Several folks have been sending us information about Oncor and their efforts to improve north Texas cities through the creation of hike and bike trails through their transmission rights-of-way. As reported through Pegasus News, the Oncor Texas Trails SM program will produce trails that “will help create pathways that will be integral parts of the communities Oncor serves.”
What does that mean for Richardson since we already have hike and bike trails on Oncor rights-of-way throughout town? Here’s a bit from the Oncor press release:
Oncor has engaged la terra studio, inc., a Dallas-based landscape architectural firm, to assist with developing the design templates for the Oncor Texas Trails projects. In addition, la terra studio will assist with work on the inaugural Oncor Texas Trails project, a hike and bike trail in Richardson. In the coming months, Oncor will work with the City of Richardson to design and complete the landscaping on a portion of Owen’s Trail, an existing trail on a section of Oncor’s transmission right-of-way. As part of the planning, Oncor will work with the City of Richardson to determine how Oncor employees will be able to volunteer their time to be part of this project.
“The Richardson Trail will be the first of many trails that Oncor and its employees will work on to help create a destination for our customers to gather with their friends and family, “said Jackson.
“Oncor has always been an important partner in our community, and its Oncor Texas Trails program will be a very welcome enhancement to our city and our trail system,” said Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel. “We have done a lot of work recently in partnering with local companies and volunteers to create the type of environmental improvements the Oncor Texas Trails program will bring, and we are especially excited to see these improvements focus on the highly used paths which many of our residents enjoy on a daily basis.”
On a personal level, this is great news for me since the Owen’s Trail runs through my neighborhood. I’m also hoping more folks will see these trails as destinations to gather – and not just pass through (and hopefully clean up after their dogs).
