Highland Village CDC weighs three FM 407 trail options and asks for usage, business and maintenance studies

The Highland Village Community Development Corporation on May 11 heard a presentation from Half Associates on three possible alignments to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections along FM 407 and to Unity Park.

Consultant Kevin Groll described the options: Option 1 would fill sidewalk gaps with a 6-foot sidewalk from Market Trail to Highland Village Road (about 3,700 linear feet) with a conceptual construction cost of $1,775,000 and turnkey survey/design/construction-phase costs estimated at $425,000 (total cited by the consultant: approximately $2,200,000). Option 2 would replace existing sidewalks with a 12-foot shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists (about 5,200 linear feet) with a conceptual construction cost of about $3,800,000 and turnkey costs near $870,000 (a $4,670,000 total). Option 3 would build a new 8–12 foot path between Briar Hill Boulevard and Highland Village Road (roughly 3,900 linear feet) with a conceptual construction cost of $2,190,000 and turnkey costs around $525,000 (total cited: about $2,715,000). Groll said the estimates assume construction in fiscal year 2029–30 and include inflation adjustments the consultants used for planning.

"This is the area within Highland Village that has not been fully built out yet," Groll said, summarizing connectivity, easement and drainage constraints discussed in the presentation. He flagged coordinating easement work with property owners and with utility and railroad right-of-way holders for portions of the alignments.

Liz Range Pendle, Half Associates' senior team leader for funding resources, reviewed grant options and competitiveness. She described three funding paths: the NCTCOG transportation funding program (which she called "low hanging fruit" and less competitive), the NCTCOG transportation alternatives program, and the TxDOT statewide transportation alternatives (more competitive). "My recommendation, if you want federal funding, is to talk to the manager there," she said, naming a program manager the consultants suggested staff contact. Pendle cautioned that federal funding generally adds NEPA requirements and can lengthen the schedule.

Board members questioned which option most directly benefits local residents and repeatedly raised long-term maintenance and budget impacts. One member said, "We had a $2,000,000 budget deficit last year," and asked who would pay for ongoing pavement replacement and upkeep. Several members said they favored the lower-cost sidewalk gap option or the shared-use path on FM 407 rather than the rail-adjacent Unity Park alignment because of easement complexity and property impacts.

The board did not select a preferred alignment at the meeting. Instead, staff summarized next steps the board requested: a pedestrian-use (impact) analysis to estimate likely users and trip origins, a business-impact assessment to estimate economic benefits to the FM 407 retail corridor, and a long-term maintenance and replacement-cost estimate (including life-cycle timing). The board asked staff to return with a task order and cost estimate for those additional services before moving forward with grant applications or design procurement.

The consultants and staff also noted that some grant programs can fund design and construction with a local-match requirement and that NCTCOG's transportation funding program may be the most straightforward initial route for the city to pursue if that is the board's direction. No grant application authority was given at the meeting.

The board moved on to status reports after the discussion and adjourned at 7:40 p.m.