Construction has started on the second phase of Katy Boardwalk District’s 2.3-mile outer loop trail, one of the project’s four trail experiences, while work nears completion on the first of three roadways into the property with the second starting in September.

The phase-two trail project includes the build out of a 1.15-mile path consisting of paved trails lined with native trees and landscape, wood-type boardwalk paths and a steel pedestrian bridge. Educational signs also will be installed along the trail to help visitors identify native trees, flora and wildlife.

Spanning nine feet in width, the new trail will connect with the first phase of a 2.3-mile loop circling the Boardwalk’s 90-acre lake and nature preserve.  Completion of the trail is expected by early summer 2023.

Katy Boardwalk District’s four trail loops will range from one-half mile to the 2.3-mile loop now in its second phase.

“We expect the trail loops, with their varying distances, to become a popular feature for those in Katy looking for a lakefront walking or jogging experience as well as residents of the Boardwalk Lofts and guests of the conference center hotel,” Byron Hebert, Katy city administrator, said. “The entire Boardwalk will benefit from the trail loops.”

As work begins on the completion of Katy Boardwalk District’s trail system, crews are readying for the extension of Katy Fort Bend Road from Kingsland Boulevard directly to the project’s main entrance and its primary thoroughfare, Boardwalk Drive. The extension includes a bridge over a drainage channel and a new traffic signal at the intersection of Kingsland Boulevard and Katy Fort Bend Road/Boardwalk Drive.

“Direct access from I-10 will be a big selling point for the project,” Keith Dalton of KBH Venture, co-developer of Katy Boardwalk District, said.

Work also is nearing completion on the extension of Prairie Parkway from Kingsland Boulevard into the District to Boardwalk Drive. Completion of the Prairie Parkway extension is expected by the end of September.

The 169-acre setting at Kingsland Boulevard and Prairie Parkway, just south of I-10, is a public/private partnership to create a walkable, mixed-use setting including a full-service hotel and conference center, experiential restaurants, Class A office space, luxury loft-style residences and single-family homes.

“Our partnership with the city has led to the development of the trail system and the 90-acre nature preserve that will make Katy Boardwalk District a unique lakefront destination for entertainment, community and culture,” Dalton said.

For more information, visit the website katyboardwalkdistrict.com.