Months of planning, a week of small road closures, and a safer space for daily commutes, Denton Tap Road in Coppell now has new pedestrian rails.

Coppell finished installing 550 feet of new pedestrian safety railings on the east side of Denton Tap on Oct. 1 at a cost of $95,641.

Authorized by the City Council on June 10, the project was approved to create a visible barrier between the road and sidewalk, prioritizing student safety. The new metal railings extend north from Parkway Boulevard, where Denton Tap crosses Cottonwood Creek. 

“That’s where the sidewalk is immediately abutting the roadway. There’s literally no separation, no grass median,” Coppell Mayor Wes Mays said.

The project addresses longtime safety concerns from residents and provides a clearer, safer route for pedestrians.The installation of the railings also meet with Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requirements by containing 5.5 feet of walking space.

For years, the lack of pedestrian barriers on the road raised concerns for safety, especially with the large number of students and families walking to nearby parks, schools and neighborhoods. The new rails are designed to discourage unsafe street crossings and guide pedestrians to use designated crosswalks, a key safety goal in high-traffic areas.

“It’s public safety, that’s really all it is,” councilmanKevin Nevels said. “I’m trying to be preventative because I’ll be very honest, if I had these observations and talked to community members and I hadn’t taken action when an accident happened, I would feel incredibly guilty.”

The city plans to monitor the west side of Denton Tap and other high traffic pedestrian areas for potential future improvements. For now, the new rails on the east side of Denton Tap show a solution to the concerns of pedestrian safety, and show a step towards safer streets.

“It’s something we’ll keep an eye on, the majority of the pedestrian traffic is on the east side.” Belt Line Project manager Mike Garza said.

Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.