Macie Kelly/Houston Public Media
Pictured is construction-related signage near Loop 610 in Houston.
City of Houston leaders have approved plans to construct a shared-use pathway and bridge across Loop 610 to connect existing mixed-use trails between Uptown Houston and Memorial Park.
The city council unanimously passed a public improvement development agreement Wednesday for the design and construction of the project, which will serve cyclists and pedestrians. The agreement is in collaboration with the Uptown Development Authority and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) 16.
Houston City Council member Joe Panzarella — whose District C includes the site of the trail — spoke about the project’s benefits during Wednesday’s meeting.
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“This project will install a safe hike-and-bike bridge over the [Buffalo] Bayou, connecting existing trails and infrastructure,” Panzarella said. “This is an amazing project, and one that highlights what a lot Houstonians are asking for, which is better connectivity and better mobility throughout the city.”
Provided/City of Houston
A rendering of the West Loop Shared Use Pathway and Bridge Project.
The project, called the West Loop Shared Use Pathway and Bridge Project, is estimated to cost approximately $22.5 million and will be funded by grants from the Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the ordinance.
The ordinance states the city will have no funding obligations under the agreement and that no city funding will be required.
According to a project rendering, the bridge will cross 610 near Buffalo Bayou, between Post Oak Boulevard and Woodway Drive in the Galleria area. The ordinance did not provide a timeline for when the project is expected to be completed.
The project is part of the Memorial Park Ten-Year Master Plan, which was approved by the city council in 2015.