The rain did not dampen the spirits of those in attendance for the opening of the Cottonwood Trail on Friday, May 20th.

With the completion of a small portion of the trail in Lake Highlands, 35 contiguous miles of trail are now open.

That means the public can now hike and bike from downtown Dallas, near the American Airlines Center, all the way to Plano.

With the various trails connected, they now serve as a viable alternative transportation system.

The planning started in 2004 when former acting Mayor Mary Poss met with County Commissioner Maurine Dickey regarding the portion of the trail going under the High Five interchange at LBJ and Central Expressway.

Construction plans did not include the trail and, had the interchange been built without it, there would have been no way to add a trail afterwards.

Although hundreds of people are credited for making it all possible, Poss and Dickey were the two the most instrumental in making this dream become a reality.

Poss served as the mistress of ceremonies and gave thanks to the numerous people and organizations that worked together to make completion of the trail possible.

She expressed regret that the comprehensive list she read could not include each and every individual involved in the undertaking.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by an inaugural bike ride that included Commissioner Dickey participating on her bike.

Refreshments were graciously provided by the ladies of Hamilton Park.

The final section of the trail opened in Lake Highlands Councilmember Jerry Allen’s district, while Councilmember Linda Koop was a key player with the High Five section addition.

Both Allen and Koop were in attendance, along with Councilmember Ann Margolin, who has a key portion of the trail opening in her district in the future.

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To learn more about the Cottonwood Trail click here.

The Cottonwood Trail connects the Preston Ridge Trail to the White Rock Creek Trail, which connects to the Katy Trail and the Mockingbird Extension of the Katy Trail.

Together the Katy Trail, the White Rock Creek Trail, the Preston Ridge Trail and the Cottonwood Trail now total 35 miles.

Photo: (bottom left) Dallas City Councilmembers Ann Margolin and Jerry Allen with Richardson City Councilmember Mark Solomon

photos courtesy of Deborah Brown