ROUND ROCK — Round Rock City Council approved an updated plan Sept. 10 that will guide the expansion of the city’s trail system and fold the network into the broader parks and recreation master plan. The Round Rock Trails Plan identifies potential future connections between neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping areas and other community destinations. City officials say the goal is to make walking and biking more practical across a rapidly growing city, rather than treating trails as isolated recreational amenities. Rick Atkins, the city’s parks and recreation director, described the plan as a framework for extending the network throughout Round Rock and improving access for residents across the community. Demand is already high. The city recorded just under 500,000 users on the main section of Heritage Trail last year, Atkins said, and usage is expected to rise as new links are built. The plan also promotes what city officials call trail-oriented development, or TROD. Under that approach, future projects near trails would be designed to connect directly with the network and provide destinations such as restaurants, coffee shops, stores and other services accessible on foot or by bicycle. One of the plan’s most important projects is Heritage Trail East. The proposed extension would run along Brushy Creek, connecting the existing Heritage Trail near Memorial Park with the Brushy Creek Trail on the city’s east side. The project is intended to close a major break in the Brushy Creek-Heritage Trail corridor and create a more continuous east-west route through Round Rock. A future bridge connection could also make it easier for trail users to reach the downtown library, City Hall, Prete Plaza and nearby businesses. Construction on Heritage Trail East is expected to start by the end of 2026 and take about 18 months. The plan itself does not guarantee that every proposed connection will be built immediately; instead, it gives city officials a guide for prioritizing trail investments as funding and development opportunities become available.