The new path is part of the Bayou Greenways 2020 project, an effort to create continuous green space along Houston’s waterways. It runs along Brays Bayou for about a mile and a half, between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Old Spanish Trail. Walkers and cyclists can use the path to connect to other parts of the trail system.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says the path isn’t just for UH students, but part of a bigger effort to create alternative transportation corridors.
“This is part of the vision we have for Houston’s future,” says Turner. “Of developing access to neighborhood parks and trail systems for all Houstonians.”
As for what’s unique about the trail — it also has a lane for golf carts. Those carts will travel from the University of Houston’s main campus to the school’s Energy Research Park.
Chip Place with the Houston Parks Board says that aspect of the project helped them get a federal grant.
“The TIGER grants and the federal grants really like to serve multiple purposes,” explains Place. “It connects the university but it also connects communities.”
Work will now start on another project, a bridge that connects the path to MacGregor Park south of campus.