Harlingen approves study over Arroyo trail’s third phase

HARLINGEN — After more than two years, city officials have finally signed off on a grant-funded study to help determine whether the path of the Arroyo Colorado Hike and Bike Trail’s proposed third phase could cut through some Parkwood homeowners’ backyards.

Since 2023, a series of delays, including a change in state guidelines and an overpriced consultant’s fee, have held back the popular nature trail’s most controversial and ambitious proposed stretch — a 1.1-mile-span from McKelvey to Hugh Ramsey Nature Park that some Parkwood residents argue would cut through 22 homeowners’ backyards.

Meanwhile, on the board, some commissioners’ votes nearly derailed the proposed project earlier this year.

Now, officials are working with Scheibe Consulting to launch a $332,355 engineering study aimed