At an Oct. 21 meeting, Sugar Land City Council accepted a $15.54 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to assist in making the town more walkable.

Zooming in

The $18.65 million Sugar Land trails project will be completed in two phases, with the city required to provide a 20% local match to the grant—a total of $3.11 million, Transportation and Mobility Manager Melanie Beaman said.

Here’s how the project breaks down:

1. Sugar Land Trail Phase 1

• Timeline: January 2026-January 2027
• Location: along the west side of Ditch H from Imperial Park near Matlage Way, traveling under Hwy. 59 and connecting to Phase 2 near the Smart Financial Centre
• Grant: $9.09 million
• Local match: $1.82 million

2. Sugar Land Trail Phase 2

• Status: design to begin in December, construction occurring January 2027-January 2028
• Location: along the north side of Lexington Boulevard between the Smart Financial Centre and Austin Parkway
• Grant: $6.45 million
• Local match: $1.29 million

City officials are also planning a trail connecting Cullinan Park to Gannoway Lake by creating a pedestrian path under Hwy. 6, Beaman said. The trail is currently in design with construction expected to begin in November 2026 and end in February 2027.



Why it matters

The trails projects are a part of the city’s larger Mobility Master Plan adopted in July 2023, which aims to keep the city safe and connected while being inclusive and promoting an active lifestyle, Beaman said.

“A lot of people just think about cars, but not everybody drives, so you have to give people other options to be equitable about transportation,” Beaman previously said. “[We are] working on providing alternatives to the personal automobile, which alleviates traffic congestion and helps the environment ... while getting people where they need to go.”