AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hidden in plain sight. The city of Austin and the Shoal Creek Conservancy is shining new light on an historic bridge in downtown Austin.
Built in 1887, this bridge has witnessed a lot.
“This is an active floodway, and so in a big enough flood, the water will come up to the top of these vaults and even potentially over. So we need to design for something that would be safe during those instances, and it’s not going to catch things and cause a problem, so we had to sign for that as well,” said Preston Stewart with the city transportation and public works department.
The bridge is nestled in the heart of West Sixth Street at West Avenue, booming with night life, and bustling during the day with residential and commercial growth.
“One of the oldest bridges and stone masonry arches in the state of Texas. It is a beautiful asset along the Shoal Creek Trail, and this project was really aiming to make it feel more beautiful, more welcoming, and really highlight its historic nature,” said Ivey Kaiser, the Executive Director of The Shoal Creek Conservancy.
New lighting in the tunnel below the Shoal Creek bridge at W 6th St and West Avenue
A public private partnership to upgrade the tunnel below with new lighting, in hopes of making the trail safer.
“The Shoal Creek Trail goes under a lot of bridges, so the hope is to continue this kind of project for other bridges further south from here to make sure that the entire shoal creek corridor is comfortable for trail users of all ages and abilities,” Kaiser said.
The bridge is older than the Capitol Building and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s one of the oldest masonry arches.
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