5.5-mile Austin-to-Manor Trail to celebrate grand opening

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Local leaders will celebrate the official opening of a new regional trail this week.

The City of Austin will host a ribbon-cutting event on Saturday to commemorate the completion of the Austin-to-Manor Trail, a 5.5-mile trail starting near Daffan Lane in Austin and ending near Manor's Ben E. Fisher Park. This second section — which began construction in April 2023 — connects with the existing Southern Walnut Creek Trail and follows along the future Green Line as part of the Project Connect system.

The Austin-to-Manor Trail was born from a recommendation incorporated into Austin's 2014 Urban Trails Plan. The first section of the trail, running from Daffan Lane to Lindell Lane, wrapped construction and opened a decade ago in fall 2014. The second section linked Lindell Lane to Ben E. Fisher Park.

Section 1 includes a 2.5-mile trail with a 10-foot-wide concrete path that links up to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. It runs through the Decker Tallgrass Prairie Reserve, according to project documents.

Section 2 is roughly 2.9 miles and features a 12-foot-wide concrete path connecting the existing portion of the trail with Manor. The project received funding through 2012, 2016 and 2020 bond dollars, a Travis County interlocal agreement and a grant from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Saturday's ribbon-cutting ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at Ben E. Fisher Park in Manor and will include remarks from Travis County Judge Andy Brown, CAMPO Vice-Chair and Pflugerville City Council Member Rudy Metayer, Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion and Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey.

More details on the project are available online.