Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve consists of 227 acres (919,000 m) of native Texas Hill Country habitat west of Austin, Texas in West Lake Hills . The preserve was founded in 1974 by seven women who were members of an environmentalist group called Now or Never, and it was Austin's first nature preserve. The preserve maintains 2.5 miles (4 km) of hiking trails.
19-549: The entrance to the preserve is a mile north of Bee Caves Road along the east side of Loop 360 . The hiking trails are open every day sunrise to sunset, usually this is in between the hours of 7am-7pm. The Wild Basin Creative Research Visitor Center is open M-F, 9am-4pm. Bikes, pets, smoking and picnics are all prohibited within the preserve boundaries. The preserve serves as a gateway to the larger Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. In 1974 Janet Poage,
38-531: A West Lake Hills resident and prominent environmentalist, was instrumental in negotiating a developments rights agreement between the City of Austin, Travis County, and Westview Development creating the preserve. Other founders include Margaret Hessin, Lucille Stegman, Flora (Esther) McCormick, Florence Macklin, Martha Hudson, and Willa Mae Hardesty. Mrs. Poage along with Westview executive Beth Robertson, Mayor Carol McClellan and County Commissioner Ann Richards redrew
57-571: Is a 13.99-mile (22.51 km) loop route in Austin in the U.S. state of Texas . Loop 360, also known as the Capital of Texas Highway , is a scenic highway winding through the hills of West Austin. The road is described by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as "a 4-lane depressed median arterial with at-grade signalized intersections". In 2021, the average daily traffic
76-512: Is at SH 35 near Blessing . This highway is designated the "10th Mountain Division Highway" from SH 95 to Interstate 35 . SH 71 was originally designated on August 21, 1923 from Austin to Columbus, replacing SH 3D and the western half of SH 3A . On June 8, 1925, SH 71 was extended to Midfield , though this was not effective until 1926. On March 19, 1928, it was extended south to its current end. On June 21, 1938, SH 71 Spur
95-639: The Mobility Alternatives Finance Study final report , commissioned by the City of Austin and other central Texas municipalities, noted the poor financial feasibility of toll conversion by stating "Loop 360's toll revenue funds the smallest share of its construction cost (7%)" given a construction cost of $ 741 million with revenue bonds backed by future tolling of Loop 360 contributing just $ 51.8 million (in 2006 dollars). There are three historical markers along Loop 360: The road runs roughly north–south, arcing slightly out to
114-542: The Austin expansions. Most of the freeway had a 150-foot (46 m) wide right-of-way which was expanded to over 300 feet (91 m), and the western segment, which opened in 1998, was built on an 80-foot (24 m) right-of-way. The section at the western end required many more business displacements. The new freeway features depressed sections, elevated sections, and partial stack interchanges . SH 71 has two business routes . Business State Highway 71-E ( Bus. SH 71-E )
133-654: The bridge) between RM 2244 and FM 2222 was approved on September 30, 1976. The north and south sections of Loop 360 were connected when the Pennybacker Bridge was opened for traffic on December 3, 1982. On February 19, 1980, the Travis County commissioners voted to designate it the "Capital of Texas Highway". On July 14, 2004, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) changed segments of
152-933: The east side of the Barton Creek Greenbelt . Northward, it passes to the west of Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve . Just after the Wild Basin entrance, drivers and bikers can pull into a scenic vista and take in a view of downtown Austin including the state capitol building and University of Texas Tower. Further north, Loop 360 crosses the Colorado River and enters the Bull Creek Watershed and crosses Bull Creek. Land use restrictions along Loop 360 help preserve Loop 360's Hill Country aesthetic. In an attempt to alleviate traffic along Loop 360 TxDOT has considered turning
171-462: The east side of the road, with right timing and clear weather, a traveler on loop 360 in early morning can enjoy multiple sunrise scenes, the most spectacular one can be seen from the Pennybacker Bridge over Lake Austin . The road has rock cut-throughs as well as steep fills and has steep roadway grades, 6% to 7% in some areas. The road cuts through environmentally sensitive watersheds . It bridges Barton Creek just south of Loop 1 and runs along
190-427: The future designation to a toll road , despite popular outcry. However, toll conversion of the road is unfunded so plans to toll Loop 360 are delayed indefinitely and there remains substantial opposition to any toll conversion of the road from residents and environmentalists. Also, CAMPO has begun to re-examine the toll roll designation. The road should remain toll-free for at least the near-future. On December 6, 2006,
209-456: The highway was extended to its current designation over the cancelled Ranch to Market Road 93 and Ranch to Market Road 734 . On February 16, 1982, SH 71 was relocated in Columbus. Through Austin , SH 71 is known as Ben White Boulevard and is one of Austin's newest freeways. Sections have opened regularly since 1996, when the first section west of Interstate 35 was opened. A five-level stack
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#1732780867813228-444: The master plan of Westview's 1,300-acre Davenport Ranch residential development in order to set aside over 100 acres of the developer's land to protect the sensitive Hill Country environment including habitat for the endangered black-capped vireo and golden-cheeked warbler . In the deal, Westview donated the land to Wild Basin and, in return, the City gave the developer the right to relocate 100 residential units originally planned on
247-537: The northern end of Loop 360 with Loop 1 was once considered part of the Loop, but has since been removed from the state highway system. The segment of Loop 360 south of US 183 is designated a scenic roadway by the City of Austin. The road is popular with cyclists because of the road's hills, wide shoulders for biking, and bike access across the Pennybacker Bridge. Because of the hilly terrain on
266-589: The preserve land to its adjacent property. This transaction was one of the first transfers of development rights in the Austin area and created one of the more important environmental laboratories on the Edwards Plateau . This article related to Austin, Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a protected area in Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Loop 360 (Texas) Loop 360
285-455: The road into a toll road, making it a freeway with an overpass or adding Michigan left turns . The latter is favored by TxDOT but opposed by nearby residents. The entire route is in Austin , Travis County . All exits are unnumbered. State Highway 71 (Texas) State Highway 71 ( SH 71 ) is a Texas state highway that runs 253 miles (407 km). The western terminus is at US 87 and US 377 south of Brady and its eastern terminus
304-480: The west. Listing the major intersections going south to north, Loop 360 begins at US 290 / SH 71 , then crosses Loop 1 (Mopac Expressway), then crosses RM 2244 (a.k.a. Bee Cave Road), then bridges the Colorado River at the Pennybacker Bridge , then crosses RM 2222 , then terminates at US 183 . The entire length of Loop 360 is 13.8 miles (22.2 km). An extension of 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to connect
323-467: Was 58,497 vehicles at the most traveled point, north of RM 2222 . Loop 360 was designated on March 29, 1962, on its current route from US 290 to US 183. On September 30, 1969, Loop 360 was extended north to Loop 1. On April 25, 1996, the section from US 183 to Loop 1 was cancelled and removed from the state highway system. The south section of Loop 360 from US 290 to RM 2244 was opened on February 11, 1970. The last section of roadway for Loop 360 (excepting
342-513: Was completed at Interstate 35 in December 2011, and the freeway east of Interstate 35 to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was completed in 2014. Construction commenced in 2015 east of US 183 (Bastrop Freeway) where a section of SH 71 to the SH 130 tollway has been converted into a tollway with a two lane bridge crossing SH 130. Major displacements of commercial properties were required to build
361-428: Was designated in Columbus. In 1935, U.S. Highway 290 was codesignated along the stretch from Austin to Bastrop , dropping SH 71 from this section completely on September 26, 1939. SH 71 Spur was renumbered as Spur 52 . On May 23, 1951, this section was restored when US 290 was rerouted farther north. On October 24, 1955, SH 71 was signed, but not designated along Ranch to Market Road 93 to Llano. On October 31, 1965,
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