A sizeable crowd gathered Thursday night at the Bush Convention Center in Midland as local officials provided details on a proposed 19-mile, $55 million asphalt trail that would allow bicyclists and runners to safely travel between Odessa and Midland.
No less than 80% of the Permian Basin Wildcatters Trail would be paid for by the federal government through Texas Department of Transportation grants, said Cameron Walker, executive director of the Permian Basin Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The trail will be built in phases starting on both ends and meeting in the middle. The hope is for construction to begin in 2025 and for the entire project to be completed in six or seven years.
It’s estimated it would cost $225,000-$248,000 a year to maintain during its first six years.
Walker told the crowd the MPO began applying for state funding for a bicycle pedestrian corridor in 2018 after several fatal crashes.
According to media reports, at least three cyclists and five pedestrians were killed in Midland alone that year, including pediatrician Dr. Brandey Ackerman.
By May 2019, the MPO had nine possible versions of the corridor.
At that time, Dunaway Associates was hired to determine which of the corridors was the best.
“Now we’ve got a completed document that we’re all proud of and your communities are behind it,” Walker said.
Both communities applied for Texas Department of Transportation funding to pay for two pieces of the project, one on the west side of Odessa and the other on the east side of Midland.
“TxDOT in early March approved the preliminary funding package that was sent to them and the onus now is upon both cities to put together a bit more detail on where the trail ends, where it goes, how much material is involved and what’s the real cost of it is,” Walker said.
Those details are due to TxDOT by June 5 and once that occurs Walker said the decision makers in Austin will compare the project with others statewide. If approved, the project would receive $12 million in October.
Additional TxDOT grants could then be sought every two years.
“I’m convinced we’ll fare very well. Traditionally, West Texas has not applied for money such as this so I believe our chances are supremely good,” he said.
Tim Hair, regional executive for Dunaway Associates, a Midland civil engineering company, said his company looked at all nine proposed corridors and scored them based on a number of factors including connectivity, accessibility and safety.
They also conducted an online survey and put together a steering committee comprised of city and county officials, UTPB representatives, both chambers of commerce, both economic development corporations, ONCOR, TxDOT and federal highways, Hair said.
The group ultimately decided on a trail that will run from UTPB in Odessa to Scharbauer Sports Complex in Midland. It’ll be 10-feet of asphalt with one foot of concrete on each side, Hair said.
The hope is the trail will be separated from vehicles and in areas where that’s not feasible, they’d like to put up barriers, he said.
Hair said his company spent a lot of time working with MPO and Diamondback Energy on the best way for the trail to cross pipelines and lease roads and avoid fences.
As far as intersections, Midland Mayor Lori Blong said there could be pedestrian bridges, crosswalks or tunnels depending upon each specific intersection.
There will be two different types of trailheads, one with parking and the other that will provide neighborhood access, Hair said.
Along the trail there’d be shade pavilions, restrooms, bike racks, drinking fountains, seating areas, information kiosks, public art, emergency call boxes and wayfinding signage.
Odessa Mayor Javier Joven said all of the stars are aligned and both city councils are ready to do this.
“These communities are now committed to making this happen. This is not something that we’re dog and pony show. This is not political. This is a necessity,” Joven said.
Blong acknowledged there are naysayers who are concerned about the expense involved in purchasing right-of-ways, circumventing pipelines and actually constructing the trail.
“(But) how do you eat an elephant? You eat it one bite at a time and so that’s how we’re going to be able to attack this,” Blong said.
Other grant funding could also be sought for the project and local residents can choose to donate through UTPB and the City of Midland’s Parks Foundation, Blong said.
Odessa Councilmember Mark Matta said he didn’t want the crowd leaving thinking it’s going to be another two years before they even break ground on the project.
“Think, ‘Man in two years we’re gonna break ground on this and it’s gonna be something great’ because if we don’t start now then it’s just going to be delayed and delayed even more and more,” Matta said. “This is the start of something great so let’s keep this momentum going.”
Thursday’s meeting started with a video put together by the City of Odessa featuring Joven, Blong, UTPB President Sandra Woodley and Fidel Ruvalcaba, who spent three months hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle while bicycling back to Midland from Odessa in February 2017.
Ruvalcaba spent time in a medically induced coma and lost a leg in the crash.
The crowd also heard from avid cyclists Cliff Coleman and Landy Atkins, who spoke at length about the need to provide a safe corridor for bicyclists, runners and walkers, but about the tremendous impact such a trail would have on residents’ quality of life.
Atkins cited a recent Bloomberg story that said Midland is the last place many workers want to live and is seriously underfunded.
“Bloomberg wrote an article talking about Midland and this whole area. It wasn’t very good. It was quoted as the city that refuses to invest in itself. Ouch. Not what we want to hear. That hurts. We want better for our community, for our citizens, for ourselves, for our kids growing up here. In every category,” Atkins said.
A CEO was quoted as asking how he’s supposed to grow his company in a city that struggles growing itself, Atkins said.
“People in the Permian Basin deserve better. We want better. The young families moving in here, they want a better quality of life. Increased wages are great, it’s what built this area. It’s not enough for the young families we’re bringing in and we want to continue to bring in,” Atkins said. “Quality of life is at the top of their list on what they’re looking for. A lot of these families and a lot of these people are taking jobs in other cities, it might even be for less because they want a better quality of life.”
