Grant Proposal for Pecan Creek Trail Moves to Second Round
A grant proposal to help fund segments of Denton’s planned Pecan Creek Trail advanced to the second round of the application process, according to an announcement from Denton Parks and Recreation.
Staff submitted a proposal in January to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for grant funding to help with planning and construction costs for roughly $14 million to $16 million of trail, according to Denton Parks Planner Chris Escoto. The grant is part of the federal Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set Aside Program, which focuses on bicycle and pedestrian projects that improve safety and connectivity.
TxDOT received $1.7 billion in proposals from across the state but will only award funding to $250 million worth of projects.
Denton’s grant proposal includes funding for concrete trail segments, 911 emergency signage and a trail underpass beneath Mayhill Road.
Read: Pecan Creek Trail Master Plan Approved, Staff Seek Funding (02/02/2023)
Trail underpass in Plano, Texas (Photo credit: Richard Wezensky, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Denton’s grant proposal includes Phase 1, Phase 3 and part of Phase 4 of the Pecan Creek Trail. The grant funding can only be awarded to projects that have already acquired all necessary land to complete the project. Because of this requirement, Denton cannot include any trail phases that still need to acquire land.
Proposed Pecan Creek Trail alignment. Phases in green are included in the grant proposal. Phases in red are not included. Green and red arrows are approximate.
If TxDOT selects Denton’s proposal for TA funding, the TA program would pay for 80 percent of the proposed project while the city would pay 20 percent–roughly $2.8 million to $3.2 million.
If Denton is not awarded TA funding for the Pecan Creek Trail, the money will need to be found elsewhere. City of Denton voters may see $15 million in bond funding for trails on their ballot in November. If approved by voters, the bond would help fund planning and construction of portions of the Pecan Creek Trail as well as other trails identified in Denton’s Parks, Recreation and Trails System Master Plan.
Read: Trails, Mingo Road Proposed for Funding in Denton’s 2023 Bond Election (01/26/2023)
June 5 is the deadline to submit final grant proposals for TA funding. TxDOT anticipates completing the review process by the end of August and finalizing awards in October.
Anyone interested in the Pecan Creek Trail can follow updates on the project page on the Discuss Denton website.
