Waterloo Greenway Conservancy launches lush downtown habitat for locals and wildlife

Additionally, temperatures on the trail are about 5-7 degrees cooler than the street level, Rigdon said, which he hopes will encourage more people to utilize the trail, even in warmer months.

Why it matters

The new trail also showcases over 1,600 trees, 200,000 plants and 200 different native species that were planted as part of the project. For context, Rigdon said, Waterloo Park features 90,000 plants and 5,000 trees.

“This is a landscape reconstruction as much as it is a restoration,” Rigdon said. “So, really building from the bedrock up.”

The natural green space was built for humans and animals alike. Prior to its opening, The Confluence is already open to birds, turtles, fish and a beaver, Rigdon reports.

“Even before we finished, nature was making its way back in,” Rigdon said. “It's like nature was hungry for this beautiful regional habitat that doesn't exist really anywhere else. As soon as we started building it, we were seeing all types of critters taking over the space, which is really affirming of the work we're doing.”

The grand opening

Waterloo Greenway Conservancy will welcome the public to The Confluence for the first time June 6, debuting its new environment. The grand opening is free and will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. at Grandpa’s Lake View Terrace, a self-guided tour, activities, refreshments, live music and art.

People can access the trail from a few entrances, including:

• Fourth Street and Sabine Street
• Third Street and I-35
• Cesar Chavez Street
• Second Street and Sabine Street
• 74 Trinity St.
• Red River Street and Davis Street
• Hike-and-bike trail South

For the next phase of the project, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy will develop Fourth Street to 12th Street, as well as Palm Park.

Once completed, Phase 3 will complete the fully off-street, 1.5-mile and 12-foot wide pedestrian network that connects along downtown Austin, The University of Texas campus and Lady Bird Lake.

• Opens June 6
• Downtown Austin
• www.waterloogreenway.org