The Shoal Creek Construction Around Rosedale Is Happening at Both Ends
On Shoal Creek Boulevard north of 38th Street, the bike lanes are protected and the crossings at 38th and 45th have already been rebuilt. That work is finished. The Shoal Creek Conservancy counts the protected bikeway from 38th Street to Highway 183, the safer crossings at 38th and 45th, and 12 mid-block crossings among its completed projects.
The construction this fall is beyond that stretch, at both ends. To the south, part of the trail in Pease Park has been closed since April. To the north, crews are building a tunnel under FM 2222. Wherever a walk or ride from Rosedale is headed through next summer, at least one of those projects will affect the route.
The City of Austin says the creekside Shoal Creek Trail runs from Lady Bird Lake up to 38th Street. Its project page also lists the all-way stop at the 34th Street and Shoal Creek Boulevard crossing as complete. Above 38th, the route continues as the protected on-street bikeway along Shoal Creek Boulevard.
The Conservancy's trail plan lists no new project for the creekside segment between 34th and 38th or for the bikeway north of 38th. It does list trail safety in Seiders Springs Park as an upcoming priority, but gives no design or schedule for it. So the part of Shoal Creek closest to Rosedale is the part with nothing scheduled, and every active project is past one end of it.
South of 34th, the trail leaves the creek in several places, and the routes have changed a lot over the past year. Here is the route south from Seiders Springs as it stands this week.
The Middle Gap work changed more than the trail. According to the City of Austin's project update, the sidewalk between 31st Street and 30th ½ Street is now a 12-foot shared-use path. Between 30th ½ Street and 29th Street, a separate 10-foot terracotta bike path keeps cyclists and pedestrians apart. A new crosswalk on the north side of 31st and North Lamar leads to the relocated bus stop at 3100 N. Lamar Blvd.
Drivers will notice another change. The Lamar median was rebuilt to close the southbound left turn onto San Gabriel Street, and southbound drivers now turn left at West 29th Street instead. In October 2025, the city expected this phase to take about a year once construction started that November. It finished in July.
Austin Parks and Recreation closed the trail between Shoal Creek Boulevard and the Janet Fish Bridge on April 27 to resurface it and make it accessible again. The city's closure listing, last updated September 9, says the closure runs "until November 2026." The Shoal Creek Conservancy calls the end date "November 2026 (estimated)." It says permitting delays and crew availability pushed the work past the city's original late-June target.
Both sources give a month for the reopening and no specific day. Until crews finish, the west-side Lamar sidewalk remains the route.
Even after the resurfacing is done, there will still be a gap a few blocks north. Landslides in May 2018 and May 2019 left debris blocking the creek and trail from about 26th to 27th Street. The detour there is the paved sidewalk on the east side of the creek along North Lamar. The city lists the trail from 24th to 29th along North Lamar as "Closed Indefinitely." The Conservancy says that "South Gap" segment is still in design.
| Segment | Status this week | Source of the date |
|---|---|---|
| Shoal Creek Blvd bikeway, 38th St to Hwy 183 | Complete | Shoal Creek Conservancy |
| 34th St crossing at Shoal Creek Blvd | All-way stop complete | City of Austin |
| Parkland trail, 31st to 34th St | Open as is; widening not funded for construction | City of Austin |
| Lamar "Middle Gap," 29th to 31st St | Completed July 2026 | City of Austin |
| Landslide area, 24th to 29th St | Closed indefinitely; South Gap in design | City of Austin, Conservancy |
| Pease Park, Shoal Creek Blvd to Janet Fish Bridge | Closed; reopening estimated for November 2026 | City of Austin, Conservancy |
| FM 2222 underpass | Under construction through summer 2027 | Shoal Creek Conservancy |
The parkland trail between 31st and 34th is the part closest to Rosedale's southern edge, and it is the one with the least certain timeline. The city has funded construction for the South and Middle Gaps and preliminary engineering for the parkland trail from 31st to 34th. It says construction money for that North Gap segment "is not identified."
The Conservancy described the proposal in its 2024 project plan. It would widen and regrade the trail from the trailhead in the middle of the 31st Street block to the rock hop and gazebo, making it 12 feet wide and ADA-accessible. The existing path from the rock hop up to 34th Street would stay as it is. The plan also mentioned possibly resurfacing the bridge just north of 34th, but the Conservancy noted that work might not be funded.
Toward Allandale, the big project is under FM 2222. The Conservancy says the City of Austin began building the FM 2222 trail underpass at Shoal Creek Boulevard in August 2026, with work expected to run through summer 2027. The plans call for a 12-foot-wide trail under Northland Drive/RM 2222 that links the on-street bikeways on Shoal Creek Boulevard with the existing parkland nature trail. The tunnel will include lighting and stormwater infrastructure, and the Conservancy expects intermittent trail detours and lane closures while it is built.
City Council approved the construction contract on February 5, 2026. It went to Austin Underground, Inc., with a total of up to $3,367,356, including a $306,124 contingency. KXAN reported that the project is paid for by the 2020 Mobility Bond.
Taken together, the 2222 tunnel and the Middle Gap pieces the city has added along Lamar are linking the protected bikeway that runs past Rosedale to longer continuous routes in both directions. The North Gap and South Gap segments still have no construction dates.
Some of the easiest ways to spend time on this stretch are the volunteer and nature events the Shoal Creek Conservancy holds at Seiders Springs Park and along the trail. The Grove, nearby, has its own weekend calendar.
The Grove also lists Family Movie Nights on Nov. 13 with "Toy Story" and Dec. 18 with "The Grinch," both from 7 to 9 p.m. Photos with Santa run Dec. 5, 12 and 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Conservancy also has a riparian restoration workday on Dec. 6 from 9 to 11 a.m.; it will announce the location later.
For anyone deciding between homes in central Austin, a home's walking distance to a trail segment that's already finished can matter as much as the house itself. If you'd like help figuring out which streets near Shoal Creek offer that kind of daily access, the team at Volt Realty knows this part of town well. Let's Talk.
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