Austin ‘under the bridge’ facelift, bats OK

​AUSTIN - The trail beneath the north side of the Ann Richards Congress Ave. Bridge will soon undergo a major facelift.

The Trail Foundation, an Austin nonprofit that works to protect and improve the Ann and Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake, announced a $2.5 million trail improvement project that will replace aging infrastructure underneath Congress Ave. with a new bridge.

The project will result in improved ADA accessibility, a wider trail — from six feet to 14 feet in some portions — and beautification efforts in an area that has remained the same for roughly 40 years, TTF Executive Director Susan Rankin said.

The new bridge will also include a bat observation landing so onlookers do not get in the way of trail users, Rankin said. 

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2017. 

The Trail Foundation also has $100,000 to $150,000 in work slated for next year in ecological restoration efforts along Lady Bird Lake.

Efforts include various conservation projects, such as planting native trees, seeding wildflowers and removing invasive, non-native tree species from the trail.