The city of Austin Public Works Department is working with residents of the Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association on the second phase of the North Walnut Creek Trail.

At a Jan. 30 meeting hosted by the city, residents discussed their concerns about plans to build a parking lot at the Walnut Bluffs Trailhead on Oakbrook Drive at Cedarbrook Court, east of Lamar Boulevard. However, PWD Project Manager Richard Duane said plans for that lot have been scrapped.

PWD is overseeing construction of the North Walnut Creek Trail, which eventually will run about 4.9 miles from Balcones District Park to I-35 near the Girl Scouts of Central Texas building.

Neighborhood concerns

Many residents who attended the meeting live in the WCNA, which is bounded by I-35, Walnut Creek, Lamar Boulevard and Braker Lane. Other residents showed up from the Gracywoods Neighborhood Association on the west side of Lamar.

Because PWD will maintain the trail, Duane said the department would not be able to enact a curfew like the Parks and Recreation Department can. Funding from the Texas Department of Transportation is being used for the trail, and Duane said the trail is part of the PWD's transportation mobility program.

WCNA residents said they already have issues with people being on the existing natural trail late at night and are concerned that activity will increase.

Resident Kipa Smith, who lives three houses away from the trailhead, said not having a curfew on the trail could limit what the police could do about people being present on the trail late at night. Smith and other residents said those people are often taking part in illegal activity, such as drugs.

"There's no reason to draw that into our neighborhood when there are other access points [to the trail]," she said.

Residents were on the opposite side of the fence on whether they wanted the city to pave over the natural trail that exists. Duane said the plan is to construct a 10-foot-wide trail with 2-foot-wide shoulders.

"People see a wild area, and they think they can go in and do what they want. We don't want to make it easier for them," resident Bunnie Twidwell said.

Duane said he will speak with the district police officers for the Walnut Creek area about residents' concerns on crime. He said city staff is looking into ways of reducing the width of the connection at the Walnut Bluffs Trailhead to 5 feet.

Trail construction

Construction began last spring on Phase 1 of the Walnut Creek Trail that starts in Balcones District Park near Duval Road and ends 3.2 miles later in Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. Duane said construction is complete at Balcones and where the trail crosses under MoPac near St. David's North Austin Medical Center. He said construction will continue for about another year.

The second phase will pick up where Phase 1 ends at Walnut Creek park and will cost about $2.7 million to construct, Duane said. He added that the city has been discussing using the Girl Scouts' parking lot for people wanting to access the trail.

Design work for Phase 2 will be finished in December, and Duane said construction is slated to begin in August 2015 and wrap up in early 2017.