Public Notice: Bridges From the Past to the Future

The Historic Sixth Street Bridge, hand-built in 1887 (Photo by Ted Lee Eubanks)

Lower Shoal Creek, for all the flooding it has endured through the years, is spanned by a number of remarkably enduring bridges, built in different eras, but each with a story to tell that's relevant to our era. The "Histor­ic Bridges of Shoal Creek" walk is the first in the Shoal Creek Conservancy's series of Spring Walking Tours on the creek. Co-hosted by the Travis County Historical Commission and led by author and naturalist Ted Lee Eubanks, it will include the 12th Street Bridge, a depression-era Works Progress Admini­stra­tion project that would now be considered socialism in action, the Sixth Street Bridge, a masonry structure hand-built in 1887, opening up West Austin to streetcar transit and development, and the Third Street Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, Austin's largest remaining wood trestle bridge, now in the heart of the burgeoning Seaholm district. The three-hour tour will start from the south end of Pease Dis­trict Park (1100 Kings­bury), at 9am this Saturday, March 12. Register and see more info at www.shoalcreekconservancy.org.

Home Field Advantage?

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the Smart City Challenge last year, promising awards of up to $50 million in funding "for one mid-sized city that can demonstrate how advanced data and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies and applications can be used to reduce congestion, keep travelers safe, protect the environment, respond to climate change, connect underserved communities, and support economic vitality." Austin was one of 78 cities to apply, and has to be one of the favorites for the award, given our status as a test city for Google self-driving cars, and our recent agreement with the Rocky Mountain Insti­tute to work on long-term mobility solutions. Keep your fingers crossed, because DOT will narrow the field to five finalists this Saturday at South by Southwest, and a SXSW Interactive session the next day, Beyond Traffic: The Emer­gence of a Con­nected City, will feature the five finalists and U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx for a conversation about the Chal­lenge (Sunday, March 13, 3:30pm, ACC Rm. 18ABCD).

Austin B-cycle still needs volunteers for the second half of SXSW, to help answer questions and run bikes between stations Downtown. One four-hour shift earns you half of an annual membership, two shifts and it's free. See details at www.austinbcycle.com.

The city's Aquatic Division is in lifeguard-hiring season again, and again, the Austin Parks Foundation will offer a $100 bonus to the first 400 lifeguards who are trained, hired, and on payroll by May 23. Aquatics holds Hiring Days at their Aquatic Administration and Training Facility, 2818 San Gabriel, to help you through the process; the next one is 4-8pm Monday, March 14. Bring valid ID and Social Security card. See more info or register online at www.austintexas.gov/swimming.

See what transportation projects will begin construction or implementation in the next four years, at one of a series of open houses the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) is holding to present their 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program. The meetings are a come-and-go format; drop in between 4 and 7pm on: Thu., March 10, at Kyle Library, 550 Scott St., Kyle; Mon., March 14, at Cedar Park Library, 550 Discovery Blvd., Cedar Park; or Tue., March 15, at University Hills Library, 4721 Loyola Ln. You can also see the plan, and comment through April 15, at www.campotexas.org/get-involved.