Timber Lane Utility District has earned a special recognition award from Houston-Galveston Area Council for its 2.5 mile trail.[/caption] In its 2016 Parks and Natural Areas Award Competition, Houston-Galveston Area Council awarded Cypress Creek Hike and Bike Trail and Bridge Project special recognition in the category of Projects over $500,000 on Jan. 17. The trail connects six subdivisions with pedestrian and bicycle access and connects to Spring Park and Ride with a bridge across Cypress Creek. It cost $4.9 million to build and features nine trailheads and a bridge spanning Cypress Creek. It extends from Precinct 4’s Mercer Botanic Gardens to Timber Lane Park. Precinct 4 contributed to the bridge construction in partnership with the Timber Lane Utility District and a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. It was completed six months ago, TLUD Director and Parks Coordinator Bud Gessel said. TLUD, located in Harris County Precinct 4, is a key participant in the Cypress Creek Greenway Project in the area, said Jim Robertson, chairman of the Cypress Creek Greenway Project. “I am very pleased to see Timber Lane Utility District receive this well-deserved [award] from the Houston-Galveston Area Council Natural Resources Advisory Committee's Parks and Natural Areas Subcommittee,” he said. “This utility district is an outstanding example of what MUDs can do through partnerships with Precinct 4, TxDOT and other entities,” Robertson said. The project received 80 percent of its funds federally, and the other 20 percent was locally funded. TLUD split the locally funded portion in half with Precinct 4. “This will be our fourth award from H-GAC,” Gessel said. “[This trail] really beautified our neighborhood and gave a lot more people the ability to get into the woods,” Gessel said. “We’ve grown from a 17-acre park in 2003 to now we have over 300 acres, and this has been by far our biggest project.”