Frisco approves $2 million for two Panther Creek trail links

Two new Panther Creek trail segments are moving Frisco closer to a continuous bike-and-walk spine on its fast-growing north side, linking Frisco Springs, Preston Road, the PGA area and future development around Fields without forcing residents back into a car.

At its May 5 meeting, Frisco City Council approved an interlocal agreement with Collin County that provides $1,797,000 for the Panther Creek Veloweb Trail. City documents say the project is part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Veloweb and is included in both the city’s and the county’s regional trail master plans. The 0.7-mile segment is planned as a 12-foot-wide connection from Sacaton Trail to Panther Creek Parkway, running east of the BNSF Railroad and through the site of the future Panther Creek Sports Complex.

The route is intended to do more than add recreational mileage. It would tie into the trail network near University Village, the University of North Texas Frisco Campus, the Panther Creek Hike and Bike Trail now under construction, Rogers Settlement Park, future residential and commercial development, and the PGA trail. In a city where neighborhoods, sports destinations and entertainment districts keep spreading north and west, the link gives walkers and cyclists a practical way to move between places that are now separated by rail lines, major roads and construction zones.

Council also approved a second county-funded trail agreement worth $724,295 for a 1.2-mile segment along Panther Creek from Preston Road to the BNSF railroad. That section would connect the Preston Bridge area north of Eldorado Parkway to the existing Frisco Springs Trail and Rogers Settlement Neighborhood Park on the west side of BNSF, north of Eldorado Parkway. City documents say it also would set up future trail corridors northwest toward Fields and PGA Frisco.

Together, the projects account for most of the $3,785,309 in total trail improvements listed by the city. Frisco plans to cover its share with park dedication funds, city bonds and an American Rescue Plan Act grant. City staff also noted the trail work is taking shape alongside a wastewater interceptor and creek stabilization project, which should help knit the corridor together as other infrastructure goes in.

The county money comes through Collin County’s Project Funding Assistance Program, which dates to 1999 and requires a dollar-for-dollar match. County materials say the program, backed by the 2023 parks and open space bond, is aimed at regional trail connectors. Collin County approved a revised Regional Trails Master Plan on Nov. 10, 2025, and commissioners had already backed the Frisco funding recommendation by March 23, 2026. The result is a trail investment that looks less like a park amenity than a new everyday route through one of North Texas’ most rapidly changing corridors.