City and county leaders break ground for the first phase of Chalk Hill Trail. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.

A decade after Chalk Hill Trail was first announced, construction for Phase One began this summer.

On Aug. 21, the City of Dallas, Dallas Park and Recreation and Dallas County leaders came together to celebrate a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project. 

Chalk Hill Trail is designed to follow a former portion of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. The goal is to eventually connect Westmoreland at Illinois to Chalk Hill Road in West Dallas, with the first phase going 0.9 miles from Ginger Avenue to Cockrell Road.

“I started talking about Chalk Hill Trail when I was still in the city council. That’s around 2009, so I’m not going to tell you how excited I am to be here,” Commissioner Elba Garcia said during the ceremony Friday morning.

Phase One of the trail started construction in June, with $560,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) funds for Dallas County helping to assist in the process. The total cost for Phase One of the project is estimated to be around $5.9 million and Phase Two around $14 million, according to Dallas County Director of Public Works Alberta Blair.

“It’s 0.9 of a mile, and I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s the part that starts with the infrastructure and creates excitement, so we can get more money,” Garcia said. “Hopefully in some years, we can have the connection not only to West Dallas, but to Westmoreland and Five Mile Creek.”

This is not just another trail either. The Chalk Hill Trail will be the first trail on the west side of Oak Cliff.

“That is what trails can do when we invest in them, and that is especially meaningful here in West Oak Cliff. This community has waited too long for greater trail connectivity, and today represents real progress towards it,” Dallas Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins said at the ceremony. “And a reminder that every neighborhood in Dallas deserves access to opportunities, beauty and experiences that trails bring. That is the Dallas we are working towards. This is what success looks like.”

Garcia said the estimated completion for Phase One of Chalk Hill Trail is sometime next year, “hopefully during the fall 2027.”