Southwest Management District Chairman Kenneth Li was among several officials who participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 26 for the construction of the first phase of the Sharpstown Trail at South Gessner Drive and Beechnut Street.

Kenneth Li

Funded by the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 20 and Commissioner Lesley Briones’ Harris County Precinct 4, the $3.1 million project — a 1.8-mile hike-and-bike trail and greenspace along a north-south CenterPoint easement — is slated for completion at the end of this year. The non-profit Houston Parks Board will manage the project.

The first phase will extend northward from the groundbreaking site; plans call for a second phase to run south to Brays Bayou.

The Southwest Management District will provide maintenance of the completed trail. While chairing the District, Li also serves on the board of TIRZ 20.

The trail “will provide a way for people of all ages and backgrounds to go to and from work, to and from school, or to and from a place to exercise and enjoy the outdoors,” Li said. “And it’s beautiful that the trail will make this neighborhood more desirable as a place to live and/or do business. ”

TIRZ Chairman Welcome Wilson Jr., U.S. Rep. Al Green and City Council Members Martha Castex-Tatum and Edward Pollard were among the other speakers.