department of Transportation.
Several area residents expressed concerns that the trail will increase access to their homes and backyards, opening them up for crime. Brown said the trail will leave a 20 foot buffer from the property line and will not be lit, as lighting tends to “bring out the riff raff.”
If you’d like to have input on the Northaven Trail expansion, complete this survey.
