Shoal Creek Trail Connectivity Gaps

  Austin Transportation Public Works Department (TPW)  ,   Watershed Protection Department   and   Parks and Recreation Department   are partnering to address the last major gaps in the   Shoal Creek Trail   between Lady Bird Lake and US 183 located between 24th Street and 34th Street: 

• A south gap from 24th Street to 2800 Shoal Creek Boulevard (landslide) 
• A middle gap from 29th Street to 31st Street 
• A north gap from 31st Street to 34th Street 

Other segments of the trail are being addressed separately. Between West 15th Street and West 24th Street, for example, the trail will undergo improvements through the   Pease Park Conservancy  , which is currently planning Phase 2 of the   Pease Park Vision Plan . 

These particular gaps, from West 24th Street to West 34th Street, will be critical to creating a seamless trail experience for all ages and abilities, and ensuring quality connectivity for everyone walking, biking and rolling. 

The City drafted design alternatives for all three gaps and invited the community to review the proposals and provide feedback in the fall of 2023.  View outcome of that public process here . Continue scrolling to learn about each gap in detail or navigate between them using the tabs at the top.

The South Gap replaces a span of the trail rendered unusable by a major landslide on the west side of Shoal Creek that occurred in May 2018. This segment begins at the trail's West 24th Street underpass. It connects to the existing trailhead east of Gaston Avenue as well as to the sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard, which currently serves as the interim trail detour.

For more information about the landslide and the City's response, see the Parks and Recreation Department's  Shoal Creek Slope Failure Trail Detour  webpage.

To fill this gap, the project team is evaluating options to expand the North Lamar Boulevard sidewalk into an all ages and abilities shared-use path and improve the trail and sidewalk crossings along Shoal Creek Boulevard. The high-level construction costs for this segment are estimated at $700,000 (revised Sept. 1, 2023, after further review, up from $500,000 to include all crossings) and would be further refined as the design develops.

 Review a PDF of the draft design for the South Gap. 

Continue scrolling to review key features of the design:

The Middle Gap aims to provide an all-ages and abilities alternative to the narrow and rugged section of the Shoal Creek Trail known as Split Rock Canyon, or The Bluffs. This section serves hikers and intrepid bicyclists, but is not accessible to everyone. Currently, those following the Shoal Creek Trail are rerouted to a narrow sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard.

Similar to the South Gap, the proposed design for the Middle Gap features an all ages and abilities shared-use path in place of the existing sidewalk.

However, environmental constraints through this section will also require modifications to the roadway beyond minor lane width adjustments, including changes to elements such as turn lanes and medians. But these changes are not simply about the trail.

Data analyzed by the  Vision Zero  program found that between 2017 and 2022, 78 crashes were reported on North Lamar Boulevard between West 29th Street and West 31st Street. This includes the intersection of West 29th Street and San Gabriel Street, which currently serves as part of the left turn pattern for southbound vehicles because southbound left turns are not allowed at West 29th Street and North Lamar Boulevard. The  comprehensive crash cost  amounted to $7 million over this time period. One of the crashes resulted in a fatality.

Informed by this crash history, the design strives to achieve a safe street for all users while ensuring everyone can access the places they need to go. The construction costs for this segment are estimated at $900,000 to $1.4 million (revised Sept. 1, 2023, after further review, up from $800,000 - $1.3 million depending on the preferred option for the intersection of West 31st Street and North Lamar Boulevard as described below).

 Click here to review a PDF of the draft design for the Middle Gap. 

Continue scrolling to review key features of the design:

Tying into the middle gap at West 31st Street and North Lamar Boulevard, the North Gap follows West 31st Street west to a trailhead as the street transitions to Shoal Creek Boulevard, eventually meeting West 34th Street, where it crosses to connect with the existing trail. The trail segment from West 31st Street to West 34th Street includes steep grades, narrow widths, and a "rock hop" across the creek that does not meet all ages and abilities nor Americans With Disabilities Act standards.

The City first launched a public process to address this gap in 2020. After installing a pilot trail in 2021, the project team has been monitoring and adjusting the pilot to identify the best configuration of the street for all its users.

This latest proposed design is the fifth iteration. Whether you are new to this conversation or have been deeply engaged since the beginning, please continue scrolling to learn about or refresh yourself on the history of the gap.

It will help contextualize these new proposed alternatives.

Since installation, the project team has monitored the pilot quantitatively and qualitatively, measuring speed and safety data as well as gathering anecdotal observations of the street. In late 2021, the team refined the geometry of the design to open more space for parking, school bus operations, and visibility.

Safety and Speed Data*

• Average speeds decreased from 21 mph (in 2019) to 19 mph (in 2022).
• Since the pilot was installed, there has been one reported crash. Over the same time period before the installation, there were two reported crashes. Neither was considered significant enough to warrant filing a report.**
• St. Andrew's Episcopal School staff reports receiving daily comments from faculty and staff regarding safety concerns with West 31st Street, compared to an estimated monthly frequency before the pilot was installed.

 _{*Safety data could be affected by significant reductions in school traffic due to the relocation portions of St. Andrews School drop-off and pickup shifting from regular use of West 31st Street and Shoal Creek Boulevard to Bailey Lane​.}  

 _{**Crash data includes 27 months of before and after data and excludes crashes at the intersections of West 31st Street, North Lamar Boulevard, West 34th Street & Shoal Creek Boulevard.} 

Qualitative Observations

• Due to the pilot trail’s narrow width (about 7 feet of useable width excluding the concrete gutter of the street), people on bikes often enter the vehicle lane to pass pedestrians, sometimes resulting in conflicts with vehicle traffic.
  • Most of the following proposed alternatives would result in significantly wider trail options of 10-12 feet (an increase in effective width of 40-70%).

• Because the materials used for the pilot allow vehicles to cross the shared-use path, some drivers have been choosing to encroach into the pilot trail space rather than use the regular passing zones.
  • If the trail were reconstructed in raised concrete, the trail would have a curb profile that discourages this type of vehicle encroachment while enabling the encroachment when necessary to retain flexibility for the yield street concept and emergency vehicle response to the street.

Understanding the unique constraints of this street, the project team has prepared several options to fill the North Gap. Because the existing substandard trail begins midway through the gap, the options are divided into two segments: East of the trailhead and West of the trailhead.

There are four design options for each segment.

Most of the proposed options feature a concrete shared-use path as the trail connector. Where it borders the street, the path would be raised, built with a type of curb that would be fully mountable for emergency vehicles but deter typical vehicles from crossing the trail. This would help maximize usable space for all modes and define the street space for safer travel.

Additionally, because the concrete shared-use path would be built at sidewalk level, it could utilize the space behind the curb up to existing constraints such as utility poles and trees, making it much wider than the existing pilot trail. While the current pilot trail is 7-8 feet wide, the proposed concrete trail could be 10-12 feet wide (an increase in effective width of 40-70%).

If built, a shared-use path would look something like this, incorporating all existing driveways:

Click through the slides below to view all four design options for the East Segment (North Lamar Boulevard to the trailhead). The first slide represents the existing pilot trail, and the final slide highlights key differences across alternatives.  Review the basis of the cost estimates here.  

Click through the slides below to view all four design options for the West Segment (the trailhead to West 34th Street). The first slide represents the existing pilot trail and the final slide highlights key differences across alternatives.  Review the basis of the cost estimates here.  

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Send questions about this project to  mobilitybonds@austintexas.gov