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Katy Trail Phase 2 delayed to early 2026 as staff explores adopting historic bridge and addresses design conflicts
Summary
City staff said design and letting for Katy Trail phase 2 have been delayed to early 2026 while the city evaluates adopting a historic camelback pony truss bridge and resolves utility and budget issues.
City staff told the Parks and Recreation Commission that design and letting for Katy Trail phase 2 have been pushed to early 2026 as the department evaluates a potentially cost-saving option to adopt an existing historic bridge and works through design and funding issues.
Parks and Recreation staff said the department performed a site walk with the designer and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on March 27 and has continued related discussions. Staff described a proposed reuse option: a 1920s camelback pony truss railroad bridge currently located in Grayson County that TxDOT has identified as historically significant and is seeking a new location for. “The Texas State Historic Preservation’s Office has deemed that such, in 2014,” the staff member said. The adopted-bridge option would avoid building a new span but would require repair and preparation before installation.
Staff said some utility conflicts were discovered around Spur 503 and that the project — while described as fully funded — experienced a budget deficiency that staff are addressing. Those factors, along with the bridge option, contributed to pushing the letting schedule to early 2026 to allow additional design time.
Staff also said two 15-space parking lots that had been shown in earlier plan sets were removed from the TxDOT-funded phase 2 design because they were considered vehicular and not eligible under the pedestrian-focused grant. One removed lot was near Teresa and Flowers by Spur 503 and the other was near the bridge at Loy Lake; staff are working with development services to explore ways to add parking outside the TxDOT plan.
Commissioners noted the cost savings adopting an existing historic bridge could provide; staff said TxDOT and preservation stakeholders would handle rehabilitation and that the site would add historical significance to the trail. No final decision to adopt the bridge was made at the meeting; staff listed the adoption as an option under consideration and will return with next steps as design advances.
Questions of final cost, construction schedule and preferred contractor were not specified at the meeting.
