Work is set to begin on a highly awaited urban trail that stretches along an abandoned railway through southern Austin, with construction on the Bergstrom Spur Trail slated to start in January.
The 6.5-mile trail will ultimately connect Vinson Drive in south Austin to East Riverside Drive and US-183 in southeast Austin as well as a number of parks, neighborhoods, and destinations. The trail will be developed as three segments: Western, Central, and Eastern
The first phase of construction includes the creation of a 12-foot-wide, shared-use path on the east side of Vinson Drive from Aberdeen Drive to the trailhead tie-in at the former Union Pacific Railway tracks. It’s expected to be approximately 0.3 miles.
The Urban Trails Program identified the Bergstrom Spur Trail as a high-priority project in the 2014 Urban Trails Plan. The trail was prioritized for its potential to enhance urban trail access in southwest Austin, improve connectivity, and provide a viable route to walk or bike to the airport.
The Bergstrom Spur was also identified as an important link for connecting regional pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks in the 2017 Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Regional Active Transportation Plan and the 2019 Austin Strategic Mobility Plan.
In 2019, the Urban Trails Program partnered with CAMPO to develop proposed concepts for the urban trail and potential future transit connections.
