Bicycle Austin forum

AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

The Walnut Creek Trail System

THE WALNUT CREEK TRAIL SYSTEM

Release Date: Oct. 16, 2013
http://www.austintexas.gov/article/waln … ail-system

Austin to Manor Trail

The Austin to Manor Trail is a planned 5-mile trail that winds down Daffan Lane through Decker Park along the CapMetro Red Line, and ends in the Ben E. Fischer Park in Manor, Texas. The project will be constructed in two phases. The first phase will be approximately 2.5 miles and will extend along Daffan Lane from Johnny Morris to Lindell Lane. The second phase will also run approximately 2.5 miles and will pick up at Lindell Lane, running along the CapMetro Red Line to terminate at Ben E. Fisher Park. Phase one of this project is completely funded. The City of Austin is actively searching for funding to construct the second phase of this project. The project will include the construction of bridges, trail heads, and other trail amenities and is expected to be constructed of concrete 10' in width with 2' grass shoulders. This trail will connect to the terminus of the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in late spring 2014.

Completed Work

A 3,400 linear foot segment of the trail has been installed from Decker Lane toward Johnny Morris Rd.
Drainage culverts have been installed.
A pedestrian bridge in Decker Park has been installed.
Ongoing Work

The contractor is preparing to construct sidewalk along Daffin Lane and in the Decker Park area.
Timeline:

Phase 1: Construction has begun and this phase is scheduled to be complete by spring/summer 2014.
Phase 2: Not yet funded.
View a map of the project

Southern Walnut Creek Trail

The Southern Walnut Creek Trail is a planned 7.3 mile trail along the Walnut Creek Greenbelt. The project includes the construction of bridges, trail heads, and other trail amenities. The entire trail is expected to be constructed of concrete 10' in width with 2' grass shoulders, including an expected 5 bridges, 3 culverts, signage, benches, and parking lots at trailheads. There will be two trailheads at Johnny Morris Road and one trailhead at Govalle Park.

Completed work

The project continues on schedule.
Trail segments been constructed from Jain Lane to Delwau and from Delwau to the YMCA. The City is in the process of inspecting the contractor’s work. Upon acceptance, these portions of the trail will be officially opened for public use. The City will issue a notification when these portions of the trail may be used.
Bridge #5 has been installed. The contractor is working with the First Tee Golf Course to relocate utilities from the old bridge to the new bridge.
Ongoing work

The contractor is preparing to construct the concrete trail north of Loyola.
There is an ongoing concern regarding erosion along Boggy Creek. TXDOT and Capital Metro have been notified and requests for funding and or correction to areas of concern are pending.
This project is scheduled for completion in spring 2014. More information on the Southern Walnut Creek Trail project.

View a map of the project

View photos of the construction progress

Northern Walnut Creek Trail - Phase 1

This project consists of the design and construction of a new trail on the Walnut Creek Greenbelt.  The trail will connect Balcones District Park to Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. Construction will consist of a 10' wide concrete trail with 2' shoulders. The trail will have approximately 9 creek crossings and 4 trail heads.

Ongoing work

Based on citizen concerns, a portion of trail within Balcones Park is currently being redesigned.  It will consist of a 10-foot wide concrete path through the park but will not likely be ADA-compliant. In order to provide an ADA-compliant alternate path, the contractor is currently repairing a portion of sidewalk along the south side of Scribe Drive.
The City is currently gathering the necessary survey data for the redesign.
The City will provide the public with an opportunity to comment and provide input on the redesign at future neighborhood meetings.
In addition to the trail segment redesign, the contractor is building retaining walls and trail in the TXDOT right of way, located underneath Mopac and the Cap Metro rail line. This work is expected to be complete by mid-November. Following completion of these portions, the contractor will move to Walnut Creek Metro Park.
Construction is scheduled for completion in summer 2014.

Northern Walnut Creek Trail - Phase 2

This project consists of the design and construction of a new trail on the Walnut Creek Greenbelt.  The trail will originate in Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park and end in the vicinity of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality offices, located at IH-35 and Walnut Creek. The Trail is approximately 1.8 miles in length and will consist of a 10' wide concrete trail with 2' shoulders. The trail will have approximately 4 creek crossings and 2 trail heads.

Ongoing work

The preliminary engineering has been submitted in draft format and is currently being reviewed by City personnel and TXDOT. Upon completion of reviews, the City will hold neighborhood meetings to show findings and solicit public input.
The trail alignment currently comes within a radius of environmentally sensitive areas and caves that are home to protected species. This will require ongoing study and involvement with other state and federal agencies to ensure compliance with environmental protection measures.
Design is expected to be complete in late 2014.
If you have any questions or would like to be added to our distribution list to receive future updates, please contact the project team:

Project contacts:

City of Austin Project Manager
Richard Duane
(512) 974-7730

Public Information Officer
Carolyn Perez
(512) 974-7139

AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

Re: The Walnut Creek Trail System

The Walnut Creek bikeway is really nice.
Anyone else ride it yet ?

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2013-12-01 23:12:42)

chavela

Member

Registered: 2008-06-03

Posts: 56

Re: The Walnut Creek Trail System

We had a delightful late Sunday afternoon ride, exactly one hour at a leisurely pace, from Jain Lane to East Side Y and back (I think that's the current extent of the Southern Walnut Creek [?] trail).  Lovely passage through woods, creekside, meadows, along the golf course.  Highly recommended!

Last edited by chavela (2013-11-18 21:27:36)

AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

Re: The Walnut Creek Trail System

The Sweet New Bike Path from Austin to Manor
November 27, 2013
Sweet New Bike Path Article Here
If you haven’t headed out on a bike yet, just a reminder – Thanksgiving is a perfect time for a bike ride. While everyone is out sitting in traffic for hundreds of miles, Austin’s local streets will be a veritable ghost town this weekend, especially tomorrow. And the weather’s pretty perfect too.

Today, we took off to check out the new trail being built from Austin to Manor. Specifically, we scoped out the Southern Walnut Creek Trail section, which goes between the YMCA at 51st Street and 183  down to Govalle Park, near Bolm and Shady. We started our ride up north after doing a much needed tune-up over at the Yellow Bike Project (which now has day-time hours for bike and parts purchases). Here’s a map of the part of the trail we rode today:

southern-walnut-creek-trail-map

The trail is planned to be complete sometime in the Spring of 2014 and will continue north out along Walter E. Long lake and into the town of Manor.

To find the trail’s beginning down in Austin, simply follow Bolm Rd. east of Airport, turn left on Shady and follow it around the bend. Turn left onto the path just before the bridge.

Now you know where to go ride to burn off all that pecan pie.