Austin Closes Shoal Creek Trail After Storm Damage

AUSTIN, TX — The Shoal Creek Trail is closed until further notice after sustaining heavy damage during powerful storms last Friday, officials said.

Shoal Creek Conservancy officials said the trail is closed from Shoal Creek Boulevard to roughly 24th Street due to "massive slope failure and resulting trail damage." Officials urge those visiting to use Lamar Boulevard sidewalk access as a detour. "The area is not safe for use by pedestrians or cyclists," officials added.

The damage is located just south of the area known as the off-leash dog park parking lot (2631 Shoal Creek Boulevard) and extends roughly 300 feet to the south along the west side of the creek, officials explained. "The trail in this area is no longer passable," officials said. "To detour around the damaged area, you can use the rock hop “bridge” in the creek just north of 24th Street to detour to the Lamar Boulevard sidewalk."

City of Austin officials are continually assessing damage while focusing their first response efforts on safety issues, including removal of debris from the creek that could cause flooding downstream in a rain event. The exact cause of the damage and the timeline for repair are not yet known, officials added.

For more details and additional images, download the May 7, 2018, memorandum regarding the slope failure from the City of Austin Departments of Watershed Protection and Parks & Recreation to the mayor and members of city council.

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