Edinburg officials marked the start of work on their hike and bike trail which will serve as an extension of the Hidalgo County Hike & Bike Network.
During a groundbreaking ceremony held Friday morning, officials celebrated the beginning of the first phase of the Freddy Gonzalez Hike & Bike Trail which will include a 10-foot-wide, mile-long concrete hike and bike trail, an 8-foot-wide crushed caliche path, a mile-long protected bike lane, and street restriping, according to a news release issued by the city on Friday.
The second phase will add a two-mile stretch of the 10-foot-wide concrete trail.
The trail, a $1.9 million project, is being partly funded by a $700,000 grant from the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Organization.
The city also partnered with the Hidalgo County Drainage District, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, the city of McAllen, Ebony Hills Golf Club, and H-E-B Park for the project.
The trail is expected to connect to a larger network of trails throughout the county including the Precinct 2 hike and bike trail.
Last month, Hidalgo County Precinct 2 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their inclusive hike and bike trail that provides underground tunnel connections to cities in Hidalgo County so that residents can use the entire trail without having to cross major road intersections, according to a news release issued by the county.
The trail will connect the cities of San Juan and Pharr. The city of Pharr will connect to McAllen’s existing hike and bike trail.
