It looks like large portions of the 2.8-mile-long Heritage West Bikeway connecting Stude Park to UH-Downtown are close to completion, but the path along portions of the former UP railway won’t open until summer, according to the city. One important still-missing link: a pedestrian bridge over Little White Oak Bayou. Past the University, the 10-ft. wide trail will connect to the Heritage East Bikeway, which continues along White Oak Bayou to Lockwood.
The new western portion will hook up with the MKT hike-and-bike trail both at Stude Park and at Spring St., providing an alternate along-the-bayou path for bicyclists headed downtown from the Heights. One highlight of the journey: a close-up view of the 17.3 acres of swampland Hakeem Olajuwon flipped to Metro back in 2005 for a cool $15 million:
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Here’s the bridge at UH-Downtown,
two peeks at the path along White Oak Bayou from the Houston Ave. overpass,
And construction continuing near Stude Park:
- Construction continues on the Heritage West Bikeway project [Houston Bikeways]
- Heritage Corridor Bayou Trails [City of Houston]
- Previously on Swamplot: How Hakeem Olajuwon Sold Metro $5.6 Million of Swampland for Just $15 Million, Rail Removal Program Complete for the Year: Heights Hike and Bike Trail Opens
Photos: Swamplot inbox (second photo); Jim Mackey/White Oak Bayou Association (all others). Map: City of Houston
This and the other hike/bike trails currently under construction are, in my opinion (which I know no one cares about), the few examples of worthwhile tax dollar usage in our community. Can’t wait for them to be finished.
Have a nice day, boys and girls!
You probably should include the caveat posted by the Houston Bikeway program:
As the photos reveal, progress continues with the construction of the Heritage West Bikeway. Forms have been constructed and concrete has been poured along the top of the bank of White Oak Bayou, but please do not ride the trail as it is still an active construction zone. Please maintain your patience as we continue to move forward, as there is much to do. We are awaiting a delivery of retaining wall blocks so that we can construct underneath the Spring Street pedestrian-bicyclist bridge, and we’re anxiously awaiting the delivery of a pedestrian bridge for the crossing of the Little White Oak Bayou. Railings will need to be installed atop the pedestrian-bicyclist bridges at the University of Houston Downtown, and concrete will need to be poured to build the approaches to these bayou crossings as well. We’ll continue to keep you up-to-date on our progress, we hope to have the trail open by Summer.
These are the kinds of bikeways we need to even begin to make bikes a viable transportation alternative. They are also nice for the people who use bikes for recreation or exercise.
They are way better than narrowing the lanes of the streets and painting a gutter stripe where bikes are relegated to dodging debris and drains while trucks & SUVs blaze by 18 inches away.
Making Houston a bike filled city via off-street bikeways is a crazy Texas-sized idea that is worth pursuing.
Fantastic. I have been watching the progress along White Oak on my morning commute. Hike & Bike trails are a public project that I just can’t get enough of. Great work, COH.
Finally more riding paths for self moving vehicles!
And big kudos for the stream of work proceeding on the memorial bike trail along Buffalo Bayou. With the bridge over the bayou complete and the BIG bike trail they are installing, you will be able to ride downtown and connect with the Heights bike trail.
And if you are like me and inline skate all of this work is very welcome and long overdue. (you try skating on that crappy, asphalt, frequently covered in sand trail…)
Slowly but surely Houston’s becoming a bike friendlier city. No doubt, as gas prices go higher this summer more people will start to use these bikeways commuting to and from work or school. I Believe!
Just watch out for all the homeless people that live in the wooded area next to the path. You can see their tarp roofs and clothes hanging all over the place.
So what happened to this project? I walk Stude & White Oak Park every day & constructions just stopped. Trash & piles of dirt left everywhere. Paths that just stop or worse drop away. It is especially hard to navigate after it rains. I wish they had left it alone.
Susan, the contractor (for this project) had gone bankrupt. Good news is that a new contractor started working on the project yesterday (8/13/12) and has 120 days to complete the job – yes, that should mean completion by 12/31/12.