AUSTIN, Texas — On Saturday, the first phase of Austin's Violet Crown Trail was completed.
City leaders, along with the community, celebrated the new 13-mile stretch of trail connecting Zilker Park and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
The project, which has been 18 years in the making, is all about preserving the Hill Country.
"Ultimately, this trail is even going to pass through land that we purchased back in the late ‘90s, early 2000s to protect water quality and to protect the hill, and then everybody will be able to enjoy it," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said.
The project has three phases and will ultimately stretch for 30 miles when it's all complete.
The Hill Country Conservancy is calling this Central Texas's first regional trail system.
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