For pedestrians and cyclists navigating the Five Points intersection of Park Lane and Fair Oaks Avenue, the route can mean weaving around school drop-off lines, unpaved sidewalks, apartment traffic and busy streets.
Three planned mobility projects from Midtown Dallas Inc. (MDI), which manages the Midtown Imporvement District, could eventually make that trip easier, creating new connections between trails, schools, transit stations and other destinations in the area.
The projects — a shared-use trail along Greenville Avenue, a redesign of Ridgecrest Road and an expansion of the SoPac Trail — are in varying stages of development and design.
Share use Trail
The planned Shared Use Trail from Midtown will run along Greenville Avenue from Northwest Highway to just short of Royal Lane, creating connections to the SoPac, Ridgewood, Northaven and White Rock Creek trails.
The project was selected by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to receive federal funding through its Transportation Alternatives grant program, which supports non-motorized infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths.
The project received an award of about $10.46 million.
“We originated the idea, and we applied for the grant,” says Nick Palles, co-executive director of MDI “It’s an 80/20 grant, and this trail will be real for people to use in three or four years, which is such an incredible timeline.”
Under an 80/20 grant, TxDOT will cover 80% of the total project costs, while the local recipient will cover the remaining 20% of the project.
MDI, along with consultants at Kimley-Horn, led the application process for the grant, which was awarded on Nov. 13, 2025, as part of the Texas Transportation Commission’s selection process to award federal funds and transportation development credits (TDC) to support an assortment of bicycle and pedestrian planning initiatives across the state.
A total of about $284.76 million in federal funds and up to about 31.6 million TDCs were awarded in the Nov. 13 announcement.
The Shared Use Trail will run about two miles from north to south and will connect to the SoPac Trail. The new bike infrastructure will also merge with both Walnut Hill Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Station and Park Lane DART Station.
“We have Bronx-level density right here in Dallas, in Vickery and in Midtown, so this is going to be a massively transformational project to northeast Dallas,” Palles says.
SoPac Trail
Part of The Loop, the SoPac Trail is a commuter and recreational bike and hike trail that runs from Lawther Road north towards Forest Lane and U.S. 75.
As one portion of The Loop’s mission to connect all of the Dallas area into one continuous 50-mile urban trail, the SoPac Trail is being expanded by the City of Dallas to connect to the Northaven Trail that stretches along Walnut Hill Lane, Royal Lane and across Central Expressway.
“This project has been designed and is in the approval process with the City of Dallas,” Palles says. “(Construction) was originally to be completed in 2026 but has been delayed.”
Since the $4 million project is federally funded, construction was delayed due to multiple reviews and approvals, including TxDOT and DART.
The design for the expansion is approximately 60% done, with design completion estimated for December, says Amanda Reyes, District 13 council assistant.
The expansion is part of DART right-of-way (ROW), which is the legally controlled land, corridor or property owned or managed by DART.
Reyes says construction is set to begin in May 2027 with a completion date in October 2027. The construction award is expected in late summer 2027.
“One key factor that could impact the (completion) schedule is the acquisition of required easements from agencies and utilities such as DART and Oncor,” Reyes says. “The timing of those approvals remains uncertain and could result in project delays.”
Ridgecrest Road
Initiated by the MDI, the $7.2 million Ridgecrest Petition Improvement Project, funded in full by the City of Dallas’s 2017 bond, calls for the complete redesign of Ridgecrest Road as a complete street.
The redesign will link local paths directly to the nearby SoPac Trail, making it more navigable for pedestrians and cyclists to travel toward White Rock Lake, The Shops at Park Lane or NorthPark Center.
Currently, Ridgecrest Road, at certain points, has bar ditches. With the road leading directly to Sam Tasby Middle School, the remodeled road would alleviate school traffic by incorporating paved sidewalks for students to use when commuting to school.
“(Ridgecrest Road) is a high-traffic route for kids walking to school because we have a super high-density area that is encapsulated,” Palles says. “We need to make sure that (students) are safe when they’re out in the streets.”
According to the Dallas Department of Transportation and Public Works, the project includes local street construction of approximately 4,900 linear feet with 24-foot-wide reinforced concrete pavement with curb and gutter, shared-use sidewalks, drive approaches, storm drainage, landscape improvements, lighting and water and wastewater improvements.
City staff are currently working with franchise utilities to complete utility relocation and make progress with the right-of-way easement.
The design process is complete as of September, with construction expected to start in 2027.
The three separate paths are coming together despite distinct designs and differing funding sources.
“These are absolutely separate projects, but they weave together a very exciting mobility network in Midtown for pedestrians and cyclists,” Palles says. “The three projects practically form a triangle of shared-use trails that connect the entire district.”
