New restaurants are sprouting from the ruined foundations of businesses displaced by the North Tarrant Express.
City managers of Hurst, Euless and Bedford -- speaking at a State of the Cities breakfast Thursday -- commiserated about the problems brought on as the $2.5 billion project's right of way cut a swath through their towns. But they also crowed about the development opportunities it's leaving in its wake.In Bedford, for instance, development is and will continue to happen that hasn't been possible for 30 years, said City Manager Beverley Griffith.The area in Bedford where Central Drive passes under Airport Freeway is drawing the most interest because it's the most visible, Griffith told those gathered at the Lone Star Conference Center in Euless.Griffith said plans are being reviewed for a new Applebee's at the shopping center at Central and that a Chili's restaurant is being considered at the site of a former Bennigan's."Preliminary discussions also have the existing Movie Tavern moving into the former 60,000-square-foot grocery store space," Griffith said. "This would essentially double the size of the Movie Tavern."She said that a Burger King is planned for the southeast corner where Bedford Road runs under Texas 121/183.An Old West Cafe and Danny's Celtic Pub have popped up on Harwood Drive near Central, and Twisted Root Burger Co. should be open there by February, Griffith said.In-N-Out Burger made a big splash in Hurst when it opened just off Precinct Line Road at Airport Freeway, and, based on observed drive-through traffic, City Manager Allan Weegar was willing to wager that it's outperforming virtually all other restaurants in the city.Other restaurants that Weegar said opened this year in Hurst include Jimmy John's on Grapevine Highway, Del Taco on Harwood, Zorro's Buffet near North East Mall, Wittens Grill and Sports Pub on Pipeline Road and Red Panda Wok and Grill off Precinct Line in the Panera building.On the horizon are Mexican Inn (the one that Bedford lost) and Golden Chick, which will locate on the frontage road next to In-N-Out, Weegar said.He also said that Pei Wei, Potbelly and Starbucks are going in on Precinct Line and that Outback Steakhouse is moving across the street and building where the old Albertson's used to be.Euless has only a brief portion of the 13.5-mile project that's rebuilding main lanes and frontage roads and adding toll lanes from Interstate 35W to Industrial Boulevard. But City Manager Gary McKamie said that increased traffic on Texas 10 -- with people trying to avoid the construction slowdowns -- has generated new interest in the road that used to be Texas 183.Fuzzy's Taco opened in November 2010, Taco Cabana in September 2011 and Taco Casa in June 2012, McKamie said."We are very excited about the renewed interest in the Highway 10 corridor," he said. "This area through Hurst and Euless offers great opportunity for future investment. The increased traffic from those using Highway 10 as an alternative to Airport Freeway during the construction period will enhance the viability of the area and hopefully bring renewed interest from potential business investors."This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Terry Evans, 817-390-7620Twitter: @fwstevansHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
