Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study Wins State-Level Achievement Award For Transportation Planning, Kicks-Off Design Of Trail InCity Of Austin

Press release from the City of Austin:

December 1, 2021

The City of Austin Public Works Urban Trails Program and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) are proud to announce that they have been awarded the Planning Achievement Award for Transportation Planning from the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association for the Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study. This award honors planning efforts in the state of Texas that work to increase transportation choices for all populations, reduce single-occupancy vehicle dependence, and mitigate climate change impacts.

The Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study, published in December 2020, analyzed the Bergstrom Spur: an abandoned rail corridor stretching roughly 6.5 miles from Vinson Drive in south Austin to East Riverside Drive and US-183 in southeast Austin, near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). The corridor was identified by multiple previous studies and planning efforts as an important future link for connecting regional bicycle, pedestrian, trail, and transit networks. Through the Study, the project team worked closely with local residents and community members to develop proposed concepts for the urban trail and future transit connections.

“Planning projects like the Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study help turn aspirations into reality,” said City Council Member and CAMPO Transportation Policy Board Vice Chair Ann Kitchen, “considering both the short- and long-term possibilities for this corridor makes this project stand out in its potential to provide needed transportation options in a rapidly growing city.”

In Fall 2021, the Urban Trails Program kicked off the design phase of the Bergstrom Spur Trail project. The Bergstrom Spur Trail will be developed as three segments: Western (Vinson Drive to South Congress Avenue), Central (South Congress Avenue to Todd Lane), and Eastern (Todd Lane to East Riverside Drive).

The Urban Trails Program has contracted three design firms to refine the conceptual improvements recommended in the Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study for all three trail segments concurrently. This innovative approach will allow work to begin on each trail segment independent of each other and expedite the overall construction process. Once complete, the three segments will function and feel like a cohesive, continuous trail.

“Urban trails are a key piece of our transportation network,” remarked Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca, who oversees the City’s Mobility Outcome. “Building out high-priority trail connections is critical to delivering on the multimodal vision of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. Beginning this project brings us one step closer to ensuring all Austin residents have affordable, sustainable options for getting where they need to go safely.”

Residents can learn more and subscribe for project updates at the new project website: AustinTexas.gov/BergstromSpur.

This press release was produced by the City of Austin. The views expressed here are the author’s own.