Canopied walkway connecting Legacy West, The Shops at Legacy now open

A canopied walkway and bike path located over the Dallas North Tollway connecting The Shops at Legacy to Legacy West in Plano is now open to traffic.

The city project, approved in 2017, has been under construction since February. Clay Lipscomb, Plano Community Investment Program engineering manager, said the walkway is meant to safely bridge the gap between the two Legacy districts for residents.

“It was definitely warranted because of the amount of traffic going back and forth,” Lipscomb said. “Having this nice, new, much safer, more cordoned-off area for pedestrians to cross is ideal.”

The project features two canopy-covered, 10-foot-wide paths, one for walking and one for bicyclists. The paths are lighted and separated by a traffic safety wall that doubles as a landscape feature.

Minor construction is still happening on parts of the walkway as well as repairs to damage along the traffic wall caused by a recent car crash, Lipscomb said.

The project cost $1.18 million, which included $340,000 provided by the Texas Department of Transportation through a funding agreement with the city. Lipscomb said city officials will likely monitor the walkway to determine if it increases foot traffic along Legacy Drive.

“It’s a pretty cool little project,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback about it for sure.”