Flooding, high traffic and aging infrastructure are all reasons given by area officials for the upgrade.
The project has been under consideration since 2016 and will be funded in part through Austin's Proposition G, a $160 million transportation and infrastructure bond passed in 2018 that has earmarked $50 million for the Redbud Trail bridge, according to information from the city of Austin.
To access more funding, the city of Austin has applied for a Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant application in the amount of $25 million to the United States Department of Transportation.
Rollingwood City Council approved a letter backing that application during an April 30 special meeting.
“The primary structure has experienced substructure degradation,” Mayor Michael Dyson wrote in a draft of a letter to Elaine Chao, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Factors contributing to the need for replacement include increased traffic loads, steel girders fatigue life, history of scour remediation, narrow traffic lanes and insufficient bicycle/pedestrian paths and roadway shoulders.”
Because Redbud Trail Bridge has a regional impact on the city of Rollingwood, Council Member Wendi Hundley said it would be prudent to honor the city of Austin's request to send out a letter of support for the grant application, which would help widen the bridge and add more infrastructure to it.
"The more support we can show for the different road projects in our area, the better," Council Member Amy Pattillo said, adding that the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is also submitting a letter of support on behalf of Austin's BUILD Grant application.
