Friends of Northaven Trail

The day I made this video, March 5, 2023 I was dreaming of the City of Dallas aquiring 8.2 acres of land along the Northaven Trail that belonged to Dallas ISD to become park land. Last night Dallas ISD trustees voted in favor of the sale and to say I'm excited about this does not begin to describe the feeling. Often times I hear from residents about wanting more amenities along the Northaven Trail, but since it's in an Oncor easement, vertical amenities are not possible because servicing the power lines comes first. Now, this new park land gives the City the ability to add more to enjoy along the trail, like more shade trees, playground equipment, benches, etc. I can't wait to start engaging neighbors on what they'd like to see in this space. District 13 is #10 in park land acreage out of 14 districts, and this acquisition puts us over 600 acres. An opportunities like this are few and far between--so thank you to Dallas Park and Recreation Department staff, Chapel Downs and other area residents, Park Board members including our D13 and D11 reps Calvert Collins Bratton and Jeff Kitner, City of Dallas and Dallas ISD real estate staff, my Dallas City Council Colleages and D6 neighbor Omar Narvaez and DISD trustees for moving this to a big YES! #dallasparks #dallas #dreambig

Enjoyed moderating a discussion detailing the governmental and private sector collaboration in the development, funding, and coordination of the Northaven Trail Bridge project as part of the Chamber’s Civics for Business series! This project is the result of a successful partnership between Texas Department of Transportation, Dallas County, City of Dallas, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Friends of Northaven Trail, and others, and it was great to hear the perspectives of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, TxDOT County Engineer Nathan Petter, and Bridge Designer HNTB’s James Frye on the roles each organization played here, and also offer some perspective as the Park Board member and former President of the FoNHT Board. Thanks also to Charles Elk and Oncor Electric Delivery for their ongoing support of the original trail along the Oncor easement. #DallasTrails

The Chamber hosted another informative Civics for Business event on Friday that focused on the Northaven Trail Bridge project and the myriad of collaborators and more than a decade of effort to make it the great public amenity it is today. Without the political will and financial support of multiple jurisdictions like the City of Dallas and Dallas County, the financing and orchestration by the North Central Texas Council of Governments and TXDOT, the design by HNTB and the support of the North Dallas community and particularly the Friends of Northaven Trail, this project would never have come to fruition. And what an incredible addition to our transportation infrastructure and quality of life it is ! Pictured here with past Chamber Chair and sponsor of the event Charles Elk of Oncor, James Frye of HNTB, Nathan Petter of TXDOT, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins and Chamber COO and panel moderator Jeff Kitner.

Loved hosting our friends from HNTB and Dallas County today at the Chamber for a discussion with all the HNTB summer interns about the Northaven Trail Bridge Project. The bridge development and construction involved extensive collaboration between Texas Department of Transportation, City of Dallas, Dallas County, HNTB, Friends of Northaven Trail, and many other groups. Enjoyed talking with the interns today about inter-governmental partnerships and working with the private sector to make a positive difference on both transportation and recreation. Pictured here with HNTB’s James Frye, Dallas County’s Mickey McGuire, HNTB’s Tom Cramer, HNTB’s Kira Larson, PE, and HNTB’s Zachary Plinario, P.E. After the event, the interns visited the bridge site!

Highlighting the critical role engineers play in bringing new, innovative infrastructure to society,?HNTB's Kira Larson, PE, project manager on Texas Department of Transportation's?striking, Northaven Trail Pedestrian Bridge — shares her perspective on overseeing delivery of the?long-awaited link?in north Dallas and the only known bridge of its kind in the world. This #EngineersWeek, read and watch more in the latest Designer story:?https://lnkd.in/gaWyWK_K

Celebrating the completion of the new Northaven Trail Bridge, a 201-foot-long pedestrian bridge that connects the Northaven Trail to the White Rock Creek Trail and Cottonwood Creek Trail. Thank you to the?City of Dallas,?Dallas County,?Dallas Park and Recreation Department,?North Central Texas Council of Governments,?Texas Department of Transportation, and?Friends of Northaven Trail?for providing a safe recreational area for pedestrians, cyclists, and joggers to enjoy.?#TXLege#SD16

Over the weekend, we officially opened the Northaven Trail Bridge! The transformational bridge (one of a kind in the world) safely connects the existing 8 miles of the NHT over U.S. Highway 75 with the White Rock Creek and Cottonwood Trails, and, beginning in 2025, the SoPAC Trail. The project is a years in the making collaborative effort between the City of Dallas, Dallas Parks and Recreation, Dallas County, Texas Department of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Friends of Northaven Trail, HNTB, and many others. Thrilled with how well this project came together!