The 2025 plan for the Trinity Trails drew a lighted loop right beside Overton Park. In the Tarrant Regional Water District's January 2025 board packet, the "Overton Lighted Loop" was 1.5 miles of new lighting on the concrete trail, running from Clearfork Main Street around the river. It included a new bridge over the Trinity River and the Overton Diversion Channel. Nearly two years later, that stretch is getting something more modest first. In September the district approved painted center lines, slow zones and edge stripes for the Clear Fork. The lighting proposal that TRWD put out for comment on October 27 covers a 3.3-mile section farther north.
For anyone who uses the trail below Tanglewood for an early run, a dog walk after work or a Saturday ride toward the Clearfork trailhead, the work will come in that order: paint first, with the lighting proposal that is now on the table starting farther upstream.
What reaches the Clear Fork first
On September 15, 2026, the TRWD board approved a contract with Linear Traffic Markings LLC for trail striping on the Clear Fork, capped at $301,424.30. The minutes record five votes in favor and none against. The agenda item lists three kinds of markings:
- A center stripe, both solid and dashed
- Enhanced slow and safe zones in congested areas
- Edge striping near hazards
The Clear Fork goes first because of the district's own sequencing. The same agenda item calls this contract "the first phase" of signage and striping planned for the whole Trinity Trails system and for Marine Creek Lake. Three firms responded to the request for proposals, and the board's Recreation Committee reviewed the item on September 8. When TRWD described the master plan in February 2025, it listed the striping phases in this order: Clear Fork, then Lower West Fork, then Upper West Fork.
The budget behind the striping is larger than the contract. TRWD set aside $500,000 from its FY2026 General Fund and another $500,000 from FY2027. The Linear Traffic Markings contract uses roughly $301,000 of that $1 million. That leaves money in the same line for later phases downstream.
Where the lighting sits on paper now
The lighted loop at Overton had a defined scope and funding behind it. In August 2025, TRWD management put before the board a contract of up to $234,385 for Baird, Hampton & Brown to handle design and construction services. That work covered lighting and supplemental safety features, trail and trailhead access improvements, and tree planting. The master plan estimated $1,345,500 for the Overton Lighted Loop and another $650,000 for a separate "Overton Crossing."
The district's FY2027 budget workshop packet describes a slower schedule. It refers to "the continuation of the Trinity Lighted Loop on the Clear Fork" and says that "although the FY26 budget included funding for the Trinity Lighted Loop project, the project timeline was extended and the remaining work is re-budgeted in FY27."
The most recent public description came on October 27, when TRWD asked trail users for feedback on the proposed Trinity Lighted Loop. Here is how the two descriptions compare:
| Overton Lighted Loop, 2025 master plan | Trinity Lighted Loop, October 2026 release | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 1.5 miles | 3.3 miles |
| Endpoints | Clearfork Main Street, around the river and Overton Diversion Channel | Phyllis J. Tilley Pedestrian Bridge to Mistletoe Heights Pedestrian Bridge |
| New bridge | Shown over the Trinity River and diversion channel | Not described |
| Status | Design contract before the board in August 2025 | Preliminary plans under TRWD review |
| Next milestones | Construction forecast for 2026 in the 2025 staff estimate | Final plans in January 2027, then bidding, then construction in spring 2027 |
The October release says the project is meant to help "pedestrians, cyclists, and other trail users traveling the area during dusk and dawn hours." It also traces the loop back to two of the master plan's strategic initiatives: "Safety & Security Enhancements" and "Continue Trail Development and Key Connections." Overton was one of three lighted loops the master plan recommended. The other two were at the Westworth Village crossing and at Riverside.
The hours already on the books
The lighting plan was tied to trail hours, so the current hours matter. TRWD's posted hours for the Trinity Trails are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and leashed dogs are welcome. Overton Park at 3500 Overton Park Dr. East follows the City of Fort Worth's schedule, which is 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The park covers 48.68 acres and has trails, a playground, a tennis court and pet stations. As posted, the park opens an hour before the trail it borders.
The 2025 master plan proposed a third schedule. In TRWD's February 2025 account, new trail lights would likely run from dusk to 10 p.m. and from 4 a.m. to dawn, "matching the proposed hours of operation of the floodway." The posted 6 a.m. trail opening and the proposed 4 a.m. lighting window are two hours apart, which bears directly on winter use, when mornings stay dark. At the time, the district was also testing solar-powered "smart" poles with emergency call boxes, working with Plano-based Green Frog Systems. The trail advocacy group SAFE + Happy Trails had donated two poles to that testing program.
The November 24 window
TRWD set a deadline for comments on the proposed Trinity Lighted Loop. Trail users can send feedback to [email protected] through Tuesday, November 24. The district says it wants to know whether the proposal meets the needs raised during the master plan process, and it also accepts general comments on the plans. The full 2025 Trinity Trails and Floodway Recreation Master Plan is linked from that release. It includes the Overton material and the striping phases.
The window closes the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Because the final plans are due in January 2027, comments sent in November reach the project before the design is locked.
The trail calendar from here to New Year's
The trail will be busy in the coming weeks under the current daylight hours. The 20th Annual Fort Worth Marathon Festival on November 7 and 8 used a course its organizers describe as passing "scenic stretches along the Trinity River, Overton Park, and the Colonial area." The rest of the season looks like this:
- November 20 through January 3, 2027. Christmas in the Garden runs at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, according to Visit Fort Worth's holiday guide.
- Thanksgiving morning, November 26. The CRC Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk starts from Trinity Park Pavilion 3. The half begins at 7:30 a.m., the mile at 7:35 and the 5K at 8:00. Pre-event prices are $80 for the half, $45 for the 5K and $40 for the mile, each plus a registration fee, and prices go up on race day. Downtown, the YMCA Turkey Trot starts at General Worth Square, with the 1K Gobbler Trot at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K and 8K at 8:30. Strollers and dogs are welcome, and the Y says all proceeds fund scholarships for local families.
- Saturday, December 5. The free Clearfork Holiday Market runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Shops at Clearfork, 5188 Monahans Ave., with Santa visits and live music on the lawn. Frost is the title sponsor. That day only, the weekly farmers market moves to the Plaza.
- Christmas morning, December 25. The Cox Running Club Christmas Day 10K, 5K and 1 Mile starts at Trinity Park Pavilion 1, 2300 W. 7th St. The mile begins at 8:00 a.m., the 10K at 8:20 and the 5K at 8:30. Early registration runs from $25 to $35 depending on distance and deadline, and race-day entry is $50 for every distance.
On ordinary days, the trailhead closest to the planned Overton loop is The Trailhead at Clearfork at 4801 Edwards Ranch Road. Its tenants are the Clearfork Farmers Market, Bike Mart in Suite 125 and Press Cafe. Farther along the river, Woodshed Smokehouse sits at 3201 Riverfront Drive. The trailhead also marks one end of the 1.5-mile loop the master plan drew at Clearfork Main Street, the part of the plan that still lists Overton by name.
The Clear Fork near Overton Park is part of what makes Tanglewood feel the way it does, and how it changes affects anyone with a stake in the neighborhood. If you want to talk through how projects like this affect a home you own or one you are considering nearby, Raleigh Green and our team are glad to share what we are following on the river and around it. Request a private consultation whenever you are ready.
