San Marcos leadership, staff celebrate completion of San Marcos River shared pathway, reopening of Rio Vista Falls

City of San Marcos leadership, staff and contractors held a ribbon-cutting ceremony along the river May 18 to celebrate the completion of the San Marcos River shared-use pathway project and the reopening of Rio Vista Falls.

“On behalf of the whole community, we are happy to see these projects reach completion,” Mayor Jane Hughson said. “The San Marcos River shared-use pathway project is the perfect example of what can be achieved when federal, state and local entities work together to accomplish something great for the community.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant path project was approved by the City Council in 2017, the mayor said, and broke ground in early 2020.

“This 1.7-mile long trail not only allows users of all abilities to access our riverfront park system, but it also provides connectivity between our visitor center, south freeway, downtown and Texas State University,” Hughson said.

The gathering also celebrated the reopening of Rio Vista Falls, a recreation spot along the river. The portion of the river was closed since October and was slated to reopen in March, as previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper.

“This project suffered many setbacks, but the perseverance of [city staff, recreation, engineering and planning, Austin Filter Systems] ensured the project was completed as quickly and safely as possible,” Hughson said.