Fort Worth is gearing up for more than just a facelift on its bike and pedestrian infrastructure, thanks to a nice cash injection coming from federal funds. The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) doled out a hefty sum of $59.6 million earmarked for a dozen active transportation projects across Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties; this is aligned with the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Call for Projects for the North Texas region.
Focused on enhancing access and safety, the RTC's funding spells good news for the City of Fort Worth, which snagged a total of $4,072,000 in federal dollars—the rest of the project's $7.6 million budget being padded out by local contributions to tune of $3,568,000, as per a recent announcement. With a clear green light for the McPherson-Summer Creek Safe Streets project, kids and adults alike can look forward to new shared-use paths, a bridge, some much-needed traffic signal upgrades, and crossing improvements; these infrastructure upgrades will eventually lead to smoother, safer rides to places like North Crowley High School and Summer Creek Middle School, according to the City of Fort Worth.
"These funded improvements will connect people who choose walking and bicycling as modes of transportation to schools, transit services and major hubs of employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," said Kevin Kokes, program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ land-use and mobility options team. He also highlighted ancillary benefits, including easing traffic woes and giving the region's air quality a leg up, per the City of Fort Worth.
