1093 Rails to Trails organization to hold public meeting on April 11

The 1093 Rails to Trails Local Government Corporation, comprised of five local governments including the City of Fulshear, will host the second of a series of public meetings on April 11 to discuss a proposal for a shared-use path along a 31-mile stretch of former rail corridor alongside FM 1093 from Fulshear to Eagle Lake.

The meeting will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Wallis Columbus Club Hall, 703 Columbus Road, Wallis.

The 1093 Rails to Trails Local Government Corporation, established in February 2022, is a non-profit organization acting on behalf of Austin County and the cities of Eagle Lake, Fulshear, Wallis, and Weston Lakes.

The LGC will enter an agreement with the Fort Bend Toll Road Authority to plan and build the path to provide hiking and biking opportunities for local residents, serve as a tourist destination, offer alternative transportation options between communities, and connect more communities with opportunities for connections to other trail projects in the region, according to a news release.

“The LGC has partnered with the National Parks Service to take the next steps toward designing and building the trail,” Belinda Halfin, the organization's president, said in the release. “Through a series of public meetings we hope to hear from all of the communities along the trail to learn how they want to use and access it, what they hope it looks like, what’s unique about each community, and how we can highlight each community’s character in the design.” 

During the first public meeting in March in Eagle Lake, more than 50 attendees heard a brief overview of the history of the project, met the members of LGC, visited different stations to share their ideas on trail access and use, desired amenities, and community character. The structure of the public meeting on April 11 will be the same.

“The 1093 Rails to Trail will be a great asset to the communities and we need community members to help get it on the ground," Halfin said.

The LGC and National Parks Service will host at least one additional public meeting in Fulshear.

More information about the 1093 Rails to Trails project is available online at 1093railstotrails.weebly.com. For more information, email 1093RailstoTrails@gmail.com.