CM Allen Parkway was named Great Street in Texas 2022 as part of the American Planning Association Texas Chapter's Great Places in Texas awards last week. This project was a collaboration between the City's Planning & Development and Engineering departments.
Learn more about the project: CM Allen Parkway embodies the components of a Great Texas
Street by embedding access, sustainability, and connectivity
into the goal of its design. The roadway weaves together the
San Marcos River and associated river parks and civic uses to
the downtown core and historic district.
CM Allen was reconstructed to incorporate utility, multimodal
transportation, and environmental infrastructure updates.
Funded by Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds, Edwards
Aquifer Authority Habitat ConservaƟon Plan Funding, and
TCEQ 319 grant funding administered through Texas State
University, the corridor includes a 12-foot multi-use pathway,
crosswalks, pedestrian lighting, and pedestrian islands within
the median. Fifty trees line the street with native vegetation.
The street also has five biofiltration areas created to capture
pollutants from stormwater runoff, effectively protecting the
San Marcos River and surrounding natural areas. The local
habitat is home to several endangered species that are
susceptible to environmental toxins, and the low-impact
design elements reflect the communities' desire to protect the
San Marcos River through any means possible. The
biofiltration system, with a total surface area of 1,190 square
feet, is estimated to remove an annual 10,840 lbs. of
suspended solids per year. The US EPA Region 6 awarded the
City of San Marcos’s CM Allen Parkway Project second place in
its Outstanding Green Infrastructure/Low Impact
Development Project Competition.
Additional engagement from representatives of the
Indigenous Cultures Institute and Texas State University are
ongoing to create informational sidewalk medallions along CM
Allen which will highlight the local indigenous culture and local
ecosystems.
Learn more about the award: https://texas.planning.org/community-outreach/great-places-texas/?fbclid=IwAR39awfhGozl8VwptpJ4CuBwD-7HGcM60V_DwcLiDmUEUtKi_Ixve09mWDE