Urban trail connecting Austin to Manor in the works
When the trail is finished, it will be 5.5 miles long, beginning near Daffan Lane and ending near Ben E. Fisher Park in Manor.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Construction on a 2.9-mile section of a trail connecting Austin to Manor is set to begin this month.
The project is part of the City of Austin's Urban Trails Program and it will create a 12-foot-wide concrete path that connects Austin's trail network to the city of Manor, according to Austin Public Works.
APW said when the trail is finished, it will be 5.5 miles long, beginning near Daffan Lane and ending near Ben E. Fisher Park in Manor. The trail will connect to the existing Southern Walnut Creek Trail and follow the proposed Capital Metro Green Line.
The trail is funded through Mobility Bonds, a Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) grant, and a Travis County Interlocal Agreement.
It will follow CapMetro railroad tracks northeast from Lindell Lane to Ben E. Fisher Park, making the route less hilly than existing road routes people biking might take from the Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park to Manor, APW said in a release.
Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison represents the City Council District in which the trail will be located.
"The Austin to Manor Trail will provide access to a scenic and relaxing place where people of all abilities can enjoy spending time outside," Harper-Madison said. "It will also make getting to and from east Austin and Manor easier and safer for those who do not have access to a car, or who prefer to bike or walk to their destinations.”
Construction of the Austin to Manor Trail trail is expected to last one year. Eventually, Travis County Parks plans to connect the trail to the proposed Gilleland Creek Greenway, which will connect Ben E. Fisher Metropolitan Park to Northeast Metropolitan Park in Pflugerville, according to APW.