The Arlington-based Regional Transportation Council approved $59.6 million in federal funding for 12 active transportation projects in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties.
“These funded improvements will connect people who choose walking and bicycling as modes of transportation to schools, transit services, and major hubs of employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Kevin Kokes, program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ land-use and mobility options team, said in a statement. “In addition to connecting people to destinations, the projects funded by the RTC will improve safety and comfort, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality.”
The RTC said a combined $14.4 million in local match brings the total investment in the region’s bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to $74 million as part of the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Call for Projects for the North Texas region.
Funded projects
Graphic: RTC
Nine active transportation and three Safe Routes to School applications were funded, the agency said
RTC said that among the 12 approved projects are “important connections to transit stops,” including on-street bicycle facilities connecting the future Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Silver Line commuter rail station in Addison with nearby housing and employment areas.
Funding for the T.C. Rice Trail in Carrollton ($10 million) will extend the Denton County Transportation Authority A-train Rail Trail from Hebron Station in Lewisville closer to North Carrollton/Frankford Station in Carrollton, the agency said.
The Sycamore Trail extension in Denton will improve access for adjacent neighborhoods to DCTA’s Downtown Denton Transit Center for multimodal trips, RTC said. Two trail segments are funded for construction in Frisco, a portion of the Cottonwood Creek Trail and a trail connecting Frisco Square, downtown Frisco, and Grand Park.
The agency said that funded improvements surrounding schools will enhance the safety and comfort for students walking and bicycling to school campuses. In Fort Worth, for example, shared-use paths and on-street bicycle facilities will improve connections to North Crowley High School and Summer Creek Middle School. Sidewalk improvements in Richland Hills will enable more students to walk to Cheney Hills Elementary School, the agency said.
Also, the city of Richardson was awarded funding to develop Safe Routes to School plans to identify future infrastructure improvements for multiple schools across the city.
Regional transportation planning
Since 1974, the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise counties. The council’s 44 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers.
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