Houstonians have long desired a hike & bike trail that would connect Buffalo Bayou Park to Memorial Park. Funding announcements in September should now help make this 'missing link' project a reality. Detailed design work may begin before the end of this year. The Houston Sierra Club has long advocated for safer and better bike, pedestrian and transit access to Memorial Park.
These excerpts from a recent Houston Public Media article (linked below) describe the project:
"Less than 2 miles separate two of the biggest and most popular parks in Houston.
But for the city's cyclists and pedestrians, getting between Buffalo Bayou Park and Memorial Park feels like a long trek filled with hazards. There is no trail along the bayou, and Memorial Drive – which is lined by homes and businesses, often busy with vehicle traffic and has a narrow, shared-use sidewalk running alongside it – is the only major roadway that connects the two urban parks."
"That gap will be closing, though, as the Houston Parks Board is receiving $8.1 million to help make it happen. The Buffalo Bayou Greenway Connector project was selected for funding as part of the Places 4 People initiative by Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, who announced Wednesday that the effort will provide a total of $170 million to 32 different infrastructure projects in her precinct, which includes northwestern and western parts of the county.
Among them are 13 other trail connection projects, along with a series of Brays Bayou under crossings, street intersection and sidewalk initiatives, roadway drainage projects, community parks and METRO bus shelters".
"Houston Parks Board president and CEO Beth White said the nonprofit already has invested about $5.4 million into the initiative on land acquisition, work along the bayou and preliminary design. She said more detailed design work for the project, which is expected to cost a total of $13.5 million, likely will begin before the end of this year."
Read the full article at Houston Public Media:
Houston’s Memorial and Buffalo Bayou Parks to be connected by forthcoming trail – Houston Public Media
The map showing all of the projects that are part of the Harris County, Pct 4 grant:
2023 Selections (harriscountytx.gov)
Video of HC Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesly Briones announcing the grants:
For questions or comments on this notice, contact Frank Blake at frankblake@juno.com