Three local infrastructure projects are receiving millions of dollars in grant money.
According to Senator John Cornyn, several entities in the Greater Dallas area were awarded three Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grants, or RAISE grants, totaling $21,118,080. The grants are meant to encourage investment in road, rail, transit, and port projects.
The funding comes through the Department of Transportation, and Senator Cornyn wrote letters of support for all three grants.
“As more Texans return to traveling, this critical funding could not have come at a better time,” said Senator Cornyn. “I am proud to have supported these grants and look forward to seeing the positive impact this investment will have on travelers in the Dallas area.”
The Connecting Communities in the Southern Gateway project is one of the three grant recipients. The project will create a comprehensive master plan for projects connecting the Southern Gateway Park and Dallas Zoo to the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas and conduct design and engineering for three projects across 12-acres of new, public-use, urban green space being constructed over a section of I-35 consisting of: intersection improvements connecting the Gateway Park to the Bishop Arts and Jefferson commercial area; a pedestrian bridge connecting the commuter rail line to the Dallas Zoo; and a pedestrian bridge over I-35 connecting to 12 acres of newly created green space.
More than $8 million in grant money is being allocated to the Enhancing Mobility within the Southern Dallas Inland Port project. The project is meant is expected to implement new transit service, improve pedestrian infrastructure, and update traffic signals in the Southern Dallas County Inland Port area covering over 120 square miles, including portions of Southern Dallas and DeSoto counties, in addition to the cities of Lancaster, Hutchins, and Wilmer. The project has three components: the purchasing of eight electric shuttles to deliver on-demand transit; the construction of sidewalks and crosswalks near the VA Medical Center and light-rail station; and approximately 41 new traffic signals to optimize transit, pedestrian, and vehicular movements.
Additionally, the grants allocate $12 million to The Loop. The project will complete the third and final segment of The LOOP, a 50-mile urban trail in the City of Dallas. The project will add approximately eleven miles of trail, replace a two-lane, low clearance bridge with a four-lane Complete Street bridge, extend an existing Complete Street, and add access to two light rail stations. The bridge replacement includes raising the structure to meet current standards for bridges over the Texas Multimodal Freight Network.
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