Trail advocates:

I just wanted to point out that the city is now advertising for design  
and engineering design work for the Southern Walnut Creek Trail via  
the COA website.  This would be a 7.3 Mile trail between Govalle Park  
and Johnny Morris Road.  The proposed completion of design would be  
October 2009.

I've appended a portion of scope of services that the city is looking  
for below...

You can read it all here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/aeservices_ads/documents/RFQS%206100%20PWP...

All public works advertisements, btw, are posted here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/aeservices_ads/getcurrentads.cfm

Charlie McCabe

REQUEST FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
RELATIVE TO THE SELECTION OF
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES
SCOPE OF SERVICES
PROJECT FOR:
CITY OF AUSTIN, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE OFFICE OF  
CONTRACT AND LAND MANAGEMENT
PROJECT TITLE:
SOUTHERN WALNUT CREEK TRAIL
OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT:
The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, through the Office  
of Contract and Land Management seeks Statements of Qualifications  
from qualified firms to provide design services for the design and  
construction of a new trail from Govalle Park to Johnny Morris Road.  
The trail is to be approximately 7.3 miles in length, with a nominal  
width of 14 feet. The entire trail is expected to be constructed of  
concrete, including an expected 5 bridges, 3 culverts, signage,  
benches, and parking lots at trailheads. There will be two trailheads  
at Johnny Morris Road and one trailhead at Govalle Park.
BACKGROUND:
The Southern Walnut Creek Trail is a significant part of the overall  
master plan for the Walnut Creek Trail System. The funding for the  
trail comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation and is  
administered by the Texas Department of Transportation. The trail will  
conform to AASHTO standards for construction.
ANTICIPATED SERVICES:
The project requires a consultant team with experience in the  
planning, design and construction of hike and bike trails, bridges,  
and drainage structures. The consultant team shall lead in scheduling,  
organizing and presenting all public and stakeholder meetings. The  
following are examples of consultant services that will be required:

• Programming, schematic and design development phases

• Coordination and/or acquisition of all required approvals and  
permits required for Construction

• Coordination with the Art In Public Places Program

• Development of contract documents for competitive bidding utilizing  
computer aided technology (CADD)

• Estimates of construction costs

• Construction Administration and Warranty period services

• Participation in public meetings and presentations

• Coordination of design with public boards and commissions.

• Coordination of Texas Historical Commission, Federal & State  
Regulatory Agencies, Federal Grantors, and Texas Department of  
Transportation.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE:
The anticipated schedule is for completion of the design by October  
2009.
COST ESTIMATE:
The estimated building and site development construction cost for this  
project is $10.2 Million, which includes design fees, construction  
cost and contingencies. The estimated design cost is $1.6 Million.
FUNDING STATUS:
Bonds from the 2006 Bond election and a grant from the Texas  
Department of Transportation fund the project.