East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth to get $20 million upgrade, city asking public for input
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth has received a $20 million boost to help revitalize a section of the city along East Lancaster, and they are asking the public for input.
The federal grant money is a part of a larger Eastside Transportation Plan.
"We’re going past some of the fast food joints where you’d pop in to get dinner back in the day. You had the K-Mart over here on the right side that my grandmother and I used to go to and my mom," said Kelly Porter, the Assistant Director of Transportation & Public Works.
Porter grew up in Fort Worth and remembers when East Lancaster Avenue was bustling with major retail stores, restaurants and more.
He now heads up the city's Division of Public Works that handles regional transportation and innovation.
That means overseeing the $20 million federal grant to help reverse decades of decline and urban blight.
"The signal lights might have next-generation traffic signals. They could be ‘machine-learning’ so they can understand the patterns of the street," said Porter.
Enhancements will include a modern travel design with bicycle and pedestrian-friendly features.
The ultimate goal of the project is to attract a return of major business to the area.
"So that folks can actually live and work in the area, do their shopping in the area, go to dinner in the area, feel safe to get to destinations on Lancaster," said Porter.
Thanks to the grant and a partnership with TxDOT and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, East Lancaster Avenue is on the road to recovery.
"It makes me very excited," said Porter. "It’s a real blessing to be able to come back and work in the community that you love so much."
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Porter says the high-tech future of East Lancaster could include enhancements like the ability to access real-time transit information while connection with WiFi.
Improvements could begin as early as this Fall.
A public survey is accepting input until the end of this month.
You can give your opinions here.