Fort Worth Stockyards

Fort Worth Plans ‘Mobility Study' For Busy Stockyards

Visitors love the historic area but complain about too much traffic and lack of parking

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Fort Worth is studying ways to increase “mobility” in the increasingly popular Stockyards.

The city's goal: Make it easier and safer for visitors to get around.

People love to visit the Stockyards to get a taste of the history. But it’s getting so popular, some visitors are complaining about the constant congestion.

"I grant that it's a fun attraction,” said Nalani Hall from Wichita Falls. “I love shopping, the food's great and I love dancing. But there's just a lot of traffic."

Corben Watson of White Settlement agreed.

"It's hectic,” Watson said. “You have to drive around buildings back and forth just to find little parking spaces and alleyways just to find any little parking space."

What can be done about it?

The city will soon start a “mobility” study, counting the number of cars traveling around the Stockyards, compiling the data, and asking for ideas from just about everyone.

"There's been so much growth in the Stockyards, we really need to optimize what we have there for vehicular and pedestrian safety,” said interim Transportation and Public Works director Lauren Prieur.

It would be hard to enlarge the streets because there's just no room.

The options include making more streets one-way, adding parking, and even making a street like Exchange Avenue pedestrian-only, at least during certain times like weekends.

"You have to look for parking and sometimes they block away the parking so you can't get into it,” said Jose Rodriguez of Plano. “To have a designated area or to shuttle people in would be great."

One thing is certain: The Stockyards is growing -- with new hotels and restaurants attracting even more visitors. With the mobility study, this popular place with so much history is confronting a challenging future.

"I don't think it's ever going to go away with how popular and busy it gets, especially on weekends, [there are] just way too many people,” Watson said.

The study will start in October and is set to end in May 2023.

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