In 2014, Dallas real estate executive Jeff Ellerman and friend Larry Dale were cycling when they realized the potential for an expanded trail system, according to a D Magazine article which says, 

“In the fall of 2014, Dallas commercial real estate executive Jeff Ellerman was out cycling with his longtime buddy, oilman Larry Dale, when he had an epiphany. “We had meandered through the Design District and got to the Trinity Skyline Trail on the river bottom,” Ellerman says. “It’s beautiful with great views of the city, but it’s a chasm that has separated the haves and the have-nots forever. And we said, ‘This is ridiculous. You have miles of opportunity to the north and the south.’”

Not long afterward, Ellerman ran into Mike Rawlings, the then-mayor of Dallas, and talked with him about the need for an expanded trail system. Rawlings agreed and said it would take a public-private partnership—and thanked Ellerman for volunteering to lead the effort. “Larry and I talked about how good Dallas has been to us from a business standpoint,” Ellerman says. “We decided this would be our gift back to the city.””

Jeff Ellerman, Loop’s board chairman, emphasizes “Connecting Dallas to Dallas” as their mission. The Loop, mostly south of I-30, will link with DART stations and has secured $90 million funding, according to a Dallas Morning News article. They say,

““Our mantra is Connecting Dallas to Dallas,” says Jeff Ellerman, chairman of the Loop’s board of directors. “We’re very proud of this legacy asset that we are creating.” A majority of the Loop will run south of Interstate 30, and it will eventually link with five DART stations, giving commuters easy rail-to-trail access. Over the last decade, the group has raised some million in funding from public and private sources to complete the project. (https://balonlatino.net/) ”

The redesign of the Hi Line and Oak Lawn intersection prioritizes safety for cyclists and pedestrians, setting a positive change for Dallas’ trail system.