Construction starts Monday on a pedestrian bridge that will stitch together the biggest gap in the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake.
Dubbed the "wishbone" bridge — the first of its kind in Austin — the $25 million project will complete a missing link in the city's most popular trail. But it will also force an 18-month detour starting July 15.
The three-pronged bridge will branch out to Longhorn Shores, Canterbury Park and an unnamed peninsula in Lady Bird Lake. The middle of the structure will feature a 76-foot-wide plaza with benches, bike racks, ornamental trees and shade structures.
Until construction is complete, walkers, bikers, rollers and some drivers will be inconvenienced by closures.
Starting Monday, fencing will go up around the construction zones at Canterbury Park, Longhorn Shores and Krieg Fields, although Krieg Fields will stay open to the public.
That same day, a 6-foot-wide pedestrian tunnel under Pleasant Valley Road will close forever. The dingy underpass that floods when it rains will be replaced with a 30-foot-wide tunnel. The new underground passage will have a 16-foot-wide sidewalk, brighter lighting and a higher, arched ceiling.
Starting July 8, Canterbury Park and its parking lot will be off-limits. Only westbound traffic will be allowed on Canterbury Street. The unnamed peninsula will also be closed to the public.
On July 15, people traveling along the Butler Trail will be forced off around Holly Street onto Pedernales Street, along Canterbury Street and down Pleasant Valley Road.
While the city estimates the detour will last 18 months, bad weather could delay construction and extend the closures.
Initially estimated at $13 million in 2019, the project's price tag swelled as the scope expanded to include extra features like sidewalk improvements.
Funding for the wishbone bridge is mostly being paid for with a property tax hike approved by voters in 2020 to upgrade the city's transportation network. The increase of 2 cents per $100 in property value allowed the city to borrow up to $460 million in bonds, including $20 million for the bridge.
The remaining gap was bridged by a $4.1 million grant, secured with the help of Congressman Greg Casar, D-Austin. The former Austin city council member has backed the project since its inception in 2018.
Casar tapped into the Community Project Funding process, which is supposed to be a more transparent version of earmarking, to channel resources to the endeavor.
"We deserve to have beautiful, awesome public places," Casar remarked in April before handing Austin Mayor Kirk Watson a giant novelty check for the $4.1 million grant. "That's exactly what this wishbone bridge is going to be."
Upon completion in 2026, the Trail Conservancy will oversee the bridge's maintenance.
