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Walnut - Concrete Trail Segment Construction thread


cmc4130
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December 17 update from City of Austin Public Works.   (During my meeting with them and the contractor in November, they said they were going to try allow for a crossing point around the #230 point, but now it seems to have shifted to "this whole corridor is closed until late spring" and they shifted the Alternate Route over to Root Drop.  I have requested a meeting about it. 

--Cullen, ARR Walnut Creek Trail Steward

 

 

Dec 17 Project Update_closures.jpg

 

Dec 17 Project Update_closures2.jpg

 

 

This is what I'm suggesting they do, which is create a break in the security fencing either at #230 (or at the other circled spot--although that spot is close to an elevated bridge area that they are going to build, so it may be harder). 

Consider Break in Security Fence at Trail Maker 230 or other.jpg

Edited by cmc4130
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I hope the city accommodates  your suggestions, because it's very likely that some trail user (walkers/dog walkers/cyclists) will at some point  cut or tear down the fencing, leading to more conflict and aggravation for the the contractor.   In addition, unapproved social trails will be generated. 

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Yeah, I am concerned as well. The pandemic seems to have brought a lot of people into our sport who don't appear to have as much "tribal knowledge" about trails, maintaining them, access, loss of access, etc. Some of the attitudes that I tend to see played out on social media and online often revolve around the idea of "I can ride anywhere I want, STFU if you don't like it." Wet trails, e-bikes, rogue trails that cross private land, you get the picture.

Sadly a lot of them don't venture off of WC to other trails, so any limitation to them is a huge impact. When you hear people really going off the deep end about how terrible this is and how they weren't personally consulted about the project, it's a good time to remind them that now is a perfect to branch out and explore some of the other trails. 

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Just south of the lower circle in my diagram above, right next to the creek, was an old existing social trail that took some very minor cleaning up to be a workable temporary walk/ride-around as we discuss further with City. 


p5pb21837978.jpg
 

 

 

p5pb21837972.jpg

 

 

p5pb21837970.jpg


 

Old CLOSED trail

p5pb21837981.jpg

 

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Just rode this yesterday. It is awesome.

Basically we have the whole park, and there is basically only a small section cut off and then the "service road" which was boring anyway. 

I was able to piece together ~95% of the old "race loop" route that we all rode for the last 20 years. Just a couple more pieces to pull together and it will be done and committed to memory.

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Here is a little more detail to show the impact of he closed trails. With the reroute it only leaves those sections in red to contend with.  Getting some kind of reroute from 256 to 244 would be awesome. @cmc4130 if you get approval to do that, let me know and I am happy to come out and help with that reroute. It is a small one but it would open up 90% of that creekside trail and really pull things together.

Walnut_closed_trail.thumb.png.2e13cfb30aad26f43535396107877259.png

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Up by the pool lot, #242 to #244 is not actually closed. There's fencing, but they left a couple of breaks in the fencing on purpose.  The short section from #244 to where the blue trail drops in to the right is one area that has been suggested to have a dirt trail short cut on the west side of the concrete.

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  • 3 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Bamwa said:

I have some pictures of the poured bridge columns and the rebar isn't arraigned in any way other than fked up.  Should I show them to someone at the city? May upload here later. And hello again folks! It's been a while.

Yeah, if you upload, I can make Public Works aware of it. 
— Cullen, Austin Ridge Riders


 

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On 1/16/2022 at 6:17 PM, WatersPark said:

Here's a brochure from an early envisioning of the trail from the 1990s when I worked for the city.

https://milwoodna.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WC_GreenwayBrochure.pdf

I think the whole thing is a part of the 'Big Loop' concept, which if ever implemented, will allow riders to ride up/down/across/around Austin; and the way traffic is going, it'll be needed! This article is from 2017, and hey - the Shoal Creek bike lanes have been implemented. The concrete path currently under construction at Walnut will at least make some eastbound headway. I've been under that overpass on I-35 -- it wouldn't surprise me if they have to suspend the crosswalk underneath the freeway, there's not a lot of room on the banks of the creek to build anything which would last.

One small trail for North Austin, one giant loop for the whole city - Austin Monitor

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2 hours ago, Barry said:

Indeed. If I'm riding just Walnut on a weekend day, something has gone wrong. 

I quit the Nut on weekends after going over the bars, after a big off leash Rottweiler took me out on Tangle, and then getting yelled at by a Jersey Shore couple last yr. 

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On 1/29/2022 at 9:22 AM, TAF said:

I think the whole thing is a part of the 'Big Loop' concept

Correct. 

I do a regular Tuesday morning social ride on the Southern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Path, out and back. A guy (Ted Siff) involved with promoting this project is going to talk to our group  tomorrow morning if things are dry.  I'll see if I can post a copy of the PDF of the current status of the Grand Loop. 

My current pet peeve.  All iterations, north and south, of the Walnut Creek Multi-Use path have problems with mud/sand washing onto the path every damn time it rains. EVERY. TIME. 

Somehow, the design doesn't require the contractor to address drainage issues.  Ridge Riders have spent  many hours of volunteer labor trying to address these drainage issues within the park.  There are also problems further along the paved path, both north and south of Metric.  It's a mess. 

Edited by June Bug
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