Texas’ Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) started construction on the Lewisville Hike and Bike trail, which is the second phase of the agency’s rail trail project.

The agency is working with the City of Lewisville on its Long Range Planning for Vision 2025, which incorporates the DCTA Rail Trail that will help provide access to recreational opportunities and other municipally owned trails and provide a safe, affordable transportation alternative for local travel. This week marks the first time DCTA is breaking ground on Phase Two of its rail trail.

In October 2012, DCTA was awarded funding through the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation for Phase Two — the Lewisville portion of the DCTA Rail Trail. The agency is currently working on the first 3.3-mile portion of the Lewisville Hike and Bike Trail, which runs from the Hebron Station to Mills Street in Old Town Lewisville.

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DCTA is seeking alternative funding to finish the remaining 3.2 miles of Phase Two, which will run from College Street to the Highland Village/Lewisville Lake Station. Phase Two of the DCTA Rail Trail project is estimated at $6.3 million and will consist of 6.5 miles of trail in total.

The DCTA Rail Trail is part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ regional Veloweb trail system, a 1,728-mile network of existing and planned off-street, shared-use paths (trails) designed for use by bicyclists, pedestrians, and other non-motorized forms of active transportation in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

DCTA expects to complete its entire Rail Trail project by late 2017, which will total 22.6 miles. The DCTA Rail Trail will connect each agency section and provide pedestrians and bicyclists a safe opportunity to travel the entire trail or take a break and ride the A-train.