concept design san antonio river improvements project

MUSEUM (NORTHERN) “PARK” REACH
Invasive plants should be removed
94 SAN ANTONIO RIVER DESIGN GUIDELINES
Erosion problems will be corrected
MUSEUM (NORTHERN) “PARK” REACH
RIVER CHANNEL RESTORATION
Preservation is the goal
The Museum (Northern) “Park” Reach includes
Brackenridge Park and the Brackenridge Golf Course
that are both lovely, historic environments. Therefore,
this reach will require a minimal amount of work and
should be preserved. A Brackenridge Park Master
Plan has recently been prepared by the City of San
Antonio and this project intends only to supplement
their work, as needed.
These actions include:
1. Erosion Control – Isolated areas occur along the
river within the Park that require protection from
erosion and that are currently eroding.
2. Management of Invasive Plant Materials – The
plant materials should be native or naturalized
species rather than exotic or cultivated species.
Some undesirable plant material has encroached
onto the riverbanks and this material should be
removed and replaced. These locations occur only
upstream from Josephine Street where no barge
traffic will occur.
RIVER INFRASTRUCTURE
The Museum (Northern) “Park” Reach will not
require any infrastructure to be constructed as a part
of this project.
PATHWAY SYSTEMS
Another major goal of the San Antonio River
Improvements Project is to create a continuous
pathway that connects the north end of the river to
the south end of the project at Mission Espada. This
pathway is intended to be a multi-use system that will
be used by pedestrians and cyclists. The Master Plan
shows the pathway continuing from Mulberry Street
east of the golf course, to Avenue B where it will
follow the restored Catalpa-Pershing creek. However,
other alignment options exist including an alignment
along Avenue A, an alignment following west along
U.S. Highway 281 to W. Craig Street where it crosses
the river at the existing low-water crossing, and a
route from Josephine to St. Mary’s to Mulberry.
Brackenridge Park is a lovely environment
These alternatives are shown on the Hike and Bike
Pathways Diagram included in the Appendix. The
final design team must evaluate all of the options and
determine the final recommendation.
The Audubon Society has indicated that several bird
nesting areas exist within this reach. The final design
team must investigate the exact locations of these
areas and include them in their evaluation of the
pathway alignments.
PLANTING CONCEPTS
The planting approach for the Museum (Northern)
“Park” Reach will be simply to recommend removal
of invasive species, such as ligustrum, so that the
existing woods are indigenous. These plants should
be removed and the areas replanted, if necessary, with
native and/or indigenous plants per the
Recommended Plant List included in the Appendix.