Denton - February 2026

Transportation

BY GABBY BAILEY & ADAM DOE

Southeast Denton Area Plan lays out sidewalk upgrades

“[The project] involved the establishment of an ocial steering committee comprising of southeast Denton community members, as well as over 40 public engagement opportunities [for community feedback],” Denton Senior Planner Mia Hines said. In the 1920s, the city forcibly relocated Quakertown residents, a predominantly Black community, to southeast Denton, destroying nearly 70 homes in the process, city documents state. Looking ahead Funding has not been assigned to this project yet. Funding will be determined with Denton City Council, and grants could provide additional funding, city sta said. Herrod said area plans typically begin several years after the city’s approval.

lanes could enhance connectivity and safety. These include East McKinney, East Hickory, South Rud- dell, East Sycamore, East Prairie, Robertson and Morse streets. Many of these street locations are also high areas of vehicular crashes. Between 2018-23, there were 2,561 people involved in car crashes in southeast Denton, with 27 of those being pedestrians, according to crash data from the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation. Crashes on McKinney Street accounted for nearly 20% of those accidents, and East Hickory, Morse, Lakey and Duncan streets were also commonly cited crash sites. Some context City sta developed the Southeast Denton Area Plan in March 2023 to improve resident quality of life and rebuild community trust.

Top vehicular crash sites & current sidewalk conditions

Planned bike & pedestrian improvements Existing shared street Future sidepath Proposed separated bike lane Future trail Key:

Key:

Excellent

Very good/ good

Fair/ marginal

Poor/ very poor

N/A

Existing sidepath

Existing trail

High crash point sites

CRAWFORD ST.

M C K I N N E Y S T .

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OAK ST.

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Denton ocials are working to improve safe walkability in south- east Denton with the Southeast Denton Area Plan, a guide for future improvements and capital projects that includes updated sidewalks. City sta conducted a study and compiled their ndings in a July 2024 report, which showed the need for improved mobility in the area. In October, a special overlay district was recommended by Denton’s planning and zoning committee, which would implement specic design guidelines. Zooming in Southeast Denton’s perimeter is a

solid barrier of industrial buildings and busy streets that, combined with a lack of sidewalks and bike facilities, make it dicult or impossible for res- idents to safely walk or bike past the edges of the community, according to the report. There is also a lack of sidewalks heading to southeast Denton city parks. Kayla Herrod, Denton’s deputy director of marketing and commu- nications, said city sta created a map of areas where they want to see sidewalk infrastructure improvement. The plan highlights several streets where adding sidewalks and bike

WOODROW LN.

HICKORY ST.

BELL AVE.

EXPOSITION ST.

OAK ST.

SYCAMORE ST.

BRADSHAW ST.

AVENUE S.

PRAIRIE ST.

LAKEY ST.

MARTIN ST.

WILSON ST.

NEWTON ST.

WILSON ST.

BUSHEY ST.

EAGLE DR.

MORSE ST.

INDUSTRIAL ST.

ALEXANDER ST.

RUTH ST.

Denton

PARK LN.

WILLOW SPRINGS DR.

SMITH ST.

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LEWISVILLE HIGHLAND 1151 FM 407 (469) 630-6306 DENTON 2315 Colorado Blvd (940) 243-2929