City

Great Spring Project connecting SA to ATX with 100+ miles of trails

April 12, 2022 • 
Ivan Briones
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Inspired to go explore some routes? Check out the Dante Trail in San Marcos. | 📸: @phasingthemoon

San Antonio and Austin (howdy ATXtoday 👋) are about to get a lot more connected — Think: a spring-to-spring network of trails from the Alamo to the Texas State Capitol.

Great Springs Project (GSP) has announced its proposal for an ambitious 100+ mile trail system spanning the San Antonio-Austin corridor and is set to be completed just in time for the Texas Bicentennial in 2036.

In doing so, GSP hopes to create a greenway of contiguous protected lands over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone while also connecting people to nature, offering active transportation, outdoor recreation, flood protection, and economic development opportunities.

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This news has us inspired — road trip anyone? | Graphic by Great Springs Project

Here are the main key points you need to know:

  • While total completion is set for 2036, the project will likely be built in phases.
  • Some portions of trails are already built, like sections of the Violet Crown Trail in Austin and the Dante Trail at Purgatory Creek Natural Area in San Marcos.
  • The project has been broken up into six segments (A-F) in the proposal’s plan.
  • GPS is focused on creating the most amount of accessible spaces + trails when possible.
  • Potential funding sources have been identified on the project proposal (including maintenance) from federal to local agencies.

According to its study, the total potential annual benefits to Bexar County can reach $9,880,000 in health, transportation, economy, and land + water.

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What Hill Country city would you like a day trip guide to? | Graphic by SATXtoday, via Google Maps

Check out these statistic estimations for the trail network:

  • 1,900,000 annual pedestrian trips expected
  • 1,620,000 annual bike trips trips expected
  • 5,400 metric tons of CO2 vehicle emission reduced
  • $1.1 million in annual carbon sequestration benefits
  • $23,370,000 total economic benefits (mostly in the tourism and service industries
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A closer look at each trail segment can be found on the proposal document. | Graphic by GSP

Great Springs Project has sought guidance from Alta Planning + Design — a planning firm behind several award-winning urbanism projects — for this landmark proposal.

The plan is currently being supported by organizations like the San Antonio River Authority, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, and General Motors (among others).