A $1.3 million park trail project that would connect Bastrop State Park and Mayfest Park to the city’s sidewalk network on Chestnut Street is expected to break ground in two years.

Wesley Brandon, Bastrop’s city engineer, said $130,000 were allocated in the current fiscal year for engineering design services for the one-mile trail project that is planned on the southern end of Chestnut Street.

In 2014, Bastrop was awarded a grant through the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Surface Transportation program to fund 80 percent of the construction of the multiuse pedestrian trail. The city would fund the remaining 20 percent of the construction costs, about $260,000, as well as pay for design, environmental and administrative expenses.

"We’ve got the environmental clearance documents as far as we can get them without finalizing them until we get the design fully prepared," Brandon said, adding that the next step is for the city to put out a Request for Qualifications to hire an engineer to design the project.

The engineer that is selected will then prepare the final design, cost estimates and a timeline for completion, Brandon said. The project is estimated to begin in fiscal year 2019.

"It could be earlier than that, but we did that intentionally because it’s not the cheapest project that we’ve ever undertaken. So we wanted to be sure that we left time to get the funding together," he said.

Bastrop Mayor Ken Kesselus said he remembers a time when as a young boy he would ride his bike from his home to Bastrop State Park to go swimming. He hopes the planned park trail will allow the community to do the same.

"It’s really exciting to think about," he said. "Now there will be a link between two essential parts of our community: Old Town and Bastrop State Park and Mayfest Park."

You have to identify what’s unique about your community, maintain it and celebrate it, he said.

Texas 21 realignment

Brandon said the design of the trail will take into account an upcoming Texas Department of Transportation project realigning Texas 21 at Loop 150 near the Bastrop State Park entrance.

The state transportation department is planning to remove a right-hand- turn bypass lane on Texas 21 East onto Loop 150, and instead make the turning traffic come up to the traffic signal at the intersection and turn right, he said. TxDOT is also planning to remove the northern leg of the entrance to the state park.

"It would eliminate many of the conflict points at the intersection currently," Brandon said.

The realignment project is estimated to cost $300,000 and construction should begin in February, according to the project detail on TxDOT’s website.