Hikers and bikers will finally be able to connect from the trails at Lake Highlands Town Center south to White Rock Lake and north of LBJ to Valley View Park now that the City of Dallas has approved additional trail segments. Construction will begin almost immediately and be finished by October of 2019.
The 12-foot-wide trail connector will run parallel to Skillman behind condos and apartments along Jackson Branch, where erosion threatens multiple trees along the creek’s path. Gabion walls (wire baskets filled with rocks) will be used to shore up creek banks, and at-risk trees will be replaced with 148 new 30-gallon trees in safer locations.
The new trail segment will cross under the Skillman bridge and connect to the existing trail behind Alamo Drafthouse. Lighting will be added under the bridge, but not along the trail.
Two bridges will be needed over creek spans, and they’ll be the “rusty looking” prefab-type used on the trail near Mockingbird Lane over Skillman and over Abrams.
Pedestrian counters, a new feature for the city’s trail system, will be added to determine how many users are accessing the trail.
Also part of the construction plan is “gateway” signage on Skillman near Alamo Drafthouse “announcing” one’s entrance into Lake Highlands. The project will include live oaks planted in the median, a low brick wall with lettered “Lake Highlands” and an “LH” logo in a stainless steel box. The LH will glow at night, and trees will be uplit. Gateway signage, designed to create community identity at key points in the neighborhood, is envisioned for Northwest Highway/Audelia and Walnut Hill near Greenville Avenue, as well. The project was planned by the Public Improvement District (PID), funded by the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District and will be maintained by the City’s Parks Department. Construction crews will work on the trail and the signage simultaneously, allowing them to continue working on the sign even if inclement weather keeps them out of the muddy creekside.