Butler Trail Safety and Mobility Study

The recommended capital projects and policies will ensure the Butler Trail continues to support a safe, sustainable, and equitable environment for Austin’s current and future residents and visitors.

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, with more than 4.4 million visitors a year, is Austin’s most recognized and popular recreational area. The ten-mile loop circles Lady Bird Lake in the heart of downtown Austin, connecting neighborhoods and providing a natural sanctuary in the middle of the city for all residents and visitors to enjoy.

The Trail Conservancy (TTC) engaged Nelson\Nygaard to develop a long-term vision to enhance the usability, safety, comfort, and profile of the Butler Trail as part of a partnership collaboration between TTC and the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department. The effort resulted in a plan that anticipates Austin’s growth and the growth of active transportation generally, prioritizes design and maintenance needs, and identifies and plans for environmental concerns related to erosion and lighting. We developed a Pathway Design and Safety Guide to provide the TTC with general implementation criteria for all pathway projects. Our project community engagement strategy focused on traditionally underrepresented stakeholders to help create equitable processes and recommendations.

Nelson\Nygaard then led the prioritization of immediate safety recommendations in response to drowning incidents near Rainey Street on the Butler Trail. We developed screening factors and project objectives to score the recommendations developed by the project team, which included additional partners specializing in lighting, structural engineering, and landscape architecture as well as the City of Austin. These recommendations will immediately move into design for rapid implementation.