The contractor is making excellent progress on the new Waller Boathouse, part of the Waller Creek Tunnel project. These were a few pictures that we took yesterday when we were picking up tools at our nearby tool warehouse for a volunteer workday today (Thanks to AMD employees!). We had to hold the camera above our head to clear the construction fence so please forgive the non-centered pictures…
New trail and rock work on the eastern end of the bridge
I was walking to a meeting and decided to see if the new Waller Creek Bridge over Waller Creek along the trail at Lady Bird Lake was open. It is, with new trail and stone work in place on the east side. Yup, it’s the finish to the first (of many) projects for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, with the work on the new boathouse starting really soon, as the Austin Rowing Club is moving all of their boats out to a temporary fenced in location on the west side of the bridge.
This big limestone block placed to prevent any motorized vehicles from crossing the creek should definitely work. No little metal bollard in a sleeve here.
Finally, a great view at the (current) mouth of Waller Creek, looking north to the nearby buildings of downtown. A lot is going to start changing soon here.
On my way to and from various meetings today, I saw several projects in parks and wanted to share a few photos of them. First, the Festival Beach Gardens, which we helped fund through a parks grant, working with the Sustainable Food Center, the Parks department and neighborhood / community gardening groups.
What was just grass and a few trees on Waller next to the Austin / Travis Health Center is now filling with gardening plots!
Next, a view of the currently under construction Pfluger Bridge Extension which will extend the span over Cesar Chavez and linking to the Lance Armstrong Bikeway (due to be completed in January 2011) Can’t wait!
Finally, the completed Pfluger Circle Landscape Project funded by the Trail Foundation. It looks great!
Today, the Austin City Council voted 7-0 to send the $90 M transportation bond ballot item to the voters on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. $52 M will go for road projects, while $38 M will go no non-road projects, including sidewalks, bike lanes and trails, including the 1.1 M boardwalk which will close the gap on the trail at Lady Bird Lake, completing the trail. The Trail Foundation has committed to raising $3 M of the total cost of construction in their efforts to complete the trail.
For further information on the bond election, visit the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan website.
For further information on the Boardwalk project, Visit the City’s website or the Trail Foundation’s website.
We wanted to let you know about a few upcoming park project related meetings.
1. Wed May 13: Waller Creek District Master Plan Public Workshop
The City is asking the community to help shape the vision of the Waller Creek District by attending a public workshop on Wednesday, May 13. Learn more about its current condition and provide input on desired amenities and character of the district from Waterloo Park and Lady Bird Lake.
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
Austin Convention Center, Ballroom C
500 East Cesar Chavez St.
MORE INFO:
visit the Waller Creek Tunnel Project Website
2. Mon May 18: The Proposed Boardwalk Trail @ Lady Bird Lake
LOCATION:
Parks and Recreation Dept Board Room, 200 S. Lamar Blvd.
500 East Cesar Chavez St.
WHEN:
Monday, May 18, 2009
6:15 p.m.
The Jacobs consultant team for the proposed boardwalk trail has been progressing with design development. there will be a briefing of the Parks and Recreation and Environmental Joint sub-committee. The presentation will includes several illustrations of the proposed boardwalk construction details, refinements to the routing and an environmental update, including the Blunn Creek tree survey.
On Thursday, March 5th, the Austin City Council voted 7-0 to approve the conceptual plan of the Boardwalk Trail, a project to fill a 1.3 mile gap in the Trail around Lady Bird Lake. This moves the project on to the detailed design phase. The city and its consultants will continue to work with the stakeholders and present monthly updates at the City Parks and Recreation Board which meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Boards and Commissions Room at City Hall. The detailed plan is scheduled to be completed by mid to late summer, 2009.
On Thursday, the Austin City Council will consider the Boardwalk Trail Conceptual Plan as item #10 on their agenda. At 9:30 am, we will participate with the Trail Foundation, BikeTexas and other supporters in a press conference in front of City Hall. Please come out and support the trail by attending and then registering your support on the kiosks in the lobby. We’ll have a slate of folks ready to speak in support, so all you need to do is to sign up in support not wishing to speak.
So, recapping what we need your help with in 3 easy steps:
1) Email the City Council to urge them to vote yes on Agenda Item #10 and move the process forward.
2) Join us at a press event in support of the Boardwalk Trail project at 9:30 a.m. on the City Hall plaza this Thursday.
3) When you come to the press event, be sure to go inside and sign up in favor of the Boardwalk agenda item. You can sign up “in favor, not wishing to speak” and you don’t have to stick around and wait for the item to come up. The Council will see that you’ve registered your support and will read it into the record.
In the next few weeks, the Austin City Council will consider the proposed concept plan for the Riverside Boardwalk Trail. Work on design and possible routes has been underway since this past summer and we hope that you’ve been able to attend the many open houses and public meetings. Specifically, the conceptual plan seeks to close the 1.3 mile gap in the trail, stretching from just east of the Austin American Statesman property to parkland near the intersection of E. Riverside and S. Lakeshore.
Completing the trail has been an active project for the past 12 years when the City Parks department staff started working on a series of possible designs and pursuing state and federal funding opportunities. We are thrilled to see the work on the conceptual plan progress to this stage.
On February 12, the Council will receive a briefing on the project from the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Works Department. On February 26, the City Council will vote on the concept plan.
There are still issues of construction methods, segment routes, environmental impacts, and funding to be considered in the months ahead during the design stage. Advancing the concept plan to the next stage does not mean the work of designing, funding and building the best boardwalk trail for Austin and Lady Bird Lake is finished. But it will mean we would be closer than we have ever been to providing safe, continuous pedestrian access along the entire lakefront.
The Trail around Lady Bird Lake is the most popular park in Austin with hundreds of thousands of visits each year. Further, it is the number one tourist attraction in Austin. Please help make the Trail the best it can be for all of Austin. Show your support on or before the 12th and mark February 26 on your calendar and plan to attend the Council meeting.
Please show your support for completing the Trail by emailing our City Council today:
will.wynn@ci.austin.tx.us
lee.leffingwell@ci.austin.tx.us
mike.martinez@ci.austin.tx.us
randi.shade@ci.austin.tx.us
brewster.mccracken@ci.austin.tx.us
sheryl.cole@ci.austin.tx.us
laura.morrison@ci.austin.tx.us
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