Denton Adding Sidewalk along Loop 288 between US 380 and McKinney Street
November 10, 2024
New sidewalk under construction on the west side of Loop 288 near Prominence Parkway.
The City of Denton recently began a project to install a sidewalk on the west side of Loop 288 from US 380 to McKinney Street. The sidewalk will replace a well-established dirt path created by pedestrian and bicycle traffic traveling along the corridor.
Map of new and existing sidewalks along Loop 288 between US 380 and McKinney Street.
A dirt path worn by pedestrian and bicycle traffic between Our Daily Bread and Audra Lane.
This segment of Loop 288 is home to Our Daily Bread and Serve Denton, which provide various services for people who are unhoused, experiencing significant financial or familial distress, or some combination of difficult life circumstances. Individuals experiencing financial distress, in particular, are less able to afford a private automobile and are more likely to walk, bicycle or use public transportation.
Safety and Access Challenges on Loop 288
Loop 288 is owned and operated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) whose primary focus has historically been moving vehicular traffic quickly through an area even when it sacrifices safety or easy access to destinations along the roadway. TxDOT roadways have historically neglected the safety or needs of people traveling outside of a motor vehicle.
Construction signs block use of the sidewalk on the US 380 bridge near Loop 288 where a driver struck and killed a woman on a bicycle on December 27, 2023.
Loop 288 was built without consideration for people who can’t drive or afford a private automobile. TxDOT provides only one designated pedestrian crossing, McKinney Street, along this nearly 1.5 mile stretch of roadway.
TxDOT does not provide pedestrians a legal way to cross Loop 288 at US 380. People traveling without an automobile are expected to take a detour of roughly one hour down to McKinney Street and back to US 380 just to cross Loop 288 legally.
Map of designated pedestrian crossing at McKinney Street and the 30-minute walking detour to access it from US 380.
Most people are not willing to add an hour of travel time just to cross the street. Individuals who have crossed Loop 288 at McKinney Street in the crosswalk have likely experienced many close calls with inattentive drivers, making it an unsafe and unappealing location to cross.
Instead of expending energy and time on significant detours to cross the street at a designated location with questionable safety, most people will choose to take on the risk of crossing Loop 288 at any location they find most efficient for their trip.
Since 2014, three people have been killed and 19 people have been seriously injured along Loop 288 from US 380 to McKinney Street.
Of the people killed, one was on a motorcycle, one was walking, and one was on a bicycle. Two of the fatal crashes occurred at the intersection of Loop 288 and McKinney Street. One of them was a 16 year-old high school student crossing the road on foot.
Map of all fatal crashes along Loop 288 between US 380 and McKinney Street, 2014-2024.
Of the 19 people seriously injured, 14 were in an automobile, four were pedestrians, and one was on a motorcycle. Three of the four severe pedestrian injury crashes occurred at or near the McKinney intersection.
Map of severe injury crashes involving a pedestrian between 2014-2024.
While new sidewalks will not resolve the dangers of crossing Loop 288, they will provide a safer, more dignified experience for people traveling along Loop 288 outside of an automobile by providing them with actual infrastructure instead of bumpy, uneven dirt, mud, and grass.
New sidewalk on the west side of Loop 288 near US 380.
