Katy Trail (Dallas) - Master Plan

Master Plan

Originally, the Dallas Park & Recreation Department planned a basic concrete pathway system along the railroad right of way. The Friends of the Katy Trail have greatly expanded that vision by hiring The SWA Group, an international landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm, to create a $23 million master plan for two trails and an urban park connecting the West End district to Mockingbird Station.

When completed over the next few years, Katy Trail will have a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) long 12-foot (3.7 m) wide concrete path for bicyclists and in-line skaters, an adjacent 3.1-mile (5.0 km) long 8-foot (2.4 m) wide soft surface track for pedestrians, 4 major entrance plazas, ADA-compliant entrances, benches, landscaping, and drinking fountains for all users, including pets. It will be connected to the Trinity Strand Trail.

The planting plan is dominated by native Texas trees and plants, including Chinquapin and Lacey Oaks, perennial grasses, Flame Acanthus, and numerous species of native salvias and other plans which support water conservation.

For years, the abandoned railroad tracks had been populated by the homeless, drug dealers, and gangs. The master plan includes strategies to transform negative public perceptions of the Katy Trail through landscaping, lighting, and particularly in the design of nine public spaces at important crossings and intersections. For night-time safety without adding light pollution, reflective shield lamps atop 25-foot (7.6 m)-poles direct light onto the trail. The public spaces have more intimate lighting and distinctive light fixtures.