AUSTIN — AUSTIN -- A 300-foot section of the Shoal Creek Trail in the 2500 block of North Lamar Blvd. has closed due to a landslide on Friday.
Austin Watershed Protection Department spokesperson Stephanie Lott says while the agency is still investigating, Friday's storm may have been a factor.
Lott says this section of the trail will be closed for an extended period of time as the Watershed Protection Department assesses the damage and plans for the repairs.
The public is encouraged to stay off the closed section of the trail and use the detour until further notice for safety precautions.
The landslide also took out parts of homeowners’ backyards.
William Heyer said his family has owned the home for 55 years. He hiked down to the bottom of the rubble to give KVUE a look at the extent of the damage.
“That's the whole thing,” Heyer said, pointing out the damage. “It slid. It didn't topple. It's just slid down like that.”
“That's your backyard right there?” KVUE reporter Molly Oak, asked Heyer.
“That's it. That's the sod, probably still has the pipes in it. That was the edge of the wall that was on the cliff. That's all planted underbrush from the yard,” Heyer continued as he showed parts of his yard that is now mixed in with the mess.
Heyer said he remembers when his neighbor told him what happened on Saturday morning.
“I couldn't really wrap my brain around it until I saw it,” Heyer told KVUE. “And, even now, it's still hard to wrap my brain around.”
Heyer said he hopes they find a solution soon.
“The city has a problem at the bottom, and we have a problem at the top, and it's all connected,” said Heyer. “So I’m very confident in the team of people that are working on it. They're all over the property right now. I think it will get solved.”