Denton Trails Part 7 Concept: University Trails
Can we improve the mobility of both university students and our community members near these institutions? Read on to find out how a trail connecting both of them to downtown could do this.
This is part seven in the Denton Trails series, a series that thinks through what a low-stress multimodal transportation network would look like in Denton. It draws inspiration from other trail systems, proposes core principles we could use in developing our own system, and envisions several trail concepts and how they could form the core of a bike and walk portion of our upcoming mobility plan. Please join me as you walk, scoot, or ride through these musings:
Part 1: Why Trails?
Part 2: City Trails Inspiration
Part 3: Recreational Trails Inspiration
Part 4: Five Pillars of Trail Success
Part 5 Concept: Locust / UPRR Trail
Part 6 Concept: Pecan Creek Trail
Part 7 Concept: University Trails
Part 8: 35E Crossing Improvements
Part 9: Concept: Downtown Connectivity
Part 10: Mobility Plan Integration
Part 11: Bond Election — Make your voice heard
UNT and TWU are integral to our success as a city. They are also centrally located, so any high-comfort trail network must take advantage of these key assets.
UNT
UNT will be at the terminus of the Sycamore sidepath trail(A), and students fairly easily find their way through the university on bikes by the second week of classes. But what if you’re not a student? What if you want to ride your bike from downtown to a UNT football game or back, and you are unfamiliar with the area?
There is already a superb crossing of I35E near the stadium, and there are several shared use paths throughout the university. What is needed to make this connection is:
- A painted and marked route that UNT prefers through the university between the Sycamore entrance to campus and a crossing of North Texas Blvd(B)
- A clear marked pathway from a crossing of North Texas Blvd. to the entrance to the pedestrian bridge(C)
- A marked route from the other side of the bridge to the Bonnie Brae sidepath on the other side of the stadium(D)
TWU
A similar connection through TWU would help tremendously to allow those in the northeast quadrant of Denton to come downtown. In this case, the important thing is providing a safe crossing of University Drive, and then a safe route from there to downtown. For the last leg from Quakertown Park to downtown, see Part 9 Concept: Downtown Connectivity. At present, crossings of University Drive get progressively worse the further east you go. There has been talk about redesigning Mingo with pedestrian and bicycle connectivity added, but there is no current timeline on that project. It makes sense to create connectivity for these communities as soon as we can, especially when we may be able to accomplish this soon and inexpensively through partnerships with TWU.
TWU recently closed their golf course expressly to expand their university into this area. TWU is developing plans to close portions of Bell Avenue to car traffic to connect the current campus to the east, so partnering with them now is crucial. As TWU develops toward their eastern border at Ruddell Street, they have already expressed interest in providing paths through their campus(A). The most obvious place to provide a safe and inviting walking and biking crossing of University Drive would be at Ruddell Street(B). This also provides added benefits to other developments on the east side of Ruddell Street. Solutions Treatment Center is expanding their facility to provide more residential services, and many of their clients depend on walking, biking, or taking transit. Until Mingo is more walkable and bikeable, Denton needs this connection.
After crossing University Drive, a bike lane with sufficient protection could continue the trail along Glenwood Drive(C), connecting to the already existing parks path that links Shultz and Avondale park, providing direct access to Wilson Elementary(D). This would allow the area within Wilson Elementary’s attendance zone south of University Drive an excellent route to school, and give residents in this community north of University Drive easy access to TWU and downtown.
This trail improves access to the best safe crossing of 35E we have, but we must look at how to improve crossing access in other areas. Next up, Part 8: 35E crossing improvements.
