TI helps North Dallas' Cottonwood Trail "make ends meet"
On Jan. 22, five years of planning and fundraising culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the trail at the Willie B. Johnson Recreation Center in Dallas. Once the 1.5 miles of additional trail are constructed, walkers, joggers and bicyclists will be able to travel from Plano to downtown Dallas on a designated path free from traffic. |
Cottonwood Trail organizers and neighborhood partners broke ground recently to begin construction on the final portion of the Cottonwood Trail. Once completed, the project will connect the Preston Ridge Trail and White Rock Trail and provide 35 miles of urban walking and biking paths between Plano and Downtown Dallas.
For many years, the Cottonwood Trail has had four missing links, totaling 1.5 miles.
TI and several neighborhood partners, including Dallas County, the City of Dallas, the City of Richardson, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Hamilton Park Civic League, Richardson and North Dallas Community Organization, and the Texas Department of Transportation have been working together since 2004 on the "Make Ends Meet" project to build the rest of the trail. The group raised the necessary funds for the engineering and construction plans for the project, which Dallas County Commissioner Maurine Dickey described as, "essential to the active, healthy lifestyle that many Dallas County residents demand."
The funding, established under the Dallas Parks Foundation, has come from public and private contributions and grants.
TI declared its commitment to the surrounding neighborhoods and the completion of the Cottonwood Trail early on by providing seed money to kick off the project. TI also matched employee donations to the campaign.
"This trail will provide our employees with another commute alternative," said Liz Moyer, retired TI Environmental, Safety and Health manager. "They can contribute to cleaner air in Dallas and get some exercise as well."
Dickey said, "Let's face it, the surrounding neighborhoods aren't the only beneficiaries of this awesome project. It's all of us. Each and every one of us and our businesses will benefit from the completion of this trail. It will bring not only environmental benefits, but also health benefits to North Texans."
Beyond the existing trail system, local officials envision extensions that will add access to destinations such as Fair Park and the Trinity River Corridor.
"Once the public is introduced to an alternate form of transportation that is safe, efficient and healthy, I believe there will be demand for a more extensive trail system," said Mary Poss, former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem, who has worked with TI on the committee for this project.
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