The Shortest Distance Between Two Points? A Loud Voice

Friends of Bachman Lake
Apr 21
3 min read

by Ryan Moore

Proposed Improvements to Lombardy Ln. and Webb Chapel Rd.

In early March, Friends of Bachman Lake took a closer look at the City’s Webb Chapel/Lombardy Corridor Study. Those familiar with the struggles to make crossings and streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists in our area know that this has been an ongoing effort. The Webb Chapel and Lombardy thoroughfares represent just a portion of the larger issue of disjointed access and the uneven stitching of community needs and services. We're hopeful things will change for the better.

The Webb Chapel and Lombardy Lane thoroughfares are represented by a red line on a map. The line extends form Harry Hines Boulevard to the west, all the way over Bachman Lake via the Webb Chapel bridge to Shorecrest Drive.

Based on the study’s proposals, the road segments marked in red above could benefit from several major improvements, including:

Enhanced pedestrian crossings at Abernathy Ave., east of Porter Ave., west of Geraldine Dr., and at Fiesta Mart Driveway.
Pedestrian traffic control lights at Chapel Oaks Driveway near the Walmart Driveway.
Shared use paths for the entire stretch from Denton Dr. to Shorecrest Dr.
And the most noticeable change - a lane reduction from the current undivided 4-lane road to a 3-lane road (one lane in each direction separated by a turn lane).

We are most excited about the features that help connect more neighbors to Bachman Lake Park and ensure that the journey to and from the park is safer for everyone. Specifically, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the upgrades to the Webb Chapel bridge between Northwest Highway and Shorecrest Dr. The proposed improvements would convert the 4-lane bridge into 3 lanes - one northbound lane and two southbound lanes (a left and right turn lane). As shown below, this will allow for the construction of a protected shared use path that will complete the Bachman Lake Park Loop Trail and allow comfortable passage for pedestrians and cyclist over the bridge.

An overhead look at the Webb Chapel Bridge between Northwest Highway and Shorecrest Drive. The aqua colored line is the connection of the Bachman Trail betwen the north and south sides using a proposed shared path over the bridge. The red line represents the QT Trail Head under proposal. — An overhead look at the Webb Chapel Bridge between Northwest Highway and Shorecrest Drive

How long have we been raising the Webb Chapel Bridge issue? Here's a quick video we put together ... in 2020.

A video from 2020 showing the challenges for pedestrians and cyclists at the Webb Chapel bridge between Northwest Highway and Shorecrest Drive

The full presentation on the Webb Chapel-Lombardy Corridor study given at the public meeting can be found below (you can scroll through the slides). If you prefer a direct link to the slides, you can find them here.

QT Trailhead

The arrival of QuikTrip at the southeast corner of Northwest Highway and Lemmon Ave. has been more than six years in the making, but plans have finally taken shape!

Construction is expected to start late this year and last approximately 26 weeks. The layout of the area included in the constructions plans below provides the initial vision of what will become our first trailhead for the Bachman Lake Greenbelt.

A design sketch of the southeast corner of Lemmon Avenue and Northwest Highway where a QT Station is being proposed. The agreement includes the creation of a Trailhead to the Bachman Trail that goes under the Lemmon Avenue bridge. There will be landscaping along the sloped sidewalk, a welcome sign and lighting.

Visitors will now be able to park closer than ever to the Greenbelt – providing convenient access to its collection of nature trails. Those in transit from one side of the park to the other will enjoy a newly lit pathway under the Lemmon Avenue bridge to improve visibility and safety. In addition, the path extending from the trailhead will provide a higher quality connection between the Greenbelt and the Backman Lake Loop Trail as well as a rest area with picnic tables, bike racks, and a water fountain.

And let's not forget, there is still work being done to connect the Airport Trail along Lemmon Avenue to the Bachman Trail at Shorecrest. That should be happening this year! We are also advocating for connections to the Campion Trail in Irving and (we can dream, right?) a connection over/under/across Harry Hines to the Frasier Dam Recreational Area at I-35.

We'll definitely need your voices!