Progress with a capital P is being made on a trail being constructed in the Pleasant Grove area in southeast Dallas. Called the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, it'll be a nine-mile corridor open to pedestrians and bicycles that connects the Great Trinity Forest to White Rock Lake.

According to a release, the project — which began construction in 2021 — has completed phase one, which extends from Lake June Bridge to Roosevelt Heights / 2nd Avenue (along US-175).

Huzzah.

The project was initiated by the Dallas Park and Recreation Department in collaboration with The Loop Dallas, a city-wide bike and pedestrian active transportation system that will join 39 miles of existing trails in Dallas with 11 miles of newly built trails.

The second phase of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail is currently underway, to create a parkland corridor for Pleasant Grove residents on both sides of US-175. This multi-phase endeavor will be completed in five phases.

To recap: Phase one done, phase two started, three more to go.

In 2015, Pleasant Grove was earmarked as one of 12 high-need zones for parkland.

“One of the most exciting features of this portion of the new Trinity Forest Spine Trail is the one-mile elevated trail alongside US-175, ensuring that underserved neighbors in Southern Dallas gain access to safe and continuous trail experiences,” says The Loop Dallas chairman Jeff Ellerman in a statement.

The Trinity Forest Spine Trail, along with the revamped Lake June Road bridge, will integrate with existing trails such as the AT&T Trail and Trinity Forest Trail — linking Pleasant Grove to the Lake June DART Station and eventually White Rock Lake, as well as serving as a link for pedestrians west of US-175.

Connecting communities is the big theme, one that has drawn an investment of $10 million from Dallas County as well as funding from sources including a RAISE Grant, City of Dallas, TxDOT, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

“The main purpose of The Loop Dallas is to provide multimodal transportation options to the residents of greater Dallas throughout the whole area," says Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel in a statement.