Here’s a list of pending city of Austin bike projects – funded with 1998 bonds, federal grants, and city matching funds – plus a couple of other local planned projects:
Austin Bike Commuting Project: Designed to provide showers at various office locations throughout the city to promote bicycle commuting. Currently under review by Bike program staff and city law department.
North Austin and Southeast Austin Bicycle Route Studies: Updating the existing bike plan to identify new facilities that fit requirements of the Bike Plan; completing a GIS component for bike routes; and providing an assessment of current and needed bicycle infrastructure.
Barton Springs Road Bike Lanes: Installing bike lanes from Robert E. Lee Road to Rollingwood Drive. Scheduling construction with the Parks and Recreation Department to avoid event conflicts.
Jollyville/Loop 360 Bike/Pedestrian Crossing: A shared use path running from Jollyville to the Arboretum, currently pending TxDOT coordination.
Lance Armstrong Crosstown Bikeway: An on- and off-road bike path running from the US 183 truss bridge just east of Shady Land to Lake Austin Boulevard at Veterans Drive. Construction is expected to start in 2007.
North Acres PX Bike Trail: A bridge over Little Walnut Creek from North Plaza just east of I-35 to Furness, gives southbound cyclists an easier alternative to Cameron Road, Dessau Road, and the I-35 service road, and will connect neighborhoods with Hart Elementary.
Pleasant Valley Bike Route Phase 2: Implementing bike lanes on Pleasant Valley from Oltorf to Burleson Road, as well as an off-street 12-foot bike/ped path. Hired outside consultant to redesign retaining walls; construction expected to run from late September or October to January through February of 2007.
South Lamar/US 290 Barrier Removal: Will create Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks and bike facilities connecting South Lamar from Panther to West Gate. Still in the planning phase and will require cooperation from TxDOT for work in its right of way.Pfluger Bridge Extension: Will complete the bike/ped bridge next to Lamar, connecting South Austin to Downtown by extending the bridge north across Cesar Chavez, then proceeding along an easement through the future Gables development and under the Union Pacific rail line. The city will likely build the bridge and railroad underpass separately given ongoing negotiation with UP. The bridge extension, expected to begin next March, will be tied to the realignment of Sandra Muraida Way for the Gables project.
Capital Metro Rails With Trails: The transit agency promised hike and bike paths along the 32-mile commuter rail line from east of downtown to Leander, in the rail package approved by voters on the November 2004 ballot. They’re about to conduct a feasibility study “including a cost estimate and plan,” which should be completed in about six months. Cyclists are enthused about the path’s intersections with the Armstrong Bikeway and the future SH-130, where they’re also pushing for hike and bike paths.
This article appears in May 26 • 2006.