Celebrate the opening of Phase 2A of the Northaven Trail and find out what you missed at the ceremony

Neighbors and leaders celebrated the opening of Phase 2A of the Northaven Trail between Preston and Cinderella, Saturday, Feb. 15, at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting. The celebration, which took place across the street from the Semones Family (Town North) YMCA, included a bounce house and an early morning bike ride on the trail. Phases 1, 2B and 2C were previously built.

“We’re fully connected,” said Jeff Kitner, Park and Recreation Board member and president of Friends of the Northaven Trail. “I’m so excited that we have over 8 miles of trail.”

Calvert Collins-Bratton, president of the Park and Recreation Board, told the crowd that the City has 180 miles of park trails. She noted that this trail took more than a decade to execute and was the vision of Lois Finkelman. She also thanked Oncor. “This is their land. This is their easement and they have been a wonderful partner every step of the way. Our economic income studies show that trails have a 50-to-1 return on investment. What matters most is seeing all of the smiles, activity, health and wellness that is happening on this trail.”

City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates said this portion of the trail was the first funded but the most complicated. “We needed a lot of cooperation from churches and schools from Northaven Methodist Church, Grace Methodist Church, Town North YMCA and Good Shepherd,” she said. “There were concerns, but we got it done.”

City Councilman Lee Kleinman noted that this part of the trail was funded 100 percent locally by the City and County of Dallas. “Our city, especially North Dallas, is built out,” he said. “We’re not getting anymore green space. We’re looking for opportunities like this to take an easement and turn it into a park. This is the kind of thinking we need in the future for our citizens.”

Section 2A of the trail is the second to last to be done. The final piece, Phase 1C, will be a bridge over Central Expressway, connecting to trails on the east side — White Rock Trail, Cottonwood Trail, and SoPac. Kleinman told the crowd we can expect this to be finished by June 2021.

Background about the Northaven Trail: The first phase began behind the Jewish Community Center and travels to Preston Road. The second phase is divided into three segments: 2A, 2B and 2C. Phase 2B started at Cinderella (just west of Midway) to Cinderella. Phase 2C ends at Monroe.