On Aug. 20, Grapevine City Council awarded a contract to The Fain Group to build out the city's Cotton Belt Trail, kicking off a project to enhance downtown Grapevine's walkability.

The trail currently ends in Grapevine at William D. Tate Avenue and Ball Street near the Quick Trip. This project will pick the trail up from there and bring it to Dallas Road, where it will turn north at Dooley Street before continuing along the TEXRail tracks. From there, it will run into the Links Trail at Texan Trail. This will extend the Cotton Belt Trail by about a mile and a half, Director of Public Services Bryan Beck said.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program previously selected this project as the top-rated project in the western subregion of the Metroplex, and awarded Grapevine $5 million toward the construction of the roadway and trail improvements.

The contractors will have 458 days to complete the project after they have been given notice to proceed.

To create the trail, Dallas Road will have to be narrowed slightly, Beck said. Dallas will become an undivided road with a raised median for left turns as well as enhanced crosswalks for pedestrian access.

By the end of construction, the Cotton Belt will become shared-use hike and bike trail with a center stripe for pedestrians and cyclists.

The work will also include pedestrian lighting and a new sidewalk for the Cotton Belt Trail.