City council heard a presentation about improvements to the IH-35 corridor through San Marcos during Tuesday night's (11/15/2016) regular meeting. Prior to the TxDOT presentation Sherwood Bishop presented the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance's proposed Cross Town trail connection. The SMGA board authorized its president, Mark Taylor, to send the following correspondence to the Mayor, Council, City Manager and Planning Staff outlining a preferred 'connection' between our neighborhoods and promote travel, not just by automobile and motorized vehicle, but also pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
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| San Marcos River at Ramon Lucio Park would connect to the Eastside of the city. |
November 14, 2016
Dear Mayor Guerrero and Council Members :
I
am writing on behalf of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance (SMGA) to
express support for a bicycle-pedestrian trail connection under the
IH-35 main lanes and access roads as part of TXDOT's planned
improvements to the State Highway 123/IH-35 intersection area. SMGA
understands that TXDOT's planning for this project may prioritize other
aspects of the project at the expense of a properly located and
well-designed trail connection.
The importance of this
trail connection cannot be oversta ted. It is at the center of our
community; it will serve to connect areas of the city that are otherwise
separated by an extremely busy highway; without it, bicycle-pedestrian
transit of the interstate will be funneled to busy overpasses where
TXDOT is attempting to address motor vehicle congestion; the planned
elevation of the access roads will allow this trail connection to be
grade- separ ated from traffic both on IH-35 and the access roads.
This
trail connection is shown on the trail system map being prepared as
part of the Greenways Master Plan. SMGA anticipates this will be among
the most heavily used sections of the city's trail system. SMGA regards
this trail connection as critically important to connecting everyone in
our community, strengthening neighborhoods and businesses, and drawing
visitors and new residents. If properly located and designed, it will
enhance our quality of life as San Marcos continues to grow.
We
would like to express our appreciation to Jared Miller and Laurie Moyer
for their assistance in providing input to TXDOT on the importance of
this trail connection. We respectfully ask for your support for this
effort.
Thank you for your consideration of SMGA's position.
Sincerely,
Mark B. Taylor
San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, President
Cc: Jared Miller, Laurie Moyer, Rodney Cobb, Shannon Mattingly
