Katy Railroad and Lance Armstrong Bikeway Bridge

Shoal Creek Trestle

The Shoal Creek Trestle carries the Lance Armstrong Bikeway across Shoal Creek in downtown Austin, Texas.

History

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT) was established in 1865 as the Union Pacific Railway Southern Branch and became known as the K-T because it was the Kansas-Texas division of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and KT was its stock exchange symbol. This soon evolved into “the Katy” nickname.

The MKT branch to Austin opened on July 14, 1904, 2 and split from the MKT mainline at Granger. 1 In 1925, the Shoal Creek timber trestle in Austin was reconstructed, which included eleven spans with walkways on the north and south sides of the crossing. 9

In July 1964, the MKT lost a U.S. Postal Service contract to a trucking firm, which resulted in the discontinuation of passenger and mail service between Dallas and San Antonio via Austin. 2 In 1976, the MKT was abandoned from Georgetown and Pershing at the junction with Austin Western Railroad, and the line through downtown Austin was disused sometime after 1988.

Lance Armstrong Bikeway

The Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a proposed east-west cycling route through Austin, was first proposed in 1999 by local cycling advocate Eric Anderson. 7 It was recommended by the Urban Transportation Commission, the Planning Commission, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Environmental Board in July. On October 26, 2000, the city council approved an advanced funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the Austin Crosstown Bikeway and was awarded $3.2 million in federal funds from the Statewide Transportation Enhancements Program funds.

Planning for the Bikeway began in December 8 and construction began in June 2007. 7 The bike path was named after local competitive cyclist Lance Armstrong.

There are proposals to rebuild the structurally deficient Shoal Creek trestle with a 44-foot span for two light passenger railroad service. 6 Preliminary engineering plans began in January 2010.

Gallery

Information

  • State: Texas
  • Route: Lance Armstrong Bikeway
  • Type: Timber Stringer
  • Status: Active - Pedestrian
  • Total Length: 150 feet
  • Spans:
  • Total Height: 35 feet
  • Navigational Clearance:

Sources

  1. “Georgetown to Pershing.” Abandoned Rails. N.p., 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Article.
  2. Greaney, Devin. “Bygone Buildings.” Austin Chronicle. N.p., 26 Jan. 2001. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Article.
  6. “WEST 3RD STREET CREEK CROSSING.” Shoal Creek – Central Library Planning and Design Coordination. Austin: City of Austin, 2010. 28-30. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Report.
  7. Mottola, Daniel. “Lance Armstrong Bikeway Finally Under Way.” Austin Chronicle. N.p., 15 Jun. 2007. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Article.
  8. Austin City Council Agenda: February 15, 2007. N.p.: City of Austin, Texas, 2007. City of Austin. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.Article.
  9. Section 106: Identification of Historic Properties. Research rept. N.p.: Texas Department of Transportation, 2000. University of Texas. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Article.

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