{"id":144374,"date":"2026-01-30T18:25:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/144374\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:25:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:25:06","slug":"austin-unveils-finished-3-way-bridge-over-lady-bird-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/144374\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin unveils finished 3-way bridge over Lady Bird Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Butler Trail\u2019s long-awaited final link is here, and Austin is celebrating. The Trail Conservancy and the City of Austin will host a Wishbone Bridge & Unity Underpass<\/a> ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday, February 7, from 10 am to 12:30 pm at the Wishbone Bridge plaza near Longhorn Dam. <\/p>\n

The event will include music, activities, and the opportunity to be among the first to experience the newly completed stretch of the trail.<\/p>\n

With the opening of the Wishbone Bridge and Unity Underpass<\/a>, Austin\u2019s Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail becomes a continuous, traffic-free loop, closing the final major gap in the trail\u2019s roughly 10-mile circuit around Lady Bird Lake. The roughly $25 million project represents the culmination of years of planning to fully connect one of the city\u2019s most heavily used public spaces.<\/p>\n

\"Wishbone Site plan of the Wishbone Bridge and trail connections at Lady Bird Lake, illustrating the three-legged bridge alignment linking Longhorn Shores, Holly Shores, and the Butler Trail.Image courtesy of City of Austin<\/p>\n

The Wishbone Bridge is a Y-shaped bicycle and pedestrian bridge spanning Lady Bird Lake, designed to connect three converging segments of the trail at a single junction. From the bridge\u2019s central plaza, users can head east or west along the north shore or south toward the boardwalk and south shore, eliminating detours and roadway crossings that previously disrupted the loop.<\/p>\n

The project also includes the Unity Underpass beneath South Pleasant Valley Road, a widened, grade-separated crossing designed to remove conflicts between trail users and vehicle traffic at one of the corridor\u2019s choke points.<\/p>\n

The Unity Underpass includes a large-scale mosaic by Houston-based public artist Reginald Adams<\/a>, adding permanent public art to what was once a quick trail cut-through beneath the roadway. The bridge plaza above also includes new maraca-shaped art benches commissioned by The Trail Conservancy.<\/p>\n

\"Wishbone Illustrative rendering of the Unity Underpass, part of the Wishbone Bridge project, showing the pedestrian and bike connection beneath Pleasant Valley Road.Rendering courtesy of City of Austin<\/p>\n

Planning for the Wishbone Bridge began in 2018, when the City of Austin launched engineering and public engagement to address safety and connectivity issues near Pleasant Valley Road and Longhorn Dam.<\/p>\n

Funding came primarily from Austin\u2019s 2020 mobility bond, with additional federal Community Project Funding awarded in 2023 as project costs increased and the scope expanded. Construction began in July 2024. The project follows the completion of the Butler Trail Boardwalk in 2014, a roughly $28 million effort that closed a long-standing gap along the south shore of Lady Bird Lake. More than 2.6 million people use the trail each year, according to the city. <\/p>\n

People attending the ribbon-cutting on Saturday will gather on the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail near South Pleasant Valley Road. Parking will be available at Krieg Field, with multiple access points to the bridge, including south of Longhorn Dam, north of Longhorn Dam at the end of Canterbury Street, and north of the dam at the former Holly peninsula. <\/p>\n