City and Dallas County officials cut a ribbon, celebrated a partnership and maybe even broke a little bit of a sweat on Friday, April 23, when they explored a segment of the new Winters Trail.
The new trail facilities in Winters Park and along the Spring Creek Greenbelt include 1.67 miles of 12-foot wide concrete pathways and a 225-foot structural concrete bridge.
Two new trailheads are also included in the project -- one at Winters Park, 1419 Spring Creek Drive, the other at Halff Park, 4695 Ranger Drive. From ample parking facilities at both locations, the paths quickly descend into the wooded greenbelt along the creek.
City Manager Bryan Bradford called Winters Trail "a new jewel for the Garland community ... a beautiful addition to our trails network."
Ricky McNeal, Council Member for District 1, where the park is located, called Winters Trail a source of pride for Garland residents. "It's something we can stick our chests out just a little bit further for."
More than $1 million in funding was secured from the Federal Highway Administration's Congestion, Mitigation, and Air Quality Program. The Texas Department of Transportation provided oversight and another $97,000 in funds. Dallas County contributed more than $364,000 to the project.
"We say partnership a lot, which is what it is," said Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Theresa Daniel. "But it is also people working together for the benefit of people."
Garland is "all-in" on trails. The City also has a $7 million commitment from the 2019 bond election to paths along Duck Creek that will connect Central and Rick Oden parks. Still other trails are being initiated in design for construction in partnership with Dallas County. Those will be shared-use paths in Rowlett Creek Preserve and the Duck Creek Trail to Audubon Park.
And earlier this year, the City Council adopted the 2021 Garland Trails and Bikeways Master Plan. The new guideline for developing the City's bicycle and pedestrian network, the Master Plan recommends off-street and on-street pathways, bike lanes, trails and other facilities to connect key destinations within Garland and to other cities.