The missing link in a 5.5-mile trail from Austin to Manor is now complete, connecting the fast-growing suburb with Austin's expansive network of public paths.
"It helps with quality of life," Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey said while taking an afternoon stroll along the final section of the Austin to Manor Trail. "Great parks and great trail systems make this area a place where people want to come, and that's what we're seeing."
Manor's population has boomed since 2020, expanding by more than 50% to above 20,000 as developers erected new communities on vacant land in an effort to compete with Austin's more expensive housing market. The influx of residents to Manor has strained local roads like U.S. 290 and FM 973, particularly during rush hour as people commute to Austin for work.
The new 12-foot-wide paved trail offers a more tranquil commute from Manor's Ben E. Fisher Park through quiet stretches of countryside and Walter E. Long Park, eventually connecting to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail — a popular tree-lined path that passes a YMCA, the Austin Tennis Center and ends in Govalle Park in East Austin.
The first section of the Austin to Manor Trail was finished in 2014 but stopped at Lindell and Decker lanes, 2.9 miles short of its intended destination. It would take another decade and millions of dollars to complete the trail.
The final 2.9-mile section of the Austin to Manor Trail cost $8.31 million. The federal government contributed $3.77 million, distributed through the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The city of Austin provided $3.27 million from voter-approved mobility bonds. Travis County kicked in $1.27 million.
Manor didn't pay for the trail but plans to build on the infrastructure.
"Our job is to take the trail and continue to move forward," Mayor Harvey said. "The county has plans to continue the trail through Manor, and we also have hopes to connect newer neighborhoods in different parts of the city."
The Austin to Manor Trail runs parallel to train tracks owned by Capital Metro. The Project Connect transit expansion approved by voters in 2020 included plans for a new commuter service called the Green Line, traveling from downtown Austin to Colony Park. Longer-term plans called for the Green Line eventually to stretch even farther to Manor and Elgin.
The Austin Transit Partnership has said the first phase of the Green Line project won't begin until after a 10-mile light-rail project is completed, which is currently estimated to happen around 2033 — if the plan can survive a lawsuit and legislative attacks by state lawmakers. The second phase of the Green Line that would reach Manor and Elgin has no estimated start date.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the final section of the Austin to Manor Trail is planned for Saturday, but the trail is already open to the public.
