City’s Rutland Drive Project Plan and Connection with the Shoal Creek Trail
September 17, 2024 | By Shoal Creek Conservancy
The City of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department has opened a survey collecting feedback from the community regarding their safety and mobility project on Rutland Drive, Longhorn Blvd and Neils Thompson Drive in north Austin. The plan proposes building a new in-street bikeway connecting N Lamar Blvd and Burnet Road along Rutland Drive and expanding the Shoal Creek Trail north/eastward via a shared use path along Neils Thompson Drive and Longhorn Blvd, extending the Shoal Creek Trail by 0.7 miles!
The envisioned shared use path along Neils Thompson Drive and Longhorn Blvd (as shown below) will help connect the northern terminus of the Shoal Creek Trail at Hwy 183 to Burnet Road, Rutland Drive, the Red Line Trail, Q2 Stadium, the 803 Metro Rapid line, the Domain and the Northern Walnut Creek Trail.
Along with the planned Burnet Corridor improvements which includes new shared-use paths along both sides of Burnet Road, the Neils Thompson Drive and Longhorn Blvd connection allows Shoal Creek Trail users to safely access other trails in north Austin and provides a critical link to The Big Loop: 30 miles of hike and bike trails around the City of Austin (see map below). Connection between the Shoal Creek Trail, the Red Line Trail, and the Northern Walnut Creek Trail – a priority project described in the Shoal Creek Trail Plan – helps create a seamless network of hike and bike trails north of the Colorado River.
We encourage stakeholders and the community to support this critical Transportation and Public Works project and share your feedback by taking the survey by October 6th.
We specifically ask that survey respondents explain why a high-quality urban trail along Neils Thompson Drive and Longhorn Blvd is important to them and their families. Feel free to use the following comments: “I support a high-quality, all ages and abilities urban trail connection between the Shoal Creek Headwaters and Burnet Road, including a 12-foot-wide shared use path and a 3-foot-wide buffer from vehicles.”
Connecting these trails makes it easier and safer for people to commute, exercise and enjoy recreational activities, not only along Shoal Creek but also throughout The Big Loop.
