Yelp asked me, "How was Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge?" and I thought to myself, "You know what? It was…read morelovely and I shall tell the people!" It's not just a way to get across the Colorado River (a.k.a. Town Lake or Ladybird Lake), it's a destination all to itself, with views for miles, interesting characters, live entertainment, and multiple features to delight urban architecture nerds. If you've never been, add this to your Austin bucket list, stat.
Before the ADA-compliant, vehicle-free PPB opened in 2001, runners and walkers had to scurry for their lives on the skinny, unprotected sidewalks bordering the Lamar Bridge. Believe me when I tell you it was NOT a pleasure, so if you needed to get across with your life, your other options were to go a couple of miles west to the shaded pedestrian bridge under Mopac or go another mile east to the protected walkways of South 1st Bridge. In fact, the PPB is named after James D. Pfluger, a local architect who designed much of our beloved downtown hike & bike trail and was killed by a car while walking across the Lamar Bridge.
These days, locals and visitors can safely pass over the water between Riverside Drive and Electric Drive (near the Seaholm District with Trader Joe's and the Central Library), whether on foot or non-powered wheels, while taking in magnificent views of downtown, the graffiti'd rail bridge, the lake, and the hill country. There are memorial benches and sturdy railings for rest, waste & recycle bins, planters with seasonal vegetation, and if you visit at the right time, you'll likely get to hear some of why Austin is called "Live Music Capital of the World" for free, or with just a few coins in the tip jar. Sometimes, vendors are there with water and other cool treats for a hot day.
Headed toward the north side of the bridge, you're faced with a few choices: take the left fork all the way to Electric Drive, take the right fork and the stairs to the trail on the north shore of the lake, or take the right fork to the curly-queue that winds down to the trail (best for bikes, strollers, and skaters). Once you hit the trail, you can also choose to trigger the crossing signal and walk across Cesar Chavez to join the concrete Lance Armstrong bike path east toward the beautiful Austin Central Library. Or even better, keep running west to Mopac, circle under, and come back to make a full 5k (3.1 mile) loop.
As a runner, I have countless great memories of crossing PBB with friends, whether starting an evening social run from The Loop Running Company on Sandra Muraida Way, or cutting over during an early Saturday morning long run with ATX Runners. I've seen the views and experienced the variety of crowd densities at dawn, midday, dusk, and late-night, each time with its own ambiance.
If you find yourself in this part of downtown, it's a great place to stop and take it all in. This is one of those spots that remind me why I still live in Austin after all these years.
