Bayou Greenways initiative opens new segment of hike-and-bike trail along Hunting Bayou
Photo credit: Anthony Rathbun, Courtesy of Houston Parks Board
Houston Parks Board, in partnership with the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Harris County Flood Control District, is pleased to announce construction is complete on more than 3.3 miles of 10-foot-wide concrete trail between Manitou Drive to Maxey Road along Hunting Bayou. As part of the Bayou Greenways initiative, Hunting Bayou is now connected to Greens Bayou at Maxey Park.
“We are excited to open up this essential connection between Hunting Bayou and Greens Bayou,” said Beth White, President and CEO of Houston Parks Board. “This project is significant in that it marks the first time Hunting Bayou is connected to Greens Bayou via a hike-and-bike trail, opening access to more recreational and alternative transportation opportunities for nearby residents.”
“This project is all about results,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The completion of this new section of Bayou Greenway 2020 vividly illustrates to the community that we understand your needs and we’re here to make a difference for you and your families. When this project is complete, Houston’s hike and bike trail system will be a model for the nation. Thank you to everyone who has made this happen.”
Land acquisition, design, and construction of the project cost $9.5 million. This segment of Hunting Bayou Greenway was made possible in part by funds from the Kinder Foundation’s $50 million transformational gift to Bayou Greenways. As part of this generous contribution to the initiative, the Foundation invested $2.7 million to this critical connection of Hunting Bayou to Greens Bayou.
“We are proud to invest in parkland and trails along Hunting Bayou, creating access to essential greenspace for nearby neighborhoods,” states Nancy Kinder, President and CEO, Kinder Foundation. “Hunting Bayou Greenway is unique, and now the greenway will remain as parkland forever.”
“This project is the latest step in making Houston a more connected city,” said Kenneth Allen, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department. “For the Houstonians who utilize Hunting and Greens Bayous, it’s a welcome addition. Bayou Greenways 2020 is changing Houston for the better and we thank all of our valued partners for the continued vision, hard work, and effort to make this project so successful.”
An estimated 0.90 miles of Hunting Bayou Greenway between Wallisville Road and the existing trail network in Herman Brown Park is closed for public use pending the construction of the greenway under US 90. After construction is fully complete, a total of approximately 9 miles of a trail network will be open for public use between Hunting and Greens bayous.
Notable new features include:
- Two trail connections into Manitou Drive and San Pedro Street with trash cans and recycling bins.
- A trailhead within the El Dorado Neighborhood at the intersection of Saltillo Street and Mesa Drive, with seating, a gateway featuring the design of a woodpecker, trash can and recycling bin.
- Two trail connections at the intersections of Lafferty Oaks Street and Autumnwood Drive, and Coolwood Drive within the Woodshadows II Neighborhood.
- New neighborhood green space in the Woodshadows II Neighborhood between Autumnwood Drive and Centerwood Drive on land owned by Harris County Flood Control District, featuring a 6-foot-wide concrete trail, native meadow, tree plantings, reforestation buffer, and an ornamental design featuring a woodpecker gateway.
- Connection to the Greens Bayou Greenwaythrough the Texas Department of Transportation’s recently built Maxey Road widened sidewalks. TXDOT’s project also provides a trail connection between Maxey Road Park and Greens Bayou Drive where the greenway continues to Thomas Bell Foster Park.
- Native trees and meadows.
Hunting Bayou Greenway is one of nine bayous being transformed as part of Bayou Greenways, a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, the City of Houston, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The initiative is implemented in close collaboration with the Harris County Flood Control District, which manages the county’s bayous and creeks for drainage and flood risk reduction. Bayou Greenways will transform 3,000 acres of underutilized land along nine major waterways and create a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways.
Thanks to Kinder Foundation’s visionary leadership and transformational gift, as well as the extraordinary generosity of the Hildebrand Foundation, Houston Endowment, The Brown Foundation Inc. and many other Houstonians, Houston Parks Board has surpassed its goal of assembling more than $225 million to invest in Bayou Greenways. The fundraising journey began in 2012 when Houston voters resoundingly approved a bond to provide $100 million in funds to the Bayou Greenways initiative. Houston Parks Board has since more than matched this number through a $125 million capital campaign.
For photos of Bayou Greenways, please click here.