3 improvements to Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail planned for 2023

The Trail Conservancy will work on three restoration projects along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail in 2023.

In the spring, the conservancy will begin construction on the Rainey Street trailhead, a project meant to encourage playing in nature, said Andy Austin, Trail Conservancy board chair-elect.

Schematics for the trailhead include secret paths, a grass maze, a sand pit, stepping stones and boulders.

The conservancy will also begin gathering permits in 2023 for the Holly Project, a site located west of the decommissioned Holly Power Plant at Festival Beach in the East Cesar Chavez Street and Holly neighborhoods. The project will realign the trail and restore native plants and a wetland habitat along the shore. The project will realign the trail and restore native plants and a wetland habitat along the shore.

The Butler Shores exercise area, which sits next to the trail near the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and West Riverside Drive, is getting revamped. The project, which includes getting new exercise equipment and a solar-powered drinking fountain with cold water, is expected to be finished in March.

The Trail Conservancy will also revamp Butler Trail signage.