What happened?
The action authorizes an interlocal agreement with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and secures funds for the second and third phases of Cotton Belt construction. Funds approved by the county will be used for trail construction within Dallas County, according to the court agenda.
The Cotton Belt Trail is a proposed 57-mile trail that will link several cities, including Grapevine, Coppell, Richardson and Plano, according to the NCTCOG’s website. The trail will run along the 26-mile Silver Line Regional Rail, which is under construction.
The details
Dallas County is planning to commit about $5.9 million to the project's second and third phases of construction, according to the court agenda. About $1.8 million is due March 31 for the trail's second phase. About $4.1 million is due in 2025 for the trail's third phase.
The project is split into three phases with the first phase already underway, according to the NCTCOG’s website. The second phase is slated to start this fall after the project received several federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Texas Transportation Commission.
During the second phase, the trail will be constructed from Addison to Plano. During the third phase, the trail will be built run from Addison to Grapevine. Nearly 21 miles of the trail already exist between Grapevine and Fort Worth, according to the NCTCOG's website.
Zooming out
Dallas Area Rapid Transit oversees design and construction for the Cotton Belt Trail and Silver Line Rail projects between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Plano. In 2018, the board approved a contract with Archer Western Herzog for design and construction of both.
