Three South Dallas projects receive $21 million in federal RAISE grants » Dallas Innovates

Loop Urban Trail Map Details [Image: The Loop]

The three South Dallas projects received a total of $21 million in federal grant funding through the Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

Last Friday, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced that the Biden administration will invest approximately $1 billion in U.S. infrastructure through RAISE grants, funding 90 projects across 47 states, Washington D.C. and Guam.

RAISE grant funding provided to South Dallas includes:

$8.218 million to improve mobility within the South Dallas Inland Port

Union Pacific Intermodal Terminal in Willmar [Photo: Michael Samples]

The Dallas County Southern Inland Port spans 7,500 acres and includes five municipalities including Dallas, Lancaster, Ferris, Willmar and Hutchins, providing large businesses access to the seaports of Houston, Los Angeles and Long Beach, California via I-45 and I-20, as well as rail access to ship cargo to all corners of the United States.

You can read our article on the Inland Port Authority here, and for more information on the ports themselves, click here.

Dallas county southern inland port map [Image: inlandport.org]

The Inland Port grant funds will be used by the North Central Texas Council of Governments to implement new transit service, improve pedestrian infrastructure and upgrade traffic signals throughout the region.

Currently, the inland port area is ideal for moving freight in all directions, including from two new high-tech Walmart fulfillment and distribution centers scheduled to open in Lancaster in 2023 and 2024.

However, inland ports are not suitable for people to walk or for private vehicles to drive.

The awarded projects include the purchase of eight electric shuttles for on-demand transportation, new sidewalks and crosswalks near the VA Medical Center and light rail station, and approximately 41 new traffic signals to optimize traffic, pedestrian and vehicle movement.

The Department of Transportation says the electric shuttles will connect people without cars to vibrant and growing employment centers, improving the quality of life in the area.

$12 Million for LOOP: Connecting Neighborhoods with Urban Trails

When completed, the loop will circle central Dallas, connecting southern Dallas with many of its tourist attractions, including Uptown, Deep Ellum and White Rock Lake. [Image: The Loop]

To complete the third and final segment of Dallas’ 50 miles of urban trails, the project will add approximately 11 miles of trail with an emphasis on the Trinity Forest Spine Trail South Phase. The new Southern Dallas Trail will “close the loop” by connecting the Santa Fe Trail in East Dallas to the southern part of the city.

RAISE grant funds will be used to construct the southern phase of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, a four-mile shared-use path connecting the Lawnview DART Station with the Lake June DART Station and Pemberton Hill Road.

One key obstacle to overcome is the crossing of U.S. 175, which cuts across southern Dallas and separates residents from the train station and planned trail infrastructure across the highway. RAISE funds will help replace the two-lane, low-level bridge at Lake June Road with a new four-lane, “complete road” bridge that will include bike lanes and a pedestrian walkway.

“As we look forward to our city’s future, it’s clear that trails are essential to the people of Dallas,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a statement. “LOOP is not a vanity project, an economic development ploy or simply a feel-good amenity for our neighborhoods. Trails are more than a nice-to-have perk for us. A strong, working trail system must be considered critical infrastructure for a 21st century city. This grant reflects that fact, and we’re thrilled to have federal support to continue building a more vibrant Dallas.”

$900,000 to connect communities in Southern Gateway

Phase 1 (right side of image above, including the restaurant/retail complex on the hill in the center) and phase 2 (top left of image above) of Southern Gateway Park. [Image: HKS]

As I wrote yesterday in my post about the Southern Gateway Deck Park on I-35, this project will create a master plan to connect the deck park and Dallas Zoo to the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.

The Connecting Communities project will also include design and engineering of intersection improvements connecting Deck Park to the Bishop Arts and Jefferson commercial districts, a pedestrian bridge connecting the commuter rail line to the Dallas Zoo, and a pedestrian bridge over I-35 leading to a new 12-acre public-use green space.

“I’m proud to support these amazing projects that will improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, increase safety, advance equity and address climate change,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “As in past years, we received far more applications than we could support. This election cycle, the ratio of applications to available funds was roughly 10 to 1. But now, with the passage of President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, we will be able to support far more infrastructure projects that support jobs and daily life in communities across the country.”