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City staff says FM 407 trail alignment work with Haff & Associates is on track for grant eligibility
Summary
Highland Village staff reported three meetings with consultant Haff & Associates on FM 407 trail alignment and said early work and field walks have positioned the project well for grant funding. Staff said the consultant will present to the city's boards and that public engagement opportunities are planned.
Phil, a city staff member, updated the Highland Village Community Development Corporation on work with Haff & Associates to study a FM 407 trail alignment and pursue grant funding. Phil said staff and consultants have held three meetings: a project kickoff, a field walk on April 3 with city staff (including Scott Christian and Andrew), and a recent meeting with the consultant’s engineering team to review preliminary alignments.
Phil said the April field walk focused on priority areas and lateral connections—Barnett Boulevard, Barnett Trail, Highland Village Road and other sections on the priority list—and that most priority areas fall within the current FM 407 review. He noted DoubleTree Drive's existing bike-lane project is not part of the FM 407 alignment effort.
On funding, Phil told the board that Haff & Associates had outlined potential grant opportunities and that, at a surface level, the project is “looking really good for grant funding.” He said the study will eventually be presented to the board and the Park Board and that staff expects engagement opportunities where the public can provide input. When asked about when community input will occur, Phil said several public meetings are built into the project schedule and that staff would provide specifics following the meeting.
Phil and other speakers addressed design and safety concerns raised by residents: community members asked whether the trail design would include visual or physical separation from FM 407 to reduce spillover into traffic, and Phil said design standards can address those concerns and that such questions would be routed to the consultant team for detailed responses. Phil also referenced the city’s earlier master planning work and said Haff & Associates is applying that planning to make the alignment grant-ready.
The presentation included a near-term funding note: Phil said the FM 407 work connects to larger capital planning and mentioned a phased, future bond initiative “in 2027, ’28 possibly” for other park improvements, and cited a $20,000,000 project scope that would be done in pieces. He made clear the FM 407 alignment work itself is now in study and grant-assessment stages and will return for committee and community review.
Phil said staff will share the project’s public-engagement schedule and more detailed grant analysis with the board in a follow-up.
