Construction on a long-awaited trail to connect White Rock Lake to South Dallas could start as early as September.

After the Circuit Trail Conservancy secured $43 million to build The Loop — a beefed up hike-and-bike trail system that would create 10 miles of new paths to connect with 40 existing miles around the city’s urban core — the nonprofit’s next steps are to design the projects, one trail segment at a time.

First on the list: roughly 5 miles of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, which will connect the Santa Fe Trail north of Tenison Park Golf Course in East Dallas to the DART Lawnview Station south of Interstate 30.

Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel helped secure $5 million in funding from the county, part of which the Dallas City Council will consider approving Wednesday.

Philip Hiatt Haigh, executive director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy, said southeast Dallas neighborhoods such as Parkdale have long been isolated from the rest of the city.

“This is a part of Dallas that’s never had a trail like this, or any trail,” Hiatt Haigh said. “Allowing the local community to take ownership of that and make it their own is really exciting.”

The Trinity Forest Spine Trail is the most expensive part of The Loop at a cost of $18 million, which is divided into northern and southern parts. The north phase is priced at $11 million.

The conservancy plans to launch an additional campaign in a few months to fund more amenities on the trail beyond what’s currently planned.

Vikki Martin, who heads the nonprofit Ferguson Road Initiative, sees the trails as an essential part of the area’s restoration.

“This is the beginning,” Martin said. She wants to see a recreation facility in the lower Ferguson Road corridor and more quality grocery stores, and she believes the trails could help drive economic growth and mixed-income housing development.

Hiatt Haigh said the benefits of the trails go beyond recreational activities — they offer car-free alternative routes for communities that have long been cut off from jobs and other economic opportunities.

The conservancy hopes many of those ideas can be brought up through a community group that would develop the programming for The Loop, he said.

The nonprofit in 2016 raised $23 million in private funding to complete the 50-mile network of trails that will include North Dallas, White Rock Lake in East Dallas, part of Pleasant Grove and the Trinity River Audubon Center, Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff and Uptown. The city’s 2017 bond provided another $20 million for the project, $7 million of which will be for the Trinity Forest Spine Trail.

Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon, who represents White Rock Lake, said constituents have needed connections to neighborhoods that have long been divided by a highway.

“It’s got to be thoughtful, it’s got to be safe ... but it’s exciting to see that we’re looking at these connections,” Blackmon said. “You’re starting to bring down those barriers, so the city doesn’t seem so big anymore. You’re connecting those communities.”

In community meetings in November, residents asked about safety on the trails. While southeast Dallas neighborhoods such as Parkdale have nearby green space, few residents regularly visit the parks due to safety concerns.

Adam Bazaldua, who represents South Dallas and parts of East Dallas including Parkdale, brought up those concerns with Hiatt Haigh in meetings. Hiatt Haigh said they’ve had discussions about emergency call boxes and trail lighting.

The conservancy expects to have a competitive bid process open in May or June, Hiatt Haigh said. The procurement process will likely take months. Work can start shortly after the city decides on a construction company and is expected to be completed in 2022.

The conservancy is fulfilling a promise that was made to the East Dallas neighborhoods 20 years ago and built into the Trinity Forest Spine Trail master plan in 2013, Hiatt Haigh said.

Other parts of The Loop include the $8.2 million Trinity Gateway, which will connect the Trinity Strand Trail to the Skyline Trail, and the $16.8 million Hi Line Trail, which will connect the Katy Trail to the Trinity Strand Trail. Another $2 million will be used for a the Trinity Skyline Trail Link in late 2021.

In a city with so many needs, Hiatt Haigh said, nonprofits like the conservancy can help deliver projects in Dallas “in record time” with less bureaucracy.

“We’ve had amazing public support in elected officials,” he said. “Everybody wants trails. They want these things to happen.”

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