Bridging North and South Austin
If you took advantage of the beautiful February weather to enjoy Lady Bird Lake’s hike and bike trails, you already know that the Pfluger Bridge Extension is now open. The extension connects the Lance Armstrong Bikeway to what is colloquially referred to as the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge. It carries bicycle traffic over Cesar Chavez, giving bicycles and pedestrians a route over the river that is almost, but not quite, as convenient as riding across the death trap that is the Lamar Bridge proper
While the extension improves bicycle flow from south to north Austin, the Pfluger Bridge Extension is perhaps not the most beautiful bridge in the world. The outer surface of the span consists of rusted girders which the project design calls “weathering steel.”
The design for the Pfluger Bridge Extension emphasizes the northern foot, where a mound of stone and earth rises up to meet the bridge and surround the bikeway in a womb-like trench of curvilinear wood and recessed lighting.
Of course it would have been nice if the Pfluger Bridge Extension continued the design themes of the original bridge, but I guess a certain discontinuity should be expected from a public works project that takes a decade to complete. The BicycleAustin website can give you an in-depth explanation of the politics, waiting, and wrangling that went into the bridge.
According to an Austin-American Statesman article, the Pfluger Bridge Extension cost the taxpayers just shy of $4 million. Which gave the haters an excuse to fill the comments section with the usual complaints about wasted funds, the sort of complaints I make when I don’t find a project personally convenient.
While visiting the Pfluger Bridge Extension this afternoon, I conducted a highly precise scientific analysis and concluded that more than twelve pedestrians, bicyclists, and children pass over the Pfluger Bridge Extension every minute. On a peak day like today, that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 6000 people cross the bridge. Compare that public transportation funding to the MetroRail Red Line which serves fewer Austinites in a week for 25-times the cost.
The next link in the bike corridor, joining the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge to Third Street, would likely cost as much as the entire Pfluger Bridge Extension. The high price comes from building an underpass beneath an active freight rail line. In the face of a state-wide budget crisis, the funding won’t crop up any time soon.
Related Posts:
Lady Bird Lake: Where to Hike and Bike, Boat, and Play
Capital Metro’s Quarter Cent Crisis
Endgame of the Downtown Bicycle Boulevard
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