Bomber rails-to-trails project on track to break ground in west Fort Worth in 2026
Fort Worth residents can expect to see a planned 7-mile trail through the Bomber Heights neighborhood break ground by January after city officials secured millions in funding.
Formerly a railroad line, the Bomber Spur Trail will connect the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River, creating a 26-mile trail system that loops around the west side of Fort Worth.
The trail system will feature crosswalks over major streets and highways, bridges, lighting, benches and bike trails, according to city plans. It will connect communities to other parts of the city, such as the Trinity Trails and local parks, and support public access to schools and jobs.
The project aligns with the city’s goal to create a more connected system between communities, green spaces and natural areas.
Communities across the country have converted abandoned or unused rail systems for recreational use, such as the Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway. The nonprofit Rails to Trails Conservancy reported last year that more than 150 such trail networks were in development nationwide.
The Bomber Spur railroad line was built in the 1940s to transport bombs during World War II from the Air Force Plant 4, known as “The Bomber Plant” — today’s Lockheed Martin — to the former Carswell Air Force Base, now the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.
Plans for converting the line to a trail are broken up into three design phases to allow city officials to acquire funding.
The first phase of the trail will run from Calmont Avenue to just across U.S. 377, which stretches over a mile. About $7.5 million in federal and local funds are going into that phase.
The city will request contracts for construction for that first leg beginning Oct. 7, with construction to potentially begin by January, assistant parks director Joel McElhany said during a Sept. 25 meeting.
This summer the parks staff secured $5.6 million in federal funds and $450,000 in public dollars to stretch from U.S. 377 to the second leg, which runs down to the intersection of State Highway 183 and West Vickery Boulevard.
City staff will consult contractors for the design of the second phase in October, with construction scheduled for completion by April 2028.
Before planning or construction could take place on the first phase of the trail, Fort Worth leaders and their project partners, Streams and Valleys and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, had to track down relations of the original owners of the abandoned strip of land to acquire the property.
The use of the Bomber rail line ceased decades after the war, which reverted property rights to the original landowners, McElhany explained.
Most of the land for the second leg of the trail has been bought, and city officials aim to acquire remaining parcels by April.
The Bomber Spur is also part of the western portion of the North Texas trail system, the 2050 Regional Veloweb, spearheaded by the council of governments, the agency responsible for metropolitan planning and allocating funds to local governments, McElhany added.
As part of the agency’s long-range transportation plan, Mobility 2050, the veloweb will consist of more than 9,500 miles of trails and bike paths across 12 counties in Dallas-Fort Worth, with 1,924 of those miles already in place or funded.
The regional trail system will assist planners in eliminating gaps and creating connections between North Texas cities and counties to address major barriers such as freeways, railroads, and rivers and lakes.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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