West University Place city staff asked City Council for direction this week on a long-discussed plan to widen sidewalks along Buffalo Speedway, a project now estimated to cost $11.24 million to build and $995,000 to design. The pitch, presented at a meeting on Monday, calls for an 8- to 12-foot-wide walkway stretching from Bissonnet Street to West Holcombe Boulevard, but it prompted discussion about trees, traffic and whether the busy roadway is even the right place for it.
City staff solicited feedback from council on initial steps for the project at the Oct. 26 meeting, according to Community Impact. Buffalo Speedway runs through West University Place and was identified in the city's 2027-2036 Capital Improvement Plan as the center of the project's efforts, a plan City Council approved on Aug. 17. City Manager Dave Beach outlined the sidewalk's dimensions and scope to council members, per the outlet's report.
Traffic Studies Still Underway
The sidewalk plan isn't moving in isolation. West University's pedestrian and traffic-safety investigative work includes five traffic studies conducted by BGE Engineers, and officials presented updates on three of those studies at Monday's meeting, the outlet reported. Those studies include signalized-intersection evaluations of Buffalo Speedway at Bissonnet Street and West Holcombe Boulevard.
Eighty percent of the project's construction costs are slated to be funded through grants, though the report did not specify which grants or whether any have been secured. City officials said portions of the sidewalk could be designated for other uses, including a bike lane, with council members expected to weigh any limitations or problems that come with those designations during the design process.
Council Members Debate Safety and Suitability
Council discussion revealed differing views on the idea. Mayor Susan Sample said Buffalo Speedway lacks adequate walking pathways and voiced support for sidewalk improvements that promote resident safety and enjoyability, according to the same report. Mayor Pro Tem John Barnes added that pedestrians prefer continuous paths over ones interrupted across streets.
Not everyone agreed the roadway was the right fix. Clay Brett argued that residential-block streets are the safest routes for north-south pedestrian travel, and both Brett and Council Member Kalie Rainsberger questioned whether Buffalo Speedway is the most suitable route for sidewalk widening at all. Rainsberger went further, saying the road already has too many lanes and that she opposed encouraging more outside traffic onto it.
Concerns Over Trees and Bike Traffic
Rainsberger also raised the prospect that sidewalk construction could require removing neighborhood tree canopies along the corridor, and said a designated bike lane could bring an increase in cyclist-related issues. Walking alongside cyclists without tree coverage, she said, sounds unpleasant. Her comments echoed broader tension seen in other cities over similar trade-offs — a proposed sidewalk near a courthouse in Arlington, Virginia, recently sparked its own debate over tree loss, pedestrian safety and lost parking, according to ARLnow.
Bike lane debates have also played out closer to home. In Houston, a planned bike lane on the 1.6-mile West Alabama Street reconstruction project was dropped in order to preserve the width of car lanes, Houston Public Media reported last year. Whether West University's sidewalk plan will retain its proposed bike lane designation remains unresolved.
Council Sends Project Back for Internal Review
Faced with the split testimony, council member John Bertini recommended folding residents' questions and concerns into the project's planned feasibility study before deciding whether to pause or advance the work. Bertini also recommended that city staff seek internal personnel assistance and that an arborist review the trees along Buffalo Speedway, with findings to be reported back to council at a later date.
City Council agreed with Bertini's recommendation for an internal review, intending it to help clarify the corridor's sidewalk needs and the project's next steps. Beach said city staff would work to find internal personnel to carry that review forward. Officials have not specified when the arborist's findings will appear on a future council agenda, leaving the timeline for the next phase of the Buffalo Speedway project an open question for now.
