Support the Red Line Parkway
If you've donated to the Red Line Parkway Initiative this year, we thank you.
If you have donated to the Red Line Parkway Initiative in past years, now is your time to renew.
If you have not yet donated to the Red Line Parkway Initiative, now is the best time to start supporting our work on behalf of the Red Line Parkway.
Texas Hill Country Floods
Our hearts are with the victims and survivors of the catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River, San Gabriel River, and other area rivers and creeks. Many of those affected were spending the long weekend connecting with the outdoors and with each other. As the rains continue, we urge continued caution along creeks and other flood-prone areas.
The Texas Tribune has provided this guide on how you can give and receive help.
Save the Date: State of the Parkway, Thursday, November 6th
This year's annual State of the Parkway will be a luncheon at the Special Event Center in the Austin Central Library, Thursday, November 6th. The event will include an update on the progress of the Red Line Parkway, plus remarks from local officials and a special guest speaker. Sponsorships are available. Stay tuned for more announcements soon!
Red Line Parkway Updates
Community Vision Plan Update
We've been busy putting together proposals for federal and local government funding for the Community Vision Plan. If successful, we'll be convening a public process beginning next year to develop a Community Vision Plan & Implementation Strategy. The plan will identify a 36-mile, end-to-end trail and linear park alignment, extending the joy manifested in the Boggy Creek Greenbelt to a vast stretch of Central Texas.
This behind-the-scenes work prior to public engagement doesn't always result in immediate, month-to-month news to share, but the results are transformative once realized. For example, our 7-year effort with CapMetro to unlock their railroad corridor for the Red Line Parkway culminated in last year's pivotal CapMetro Red Line Trail Study. We are aiming for initial results of the Community Vision Plan to be available by early 2027 with the final plan adopted in mid-2028, if we are awarded federal funding this year and reach our 2025 Red Line Parkway Initiative $500,000 fundraising goal.
Highway stitch examples pictured above: The Cap at Union Station in Columbus, Ohio (top) and The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge in San Antonio.
I-35 Caps Funding
In late May, Austin City Council approved initial funding for many of the proposed caps over the to-be-expanded I-35. This includes funding for both Red Line Parkway crossings over I-35. The crossing at 4th St. will be surrounded by a continuous cap over the highway traffic and over the boulevard/frontage road lanes. The crossing at Hancock Center will feature a scaled-back cap called a "stitch", which is essentially a land bridge. Thanks to those who spoke up, and thanks to fellow community organizations, city staff, and council members for bringing this over the finish line.
What's next? The northern stitch for the Red Line Parkway will be approximately 300' wide and will be nearby a 300' stitch for the new 41st St. to Wilshire Blvd. connection. The City of Austin will be inviting the public to share its ideas over the coming months, with the general shape of the stitches to be finalized by this November. Do you have any burning ideas for the shape of the new stitches? Please share them with us now!
The detailed design of what goes on the stitches will be shaped further over the coming years. Stay tuned for the near-term and future opportunities to shape the Parkway.
East 5th St. / Plaza Saltillo Area
CapMetro and the City of Austin shared their updated 60% design for their Rail and Trail Improvements in East Austin. The project will add double-tracking and new station platforms for the Red Line MetroRail and improve Red Line Parkway connectivity in the area. Our biggest requests for the project have been incorporated into the design, including providing a trail connection to Plaza Saltillo and the MetroRail Station—not just the alleyway—and adding an ped-bike crossing of the railroad at Chalmers Avenue. [The added ped-bike crossing is pending final confirmation of local funding.] We thank you and our friends in East Cesar Chavez for speaking up for these additions.
The project design is expected to be finalized by the end of this year, and construction is to start next year. Learn more at the project website.
CapMetro Bikeshare Expands Along the Parkway
Our local, docked bike share system, CapMetro Bikeshare, is expanding in 2025, including two new stations along the Red Line Parkway and several more nearby! Look for new stations at Northwestern Ave. at Webberville Rd. and Rosewood Ave. at Chestnut Ave. You can view the stations locations map in this recent public presentation.
Bike share systems help remove the barrier of owning a bike, and makes bikes available to a broader range of the public. Combining bike share with regional trails and transit creates world-class access to mobility and recreation.
Parkway Detours
If you haven't already noticed, deconstruction of the Austin Convention Center has begun. Combined with the upcoming reconstruction of the Convention Center, the Downtown Station, and I-35 CapEx Central Project, the Red Line Parkway from San Marcos St. to Trinity St. will see a series of detours over the coming several years. To date, construction contractors have provided well-marked detours, generally using 5th St. as a parallel route.
Expect an ever-changing route through the area. If the detour route ever seems poorly marked or is in any way unsafe, please be sure to report it to 3-1-1 and, if you don't see prompt improvement, then let us know too.
MoKan Trail: Bolm Road Trailhead Completed (near the Parkway)
The MoKan Trail's Bolm Road Trailhead was just completed! This is a great new rest area along the MoKan Trail in East Austin. As the multi-stage MoKan Trail project gets completed over the coming few years, it will connect the Red Line Parkway with Govalle Park and the Southern Walnut Creek Trail with a continuous off-street urban trail.
Public Input Opportunities
A key function of our periodic newsletter and of our organization itself, is to connect the broader public with opportunities to shape the city, region, and state that we live in. We share information on open houses, surveys, and other engagement opportunities that directly impact the Red Line Parkway and on the greater system that shapes Parkway design, funding, and access.
This month we are sharing a few surveys that affect aspects of the greater system that shape the Red Line Parkway. We want to amplify your voices, as Red Line Parkway supporters, and encourage you to take the following surveys that speak to you, generally just a few minutes each.
Texas Statewide Active Transportation Plan (SATP):
The Texas Department of Transportation invites you to participate in the SATP online and in-person. Their current survey is open through Sunday 7/13. The Austin in-person public meeting is this afternoon, Tuesday 7/8 4:30-6:30pm at Fiesta Gardens. Speak up for more access and funding for walking and biking, plus for the Red Line Parkway!
ADA Transition Plans for Pedestrian Crossings and Urban Trails:
The City of Austin wants to hear from you on its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plans for Pedestrian Crossings and Urban Trails. Do you encounter accessibility barriers on the Red Line Parkway or other urban trails and sidewalks? Take the survey by Thursday 7/31.
Shared E-Scooter and E-Bike Survey:
Help shape these Austin mobility options, whether you already ride, want to ride, or just watch them go by. Survey open through Friday 7/18.
Central-Northeast Austin Transportation Plan:
The City of Austin is asking for your input on the Central-Northeast Austin Transportation Plan. This large area has its closest point to the Red Line Parkway just 1/3 mile away at 51st & I-35. Speak up for walk and bike mobility, including more urban trail connections in the plan. Learn more and take the survey by Monday 7/21.
