The city is hoping for D.C. dollars to avoid digging deeply into its own pockets and delaying other trail plans. But the Trump administration has local officials uncertain about what will happen next.
The Bergstrom Spur, an abandoned railroad line that runs roughly parallel to Ben White Boulevard, will be converted to a 6.5-mile trail for cyclists and pedestrians. The biggest question now is who will pay for it.
The city secured $4.1 million in federal funding for the first phase of construction, thanks to earmarks from Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin. Congressman Greg Casar, D-Austin, secured $500,000 for the central portion of the trail. The Bergstrom Spur railroad line was built in the early 1940s to supply the Air Force base that would eventually become Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 1999. The tracks have sat unused since 1993, but city officials have long seen the east-west corridor as a prime candidate for alternative transportation.
The deserted railroad line crosses major roads including South First Street, South Congress Avenue and the I-35 frontage roads, cutting through residential neighborhoods, behind strip malls and light industrial areas that are home to a growing number of breweries and distilleries. More than 40 bus stops are within a half mile of the tracks, including the
"I've requested money about three or four times, and we finally got the dollars in hand to encourage the city to move forward on the project," Doggett said.This 1.12-mile western section of the trail is scheduled to be completed sometime in mid-2026. Adding to the uncertainty is President Trump's executive order freezing federal grants, a sweeping move that triggered multiple lawsuits. While courts have blocked the freeze for now, long-term funding approvals remain uncertain as agencies scramble to align with Trump's new spending priorities.
Trump Administration Cyclists Pedestrians Railroad Trail
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