Nadia Barrera, urban trails program manager with the city of Austin's Public Works Department, speaks at an Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods meeting Aug. 12.[/caption]

Oak Hill residents received an overview Aug. 12 of the YBC Trail, an urban trail being developed to help connect pedestrians and cyclists in the area to downtown Austin.

Austin City Council approved an Urban Trails Master Plan in October, and the YBC Trail is part of that vision for city connectivity, said Nadia Barrera, urban trails program manager with the city of Austin’s Public Works Department. During the Aug. 12 meeting of the Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods, Barrera along with Project Manager Jessica Salinas presented maps of the project as well as status updates.

Residents said some ideas suggested by local neighborhoods and the Oak Hill Trails Association are not reflected in the city’s current plan. The trail is in the preliminary engineering phase, which will be completed by December, Salinas said. Construction could occur over a 2- to 5-year period but no funding has been identified, she said.

Salinas noted the city will work with the Texas Department of Transportation to update its schematics so they are aligned with TxDOT’s plans as part of Oak Hill Parkway, a long-term environmental study to alleviate traffic congestion near the intersection of Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71.