Austin advancing work on 30-mile 'Big Loop' trail system

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin is advancing work on a 30-mile looped trail initiative to bring better connectivity and mobility to the city's existing trail network.

City leaders incorporated "The Big Loop" into the 2023 Urban Trails Plan. The loop incorporates portions of Shoal Creek, the Red Line Trail, the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, the Southern Walnut Creek Trail and the Mokan Trail. There are 68 existing miles of trail within the city's current urban trails network, with 268 miles of added trails proposed in the following tiered phases:

• Tier 1: 94 miles (with the goal of completing those additions within the next 20 years)
• Tier 2: 78 miles
• Tier 3: 96 miles

Today, The Big Loop is approximately two-thirds built, with roughly 20 miles of the 30 total miles in existence, said John Eastman, a project manager with the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. Eastman said that trail reflects some of the diverse neighborhood geography within the city alone.

"It's just a really neat experience that you can imagine riding this big loop in a day and getting to see all these unique pieces of Austin," he said.

Eastman broke The Big Loop into individual trail segments to provide updates on the overall project's status.

Shoal Creek Trail

Work connecting the trail beneath the Third Street pedestrian bridge is in the planning stage, while additional lighting is being added underneath the historic Sixth Street bridge right now.

Improvements along North Lamar Boulevard between 24th and 31st streets are in the design phase, while planned protected facilities under the RM 2222 underpass are expected to kick off construction in the spring.

Shoal Creek to Red Line trail connector

Phase 1 of the project — expected to begin late this year or in early 2025 — will link into Neils Thompson Drive before ending at Longhorn Boulevard and Burnet Road. The second phase of work will bridge Phase 1 improvements to the Red Line Trail at McKalla Station.

That Phase 2 portion is funded and will be built as part of the Burnet Road Corridor Project, with construction tentatively set to begin next fall.

Red Line Trail

Phase 1 of the project is a one-third-mile section running from West Braker Lane to Kramer Lane, with construction projected to begin in late 2025. It will connect with McKalla Station and Q2 Stadium.

Phase 2, another one-third-mile section, runs from Kramer Lane to IBM Campus, with construction recently beginning as part of the Burnet Corridor Project.

Phase 3 is a half-mile segment bridging the IBM Campus to Gracy Farms Lane, with construction expected to begin in spring 2026. This portion of work will connect with the future Broadmoor Station.

Another half-mile portion, Phase 4 links Gracy Farms Lane to the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, with construction eyed to begin in spring 2026. It will link with the Walnut Creek Trail as well as the shared-use path on MoPac's frontage road. A request for federal funding to aid that project is currently under review.

Northern Walnut Creek Trail

These improvements range from Balcones District Park to Oakbrook Drive. The original Northern Walnut Creek Trail first opened in 2015 before expansions were made in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

The project wrapped in partnership between the Urban Trails Program and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, with the section covering 4.4 miles.

Additional sections are in various stages of project development and funding.

Sections 2B and 3A are both funded and are at the 60% design completion stage, with 100% design work completion expected in the late springtime. Construction is then projected to begin next summer, officials said.

Section 2B is estimated to cost $3.2 million, with federal funding requests under review. Section 3A already has funding lined up to cover an estimated project cost of $4 million.

Section 3B is currently unfunded and in the feasibility review stage. Early stage design work is expected to kick off this winter, with bike lane improvements proposed on Shropshire Boulevard and Braker Lane to link up with the 3A north segment through the north end of the 3C section.

Sections 3A South and 3C are already funded and currently in the feasibility review stage. Early estimates anticipate a construction cost closer to $5.8 million, with the project partially funded by federal dollars secured by Congressman Lloyd Doggett's office.

Those segments are expected to go out to bid as a singular project, with construction anticipated to take two years once it kicks off.

Southern Walnut Creek Trail

This trail opened as the city's first urban trail in 2014, running from Daffan Lane to Govalle Park. It's 8.7 miles in length, with the construction cost to complete roughly $10.5 million.

Mokan Trail

Roughly two-thirds of the trail are expected to be complete by the start of next year, with completion of the bridge portion of the project projected by late 2026.

The section between Pedernales Street and Pleasant Valley Road is poised to be constructed by a private development. Full funding for the project is expected to cost closer to $12 million.