CTRMA adds bike and pedestrian project to its to-do list

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority officially added the Colorado River Scenic Byway to the 183 South Project on Wednesday. Conceived as an active transportation component of the much larger toll lane construction effort, the byway will convert the existing steel truss Montopolis Bridge that spans the Colorado River to a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian crossing. Beneath that bridge and its adjacent highway viaducts, the CTRMA will also add approximately 185 parking spots, benches and restroom facilities. In 2014, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization awarded the CTRMA $3.64 million in federal funding for the project. CTRMA Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein compared the vision of the project to the pedestrian bridge across Lady Bird Lake beneath MoPac Expressway. “This will rival that area in terms of aesthetics,” he declared.