Support Restoration of Shoal Creek Trail at Landslide Site
March 17, 2023 | By Shoal Creek Conservancy
In spring 2023, Shoal Creek Conservancy and Pease Park Conservancy sent a letter to Mayor Watson and City Council urging our leaders to take expeditious action on restoring connectivity to the Shoal Creek Trail at 26th Street. This letter was signed by hundreds of community members. This section of the trail has been blocked by debris from two major landslides that occurred in 2018 and 2019. See below to review the request to our city leaders.
2023 Letter sent to Mayor and Council
2023 Letter
Subject: Restore Shoal Creek Trail Connectivity at the 26th Street Landslide
To: Mayor Watson & Austin City Council Members
We respectfully request that Council take expeditious action to resolve the longstanding public safety and connectivity issues caused by the 2018 and 2019 landslide events along the Shoal Creek Trail.
Shoal Creek Landslides
Major landslides along the Shoal Creek Trail in Pease Park occurred in May 2018 and May 2019 causing significant damage to public and private property. The resulting debris has blocked the Creek and Trail from approximately 26th to 27th Street. Almost five years after the initial landslide event, the Creek and Trail remain blocked. This situation has raised several major issues of public interest:
- Loss of trail system connectivity in our citywide active transportation network.
- Lack of access to parkland where park users are directed to detour around the landslide site.
- Continuing threat of another landslide event presented by the pile of landslide debris.
- Rapid erosion of the Creek’s eastern bank caused by landslide debris rerouting the Creek flow, which undermines recently installed bank reinforcements.
Efforts to identify a solution have been on pause for a number of years due to ongoing legal action between the City of Austin and private property owners. We urge the City to:
- Expedite the resolution of this litigation so that the City may resume exploration of design and engineering solutions to the creek, trail, and parkland blockages.
- Dedicate sufficient cross-departmental funding in the FY2024 budget to implement a solution that restores access to the Shoal Creek Trail and impacted park land on the west side of Shoal Creek.
Please don’t miss the opportunity in the upcoming budget cycle to address this longstanding public safety and connectivity issue.
2024 Landslide Advocacy Updates
- Ongoing litigation has continued to prevent any planning, funding or construction in the landslide area
- Spring 2024 – Shoal Creek Conservancy and Pease Park Conservancy met with Assistant City Manager Goode and Watershed Protection Department Director Morales
- Summer 2024 – SCC & PPC met with city staff from Austin Watershed Protection Department, Parks and Recreation, and Transportation Public Works to request a list of possible future improvements that could address the rubble in the creek channel and access to the nature trail on the west side of Shoal Creek. Our efforts to advocate for improved water flow, bank protection and trail access are resulting in increased communication and exploration of future potential repairs at this location.
About the Shoal Creek Trail
Austin’s Shoal Creek Trail serves as a serene natural oasis, the site of precious native habitat, and as a vital thoroughfare in our city’s urban trail network. Since completion of the 5.5-mile bikeway along Shoal Creek Boulevard in 2020, the Shoal Creek Trail and Bikeway provide a continuous 10-mile pathway spanning downtown to Highway 183. The Shoal Creek Trail Plan lays the groundwork for the Trail to extend even further north, connecting to the Northern Walnut Creek Trail and other major destinations such as the Domain. The Shoal Creek Trail offers a bevy of delights for dog walkers, joggers, mountain bikers, bird watchers, picnickers, and more, and provides unparalleled access to nature within the urban core.
