Amenities like workout equipment, water fountain and signage earned the District’s Brays Bayou Connector Trail a Best Greenspace award.
We’re not ones to pat ourselves on the back…but we’re happy to let other people do it for us. For this year’s Best of Westchase online contest, voters nominated and selected two Westchase District projects to receive recognition. The Brays Bayou Connector Trail was chosen as Best Greenspace and voters selected the District’s section of Beltway 8 as Best Landscaped Area.
A bike repair station is installed on the Brays Bayou Connector Trail to allow cyclists to make minor repairs and continue on their way.
The 1.9-mile, off-street Brays Bayou Connector Trail runs south from Richmond Avenue to Bellaire Boulevard. The 8- to 10-foot concrete path features lighted underpasses as well as benches, water fountains, trash receptacles, wildflowers, tree groves, exercise equipment and a bicycle repair station.
A 20 x 100-foot mural commemorating the first responders and civilian rescuers who reacted bravely in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey is painted along the banks of the Harris County Flood Control District channel where the trail meets with the District’s Wilcrest Connector Trail. The Brays Bayou Connector Trail also connects to METRO’s Westchase Park & Ride, Harwin Park and Arthur Storey Park.
Best of Westchase voters chose Westchase District’s stretch of Beltway 8 as Best Landscaped Area.
For nearly 15 years, Westchase District has actively improved and maintained the most attractive public landscaping along a major highway in Houston: the District’s stretch of Beltway 8. Glance out your car window for a moment and you’ll notice Knockout roses, dwarf oleanders, Indian hawthorn, Asian jasmine and crape myrtles. The boulders and river rock used in the dry creek beds not only slow the flow of water from drainage outlets along the West Sam Houston Parkway, they filter debris from the water that helps irrigate the blooming plants located further down the greenspace slopes. Brightly illuminated underpasses lit around the clock help motorists travel safely while special paving at key intersections directs pedestrian traffic appropriately.
“Over time, we’ve learned about what works and what doesn’t in this urban environment,” said Irma Sanchez, Westchase District’s vice president of projects. “We’re now at a point where our beautification efforts are an essential feature of the Westchase District brand.”
