Willow Park Parks and Recreation applies for two TxDOT grants.
- Manager
- May 21
- 7 min read
Summary: Since last year, Parks Director Mandy McCarley and City Engineer Gretchen Vazquez have been working on two grant proposals to improve City hike and bike transportation. The first 80/20 proposal is for King's Gate Road east-side sidewalk from King's Gate Park to Meadow Place Drive, and for Meadow Place Drive bike lanes from W. Jockey to I-20 Frontage Road. And the second 80/20proposal is a more comprehensive plan to connect and improve the hike and bike trails of Willow Park.
• Note: Willow Park Civics is about Willow Park but is NOT associated with or managed by the City of Willow Park.
Willow Park Parks and Recreation applies for two TxDOT grants.
Since last year, Parks Director Mandy McCarley and City Engineer Gretchen Vazquez have been working on two grant proposals to improve City hike and bike transportation.
In April 2025, the City received "positive feedback after the exploratory first-step preliminary application" [1], and the City is now developing two, more detailed applications to earn the two, 80/20 grants from the Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT. During the 13 May 2025 Council Meeting [1] and the 06 May 2025 Parks Board Meeting [2], the City presented details of its work on the two TxDOT grants.
The first proposal, (detailed in Agenda Item 11 of the 13 May 2025 Council Meeting) is for a King's Gate Road east-side sidewalk from King's Gate Park to Meadow Place Drive, and for Meadow Place Drive bike lanes from W. Jockey to I-20 Frontage Road. This project also includes ADA cross walks and pedrestian-crossing lights and signs. [1]
As discussed by the Parks Board during their 06 May 2025 Parks Board Meeting, this project also includes turning the "Park Pit" [3] opposite the Kings Gate Park parking lot, into an additional parking lot.
The second proposal, (detailed in Agenda Item 12 of the 13 May 2025 Council Meeting [1]) is a more comprehensive plan to connect and improve the hike and bike trails of Willow Park; it "provides funding for the development of planning documents to assist communities of any size in developing non- motorized transportation networks," which includes fixing broken sidewalks, getting ADA compliant street corners, and safe routes to the school. [4]
“It’ll be a city-wide, all-inclusive, comprehensive plan... We’re trying to connect all active transportation elements, which include pedestrian, bicycle, micromobility,” Vazquez said. [4]
Funding for the two TxDOT grants "estimated at $290,000 for the first application and $384,000 for the second application", will be covered 80% by the TxDOT grants and 20% by the City of Willow Park. [4]
“The engineering funds are reimbursable,” Grimes said. “Our match would be 80,000, 90,000, wherever that number ends up being, we can budget for that in the next fiscal year. We also have that in reserves.”[4]
The deadline for the detailed applications to be submitted is June, with awards being announced in October. [1, 2, 4]
Willow Park Civics Sources and Resources
[1] 13 May 2025 Council Meeting, Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 10 May 2025,
• Agenda Item 11. Discussion and Action to Approve Resolution No. 2025-05 Supporting the City of Willow Park’s Active Transportation Plan application to TXDOT 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) Call for Projects. [Includes Agenda Item 12.]
• Background:
The City of Willow Park is applying for a Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) grant sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) which provides funding for development of preliminary engineering (plans, specifications, estimates and environmental documentation) and construction of pedestrian and/or bicycle infrastructure.
A resolution is required as part of the detailed application. The resolution declares local support for the project and the city’s commitment to developing, managing, maintaining, and financing the project.
This Call for Projects features a two-step application process, and staff received positive feedback after the exploratory first-step preliminary application. The second, more detailed application deadline is June 20, 2025.
The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside funding program is an 80/20 match, where the city would be responsible for 20% of the cost of the project. The city would also be responsible for all non-reimbursable costs and 100% of overruns, if any.
Awards are anticipated to be announced October 2025.
• Exhibits:
• Type: Pedestrian
• Improvements - Sidewalk & Bicycle
• Improvements - Bike Lanes
• Length Sidewalk: FEET: 300
• Length Bike Lane: FEET: 9,300
• Limits:
• King's Gate Road Sidewalk - King's Gate Park to Meadow Place Drive
• Meadow Place Drive Bike Lanes - W. Jockey to I-20 frontage road
• Costs
• Design Engineering $ 49,500.00
• Surveying $10,000.00
• Environmental $16,400.00
• Total Design Costs: $75,900.00
• Total Project (Const.+ Design) $384,755.00
[@ 20% for City of Willow Park = $76,951.00]
• Agenda Item 12. Discussion and Action to Approve Resolution 2025-06 Supporting Application to the TXDOT Transportation’s 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) Call for Projects. #Streets #Parks [Included Agenda Item 11.]
• Background:
The City of Willow Park is applying for a Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) grant sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) which provides funding for the development of planning documents to assist communities of any size in developing non- motorized transportation networks.
A resolution is required as part of the detailed application. The resolution declares local support for the project and the city’s commitment to the project’s development, financing, management, adoption and implementation of completed planning documents.
This Call for Projects features a two-step application process, and staff received positive feedback after the exploratory first-step preliminary application. The second, more detailed application deadline is June 20, 2025.
The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside funding program is an 80/20 match, where the city would be responsible for 20% of the cost of the project. The city would also be responsible for all non-reimbursable costs and 100% of overruns, if any.
Awards are anticipated to be announced October 2025.
• Exhibits:
[2] 06 May 2025 Parks Board Meeting, Agenda Item 5 TxDOT Transportation Alternative Application
• Willow Park Civics Notes:
• Gretchen Vazquez, City Engineer, and Mandy McCarley, Director of Parks and Recreation, working together on two TxDOT grants
• includes
• bike lanes from W. Jockey to I-20 Frontage Road [see map]
• continue sidewalk along Meadow Place Drive south side, left and along Kings Gate Road to Kings Gate Park Parking lot and then cross walk. [see map]
• #2 ADA compliant cross walks and lights
• No Background or Exhibits
• Willow Park Civics Research
• TxDOT >
• 2025 Transportation Alternatives > Brochure
On January 3, 2025, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT or the department) announced a statewide Call for Projects for the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) program (including available and anticipated future funds) for bicyclist and pedestrian infrastructure and planning.
TxDOT’s 2025 TA Call for Projects features a two-step application process described in this program guide.
Deadline to Submit DA: June 20, 2025
[3] The Park Pit... and recent activity across from Kings Gate Park in Willow Park. Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 16 April, 2025
The "Park Pit" was the nickname of the hole across from Kings Gate Park, now filled with construction debris. The Park Pit became a City issue in 2016, when the City Council decided to trade the "pocket park Lot 5" in Meadow Place Estates One, for a large hole filled with water, across from the Wilks Development. Michelle Guelker, Assistant City Manager of Operations, continues the Park Pit history of construction debris. Details in linked blog.
[4] 13 May 2025 Council Meeting Review by The Community News, 16 May 2025 Online Edition, Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 19 May 2025
Parks Director Mandy McCarley and city engineer Gretchen Vazquez presented applications to obtain federal funding through a Transportation Alternatives (TA) grant provided by TXDOT for transportation improvements including bike lanes and crosswalks.
“It’ll be a city-wide, all-inclusive, comprehensive plan,” Vazquez said.
According to the resolution briefing, the approval of these applications is needed to show the city’s “commitment to the project’s development, financing, management, adoption and implementation of completed planning documents.”
McCarley explained how one of the applications includes improvements to alternate travel including fixing broken sidewalks, getting ADA compliant street corners and safe routes to the school.
“We’re trying to connect all active transportation elements, which include pedestrian, bicycle, micromobility,” Vazquez said.
The other application is regarding the intersection at Meadow Place Drive and Kings Gate Road. McCarley said that through multiple discussions it is an unsafe crossing with dead end sidewalks and high traffic.
“Our proposition to TxDOT was to add bike lanes on Meadow Place to connect that hopefully through as our subdivisions grow that way,” she said.
Along with the bike lanes, the plan also includes adding a crosswalk, ADA compliant corners and streetlights for the intersection.
If approved, the funding for these plans through TxDOT would be an 80/20 split with the city paying 20 percent of the estimated $290,000 for the first application and $384,000 for the second application. City Manager Bryan Grimes explained how the city would obligate the engineering funds for this project if approved knowing the city would be paid back by either TxDOT or federal funding.
“The engineering funds are reimbursable,” Grimes said. “Our match would be 80,000, 90,000, wherever that number ends up being, we can budget for that in the next fiscal year. We also have that in reserves.”
Contreras said it sounded like a good deal for the city if they were to get federal funding for the project.
“It seems like a great thing for such a little cost for us to have something where we can have the people with a disability to get onto the sidewalk to cross the road safely,” he said.
The deadline for the detailed applications to be sent in is June, with awards being announced in October.
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