The Houston Parks Board and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership have opened a new trail along the bayou, connecting downtown to points east.
Weaving under and through buildings adjacent to the waterfront just east of Allen’s Landing, the new addition furthers the goal of eventually connecting Buffalo Bayou Park to the Port of Houston Turning Basin.
Developed in coordination with the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and Harris County Flood Control District, the new trail extends east from Allen Landing's Park under the Fannin Street Bridge and up the slope along Commerce Street before passing under the San Jacinto Bridge to the Wilson Building on Commerce Street.
The trail continues through the Wilson Building's basement and under the Harris County Sheriff's Inmate Processing Center. From there, the trail opens onto a new greenspace reclaimed from former parking lots on either side of Austin Street.
As part of the greenspace, the Austin Street cul-de-sac was converted to the Joe Campos Torres Memorial Plaza.
The project cost close to $8.7 million, funded through public and private sources. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership will maintain the trail.