The Parks and Recreation Department has proposed up to $1 million in permanent infrastructure improvements to enhance public safety along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail in the Rainey Street District.
A memo released last week by department Director Kimberly McNeeley informed City Council and Mayor Kirk Watson of the progress made on short-term improvements started in early 2023, as well as the long-term solutions available for the high-profile district.
The proposed improvements were selected in collaboration with nonprofit group The Trail Conservancy and an outside consultant hired to study the trail. They include:
The plan also includes the creation of other alternative routes, including new infrastructure along East Avenue like lighting fixtures, traffic calming and increased visual distinction between the trail and sidewalk.
The memo notes the funding for those improvements currently is available through the reallocation of the parks department’s 2018 bond money, using the remainder of money dedicated for all trail improvement projects. The new work also will require deferring some currently active projects, including the Shoal Creek rehabilitation project at Fifth and Sixth streets.
The new improvements are expected to begin this summer and take within a year to complete.
The Trail Conservancy also is managing the completion of a new trailhead project for the Rainey Street district, including walkways, a seating area, natural play areas, a floating dock and restoration of native plants.
That project currently is out for bids, with construction expected to begin this summer. Due to an initially low number of qualified bidders, the deadline has been extended until July 28.
The memo notes that a series of short-term improvements to the trail were completed in March, including installation of solar lighting between the trailhead and the boat launch adjacent to Interstate 35 on East Avenue, additional directional and safety signage and a split-rail fence. The parks department also installed a portable solar camera near the trailhead restroom, with a permanent camera included in the long-term improvements for the area.
Safety in the Rainey Street area has become a high-profile concern in recent months, following a recent pair of drownings and growing speculation online that nightlife patrons of the popular bar and restaurant district are unsafe.
This spring, Austin Police Department stepped up patrols in the area after the deaths of Jason John, 30, and Jonathan Honey, 33. Autopsies of the two showed no signs of foul play. There have been five drownings in the Rainey Street District over the past decade, with the three previous deaths occurring between 2014 and 2018.
With no parkland dedication money expected to be spent in the Rainey Street District through the 2024 fiscal year, the memo notes that the parks department will look for other ways to reallocate funding from existing projects to address the concerns in the area.
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City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department: The city department responsible for the city's park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Rainey Street: Once a quiet residential street, Rainey Street quickly transformed once the historic district was incorporate into the Central Business District in 2004. Currently, the street remains in transition as the bars in the original homes there make way for larger development projects.
