GAINESVILLE, Texas — City officials broke ground last week on a $4.6 million pedestrian corridor that will link Gainesville High School to downtown through a connected chain of parks, landmarks, and institutions — all funded by the state, with no construction cost to Gainesville residents.
The project, awarded through the TxDOT Transportation Alternatives (TA) Grant Program, will install more than two miles of new six-foot-wide sidewalk along FM 1306 and West California Street (FM 51), running from Gainesville High School westward through NCTC, past the Frank Buck Zoo, Leonard Park, and Moffett Park, before terminating in the downtown corridor.
"We applied for a grant with TxDOT and were awarded 4.6 million dollars," Mayor Tommy Moore told KTEN at Thursday's groundbreaking. "We didn't really have a way for people to come west of Interstate 35. To enhance our downtown area and to make our city more walkable, this is such an important asset to our community."
The corridor addresses one of the city's long-standing infrastructure gaps: a safe, continuous pedestrian route crossing I-35 and connecting the city's western educational and recreational anchors to its commercial core.
The Route and What It Connects
The new sidewalk will run along two primary corridors:
- FM 1306 — from Gainesville High School south toward the NCTC campus and Frank Buck Zoo
- West California Street (FM 51) — extending east toward Leonard Park, Moffett Park, and downtown
The project also includes upgraded traffic signals and additional pedestrian safety features at key intersections. San Antonio-based Pape-Dawson Engineers designed the project; TxDOT's Wichita Falls District is administering construction.
GISD Superintendent Dr. DesMontes Stewart called the project a direct benefit for students. "Great opportunity for our kids to be able to walk, but from school to home safely," he said.
Zero Cost to Residents
Unlike most large infrastructure projects in Gainesville — which are typically funded through general obligation bonds repaid by taxpayers — the pedestrian corridor carries a 100% state grant, drawn from the federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program administered by TxDOT. The program funds exactly this kind of non-motorized transportation infrastructure.
City Manager Barry Sullivan pointed directly to the grant model as a lesson in long-range planning.
"Projects like this demonstrate the value of taking a long-term approach to infrastructure planning," Sullivan said. "The City identified this need years ago, pursued the opportunity aggressively, and now our current and future residents will benefit from a safer, more connected community without having to shoulder the cost of construction themselves."
The grant was awarded in late 2023. Engineering work began in 2025 with a $500,000 design budget; the remaining $4.3 million covers construction through FY2026 and FY2027. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2027.
Part of a Broader Infrastructure Strategy
The pedestrian corridor is one of the most visible projects in Gainesville's FY2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), adopted by City Council in September 2025. The five-year plan totals $64.09 million across streets, utilities, the airport, and parks.
The corridor aligns directly with Guiding Gainesville 2040 (GG2040), the city's freshly adopted planning suite. The three-plan package — a Comprehensive Plan, Downtown Master Plan, and Parks & Trails Master Plan — was developed over 16 months and fully adopted between January and April 2026.
The Parks & Trails Master Plan, adopted in April 2026, sets a 15-year goal of placing every resident within a 10-minute walk of a public park and creating a connected city-wide network of pedestrian and bicycle routes. The new corridor is among the first physical projects to implement that vision.
Other Major Projects in the CIP
The pedestrian corridor is one of several large investments the city is making simultaneously:
- Street and Utility Maintenance Program (SUMP): A $74.1 million multi-year program rebuilding 175 prioritized streets and utility lines across the city. Ongoing since 2021, funded through a series of general obligation bonds. Wine Street reconstruction (California to Garnett) is the current active front, with major reconstruction projects scheduled in 2028 ($5.6M) and 2030 ($7.8M).
- I-35 North Expansion Utilities: $17.6 million in water and sewer infrastructure supporting development north of Interstate 35, currently underway.
- Airport Runway and Taxiway Reconstruction: $2.8 million to rebuild taxiways at the Gainesville Municipal Airport, 90% funded through TxDOT aviation grants.
Taken together, Gainesville is managing more than $64 million in capital projects over the next five years — a significant investment for a city of roughly 16,000 residents, made possible by bond financing, federal grants, and aggressive pursuit of state transportation funding.
The pedestrian corridor groundbreaking took place June 12, 2026.