Grapevine Residents Say Bridge Proposed for Park Land Goes Too Far

GRAPEVINE — You can hear it in Mayor William D. Tate's voice: a mixture of wariness and gruff admonition."I've been trying to warn everybody that what you're opening is a can of worms," he said before a packed house at a City Council meeting last month. "You are gonna stir a lot of people up."The dilemma to which Tate referred is a fight over the city's impending decision whether to build a two-lane bridge through the middle of a lush, bucolic nature trail cherished by the people who live near it."It's heartbreaking," said 30-year Grapevine resident Diana Nowlin. Clad in a green "Heritage Bridge Busters" T-shirt, Nowlin gazed up at a dense canopy of trees and added that "Southlake, Colleyville — no one else has anything like this."The area that would be affected by the proposed $8.1 million bridge begins 80 feet from the closest homes in this southwestern Grapevine neighborhood. About 10 years ago a concrete walking trail opened up an area to residents that previously was wilderness.   Continue reading...