EastLink is an existing five-mil, urban trail from Bartholomew District Park to Lady Bird Lake. The trail connects residents to parks and pools, schools and recreation centers, grocery stores and community gardens, cultural and historic sites, local merchant districts, public transportation, and bike lanes. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with Austin Parks Foundation to create an interpretive placemaking plan for the trail.

Bird's eye view of Rosewood Neighborhood Park near the Pleast Valley Drive overpass.

Project Background and Description

Throughout the years, many pathway infrastructure projects have been completed by City of Austin and its partners to close the missing segments of the trail. Now the 5.1 mile trail travels from Bartholomew District Park in the north through Mueller District, Manor Road, 12th Street Coridor, Boggy Creek, Parque Zaragoza, the Holly Neighborhood, and ends at Metz Neighborhood Park next to the decommissioned Holly Power Plant.

Efforts are currently underway to achieve placemaking by collecting the histories and needs of the communityes along EastLink Trail. This will inform future physical and experiential improvements along the trail that are rooted in the community's values and histories.

Project Schedule

  • Internal Project Kick-off - May 2019
    • Includes City of Austin staff members, neighborhood leaders, other organizations
  • Community Engagement - June to December 2019
    • Includes PALS meetings, Trail Activations
  • Deliver Draft Report - December 2019 to January 2020 (tentative)

Funding and Resources

Funding for the interpretive placemaking project is being provided by Austin Parks Foundation.

Community Engagement

Park Anchored Liaisons and Stakeholders (PALS) Meetings

PALS Meeting #1
July 24, 2019

PALS Meeting #2
September 25, 2019, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Parque Zaragoza, 2608 Gonzales St., Austin, TX 78702

Trail Activations

Explore the Trail: Activism
Sunday, November 3, 2019, 1 to 4 p.m.
Began at Metz Neighborhood Park

Explore the Trail: Culture
Saturday, November 9, 2019, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Began at Austin Film Society Creative Media Center

The Pillars Project: Our History, Our Trail
Sunday, November 24, 2 to 6 p.m.
Rosewood Park, Pleasant Valley "Pillars" Site

Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meetings

TAG Meeting #1
May 29, 2019, 9 to 11 a.m.
AISD Performing Arts Center

  • Meeting Notes (PDF)

TAG Meeting #2
September 11, 2019, 1 to 3 p.m.
Britton, Durst, Howard, and Spence Building

Contact

For questions about this project, please contact D'Anne Williams by email or phone at (512) 974-9456.