Periodic closures of the Trinity Trails near Bryant-Irvin

This is from the latest update from the NTTA on the Chisolm Trail Parkway construction:

Users of the Trinity Trails should expect intermittent closures on the south side of the river, just east of Bryant Irvin Road beginning Monday, Dec. 10. A flagger will be available to direct users of the trails around the construction activities. This work is expected to last through February 2013.

Trinity Trails Detour This Weekend Oct 13-14, 2012

From Trinity River Vision on Facebook:

Attention Trinity Trail users! There will be a small reroute on the trails today through Sunday for Ranch Bash. Trail access will remain continuous and there will be plenty of signs directing you where to go. Please let us know if you have any questions!

The area indicated on the map is at the confluence of the 2 forks of the Trinity River near downtown.  Here's a link to the area on Google Maps.

Basically, from the map, it looks like the trail will be routed up on the levee for the distance in green.

Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge Dedication Saturday

The new bridge in Trinity Park connecting the Trinity Trails to downtown Fort Worth will be dedicated this Saturday, August 25.  The unique bridge is a stressed ribbon bridge, that is pretty rare in the US.

The dedication will include a ribbon cutting followed by a Picnic Celebration featuring live music, air boat rides and river entertainment.

The dedication is free and open to the public, the picnic is catered and a picnic basket for two is $100.

Find more information at Streams & Valleys.

Rockin' The River, along the Trinity Trails this Summer

Rockin' the River is back again this year.

For trail users, be aware that the downtown trail head and junction with the 3 main branches of the trial will be crowded with people during these events.

Once again this year, admission is free.  Bring your raft or tube for river tubing (tube rental is $5).  Beer is $2.50/can (no outside drinks allowed).  Also, free coolers; no outside coolers allowed.  Fred's Truck Wagon will be there for food.

The gates will open at 4pm, the opening act will be at 5pm and the headliner will be at 6:30.  The event will shut down at dark.

Here's the schedule of bands that will be playing on the Panther Island Pavilion (opening acts in parenthesis):

June 7:  Six Market Blvd (with Matt Kimbrow)
June 14:  Josh Weathers & the True Endeavors (with Mike Ryan)
June 21: Cory Morrow Band (with Steve Helms)
June 28:  No Justice (with Clay Wilson Band)
July 12:  Bart Crow (with Mockingbird Sun)
July 19:  Eleven Hundred Springs (with Maren Morris)
July 26:  Dirty River Boys (with Whiskey Folk Ramblers)
August 2:  Ryan Turner (with Charla Corn)
August 9: Johnny Cooper (with Statesboro Revue)

More info here.

Omni Fort Worth to Start Bike Program for Guests

We get a lot of emails from folks coming to Fort Worth on business who are interested in renting bikes to ride on the Trinity Trials.  I direct them to Trinity Bicycles.  The Omni Hotel in Fort Worth has also noticed the demand for this service and have teamed up with Trinity Bicyles to offer bikes to their guests.

The Omni is calling it their "Trinity Trails Bicycle Program."  Starting May 1, 2012, on a first come first served basis, guests can check out a bike, along with a helmet, water bottle, lock and a map of the Trinity Trails.  The free program is only for guests 18 and over, only during daylight hours. Guests must sign a waiver and supply a driver's license.  Omni Fort Worth guests should see the Concierge to participate.

This is a great idea that will hopefully encourage more out of town guests to discover our Trinity Trails.

Closure of Trailhead near Main Gate of NAS Fort Worth

UPDATE:  The trailhead is open again.  At least for now.  I would not count on it being open permanently based on the statement from TRWD below.  All the fencing and airplane parts are still there, but today the gate across the driveway was open.  The unpredictability is unfortunate for those at the base that run or ride to the trailhead, but for those who drive there, it is worth checking to see if it is open.  We'll update this space if we get more info.  Read the original post for more info....

I've heard from many of you regarding the closure of the trailhead on Pumphrey Drive near the Main Gate of NAS Fort Worth JRB (Naval Air Station Fort Worth, formerly Carswell).

In short, the trailhead is being improved and will not reopen until late Fall of 2012.

Here's the rest of the story... When it reopens, this trailhead will be called "Airfield Falls Trailhead" after the waterfall (Airfield Falls) that can be found just a short distance down the trail from the trailhead. According to Rachel Navejar at the TRWD:

"We have closed the area soon to be called Airfield Falls Trailhead until construction of the trailhead is complete. This also assists us with security of the recently acquired airplane wings and tail section which will be incorporated into the trailhead depicting the rich history of the NASJRB, Lockheed and the bomber plant in Fort Worth. With our current schedule we hope to open the Airfield Falls Trailhead by late fall."

According to a Facebook page for the Airfield Falls Trailhead that was set up by Trinity River Vision, the Navy C-9 tail section that is currently on site will be used as a shade structure for the new trailhead.  Currently the wings have also been delivered to the site.

Navejar also mentioned that there is a sign indicating other ways to access Airfield Falls, but as you can see in the photos below, it is difficult to get close enough to this sign to read it as the new fence runs right alongside Pumphrey Drive.  One recommendation on the sign is to access the trail from the trailhead at White Settlement and Isbell Rd., but this is a 3 miles from the Falls.  A closer access point is where the trail crosses under 183/River Oaks Blvd.

The airplane parts currently stored at the site are fenced seperately from the fence that is blocking access to the trailhead, so I wonder why it is necessary, at least at this point, to prevent access to the trail.  This is especially curious since one can access the trailhead area, all the way up to the other side of the fence along Pumphrey drive, from the trail itself.

Navy C-9 tail fin and fence across entrance to the trailhead.

Closed trailhead; showing tailfin and sign with information on other trailheads to access the water fall.

Artist rendering of the 'shade structure' for the trailhead.

Trail "Detour" sign.  Unfortunately, it can't really be seen (not safely anyway) when the trail is closed.  :(

Airfield Falls from the Trinity Trails. 

Chisholm Trail Tollway Construction Over Trinity Trails at Hulen This Week

Per the latest update from the NTTA:

Beams for the CTP and new Hulen Street bridge structures will be delivered this week near the intersection of the Trinity Trails and Hulen Street. The trails will remain open while this work is being performed. Flagmen will be on hand to direct users of the trails.

Chisholm Toll Road Construction Will Not Affect Trinity Trails

... at least according to the NTTA.

In their latest e-mail update about construction progress on the Chisholm Trail Parkway, the NTTA has stated that the construction for the toll road will not affect the Trinity Trails.

Since the e-mail update (dated Feb 6, 2012) is not archived online yet, here is the complete text of their statement relating to the Trinity Trails:

Construction will not affect Trinity Trails

As construction progresses on the Chisholm Trail Parkway, plans call for work near the Trinity Trails. During construction, the trails will be open during normal operational hours (5 a.m. - 10 p.m.). However, at night, when the trails are closed, there will be times when they are blocked so that crews can continue construction for the proposed CTP bridges.

The Trinity Trails are a popular destination for hikers, bikers and joggers. Consisting of more than 40 miles, the trails connect to 21 parks and several Fort Worth landmarks, including the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, Fort Worth Zoo, downtown Fort Worth and the historic Stockyards

Safety precautions will be taken along the trails that are impacted by construction including lighting, safety fence and temporary detours as needed.

Final scheduling of work near the trail will be determined in the coming weeks.

New Trinity Trails Signage

The Tarrant Regional Water District has erected some new signs along the Trinity Trails.

This sign is located at the far south-west end of the Trinity Trails in Benbrook:

According to a Trinity River Vision Authority blog post, this is Phase 1 of new sign implementation. Phase 2 will "focus on directional signage for trail users. This will include mile markers, street identification signs and trail maps."