AUSTIN, Texas — For years, the Austin Parks Foundation, along with the City of Austin and the Mueller Foundation, has been working to connect the Eastside more. Recently, they just finished the 5.1-mile trail that connects Bartholomew Park up on 51st Street all the way down to Lady Bird Lake.
Hank Cavagnaro talked with Colin Wallis, CEO of the Austin Parks Foundation, about why this trail is so important.
"If you live right here, you can jump on this thing and ride it all the way up to Bartholomew Pool or all the way down to the hike-and-bike trail," he said on his bike while riding the trail.
"This is a way to connect people," asked Hank. "Right?"
"Absolutely. A safe way to get downtown without having to get in your car. I mean, you could. It would obviously be a long walk, but a pretty easy bike ride, really. It's mostly flat," Wallis said.
The trail also intersects with the Red Line at several points, including the MLK stop.
"Someone could easily commute in on the rail from Cedar Park, bring their bike," he said.
The pathed trail is also part of the parks foundation's goal to increase the connectivity on the Eastside.
"You see, today is a great example. I see a lot of people out here walking dogs, commuting, riding bikes for exercise," Wallis explained.
The trail is still being improved and worked on. Wallis said, currently, they're working on better signage to allow people to know that the trail does connect the whole way.
If you'd like to see a map of the trail, click here.
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