City of Fort Worth, TX

11/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/05/2024 15:19

Lancaster T&P Passage creates elegant gateway to downtown

Lancaster T&P Passage creates elegant gateway to downtown

Published on November 05, 2024

As more than $1 billion in construction transforms the south end of downtown Fort Worth, improving the ease of access to the T&P Station commuter rail passenger platform has become especially timely.

The City of Fort Worth's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone District 8 (TIF 8) funded $1.75 million to design and construct the Lancaster T&P Passage Project. Construction is now complete.

Why it matters: As the most-used TEXRail stop for people coming to Fort Worth from DFW International Airport, T&P Station often serves as an unofficial "front door" to visitors arriving to the city for the first time.

This project added lighting and improved wayfinding signage to help those travelers orient themselves within a safe and welcoming environment - but it also presented an opportunity to display more of Fort Worth's unique history to residents and visitors alike.

The new walkway now includes a public art piece featuring historic photos of key figures who have passed through or otherwise made an impact on Fort Worth's T&P Station, including images that showcase:

  • The workers on the first train to arrive at Fort Worth's T&P Passenger Terminal when it opened in October 1931.
  • Visits by notable dignitaries, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • The important role of T&P Station during WWII, including its role as a destination for Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany.
  • An overview of several important but often-overlooked professions tied to T&P Station, such as train porters and traqueros, who laid the track for the new station.
  • Will Rogers and Amon Carter, business boosters who laid the foundations for much of modern-day Fort Worth.

    Ultimately, the project provides a more welcoming, place-based atmosphere for TEXRail and TRE passengers along with a new plaza-like walkway that more clearly guides riders between the T&P terminal platform and downtown.

    About the project: The project was managed by Downtown Fort Worth Inc. The Fain Group and Kimley-Horn provided landscape design, engineering and construction services. RSM joined the team to assist with directional signage.

  • The route from Lancaster Avenue to the T&P Station platform and the downtown entrance and departure experience needed improvement.
  • This project created an identifiable and elegant walkway between downtown and the train platform.
  • The path respects the landmark T&P Terminal Building's grandeur and elevates passengers' arrival into the central city.

What's next: The grand T&P Terminal lobby is scheduled to be reopened as part of the station's enhanced amenities with a ribbon cutting in early December.

Photo: The T&P Station pathway often serves as an unofficial "front door" to visitors arriving to the city for the first time.

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