Construction is starting this month on long-promised improvements to the Shoal Creek Trail. The city will widen a section of sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard that runs parallel to a canyon below in an effort to improve accessibility and safety .
Between 29th and 31st streets is one of the weirdest sections of the city's oldest hike-and-bike trail. One path leads down into a heavily shaded rocky ravine while the upper route is just a five-foot-wide sidewalk next to busy traffic on Lamar.
Down in the valley known as Split Rock Canyon or the Bluffs, the sounds of traffic are muffled, and the air is noticeably cooler.
"I think this is a really great space for people to come and relax and get away from all the craziness of Austin," said Hayley Bedwell said while sitting on a large boulder.
"That's why we're here. We want to get away from the city," said Sam Kreitner, who was walking by. "Even though you can hear the cars and stuff, this to me feels like I'm out in the woods."
But the lower trail can be tough to navigate. Its uneven surface challenges cyclists, parents with strollers or anyone using a wheelchair. For those travelers, the alternative has been the sidewalk above. But parts of that sidewalk have been deemed "functionally deficient" by the city, meaning those sections violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"The sidewalk is very narrow," said Ivey Kaiser, executive director of the Shoal Creek Conservancy. "There are a lot of trees that grow over into the trail and further narrow that pathway that people have to pass through. And it's very, very close to North Lamar."
That's the part the city is about to change. The Transportation and Public Works Department will replace the sidewalk with a 12-foot-wide concrete path, bringing it up to the city's standards for an urban trail.
"The goal is to have a little more width and a separated curb to allow for people to cycle and walk comfortably without feeling like you're directly up next to those cars on North Lamar," Kaiser said.
Because the sidewalk runs next to the steep cliff above Split Rock Canyon, extra space for the wider path and a small buffer will come from the roadway.
North Lamar will lose a two-way center turn lane between 30th and 31st streets. A left turn lane to San Gabriel Street will also be removed. Both will be replaced with a narrow median.
Drivers will get a perk. Cars heading southbound on Lamar will finally be allowed to turn left at 29th Street. Such turns are currently forbidden. A new left-turn lane is also going in for northbound drivers on Lamar at 31st Street.
Those changes, along with an upgraded pedestrian crossing over Lamar at 31st Street, are intended to address a higher-than-usual number of crashes along the two block stretch of Lamar. City data shows an average of about 15 crashes a year between 29th and 31st streets.
Construction is expected to take about a year. The Transportation and Public Works Department said the work won't affect the existing trail through Split Rock Canyon.
Funding for the $1.25 million project is coming from two sources: the $460 million transportation bond approved by voters in 2020 and fees developers pay for traffic impact studies tied to new real estate projects. Those fees are expected to generate $2.2 million this fiscal year, the city's budget shows.
The project is part of a broader plan to close all remaining gaps along the Shoal Creek Trail, making it a continuous 11-mile route from the Butler Trail downtown to U.S. 183 in North Austin.
That includes fixing a section where a landslide has blocked the trail since May 2018. A second landslide in May 2019 added to the problem.
Earlier this year, the city widened a pathway in that area, but it's much closer to traffic on Lamar Boulevard. The section will eventually be extended down to an underpass beneath 24th Street, but there is no construction start date yet.
At the northern tip of the Shoal Creek Trail is a 0.7 mile extension, stretching the pathway from the U.S. 183 frontage road to Burnet Road, which is undergoing its own renovations that include more space for people walking or biking. The extension project should be complete sometime in 2026.
"The Shoal Creek Trail is the first hike and bike trail in Austin," Kaiser said. "A lot of the original sections were constructed in the '60s. So it has been evolving and growing. [We are] really aiming to further those connections."
