After some brief dais drama on Tuesday, City Council’s Mobility Committee unanimously endorsed the idea of at least talking about putting $15 million in Project Connect seed money on the November ballot. The 4-0 vote nudged forward a request made by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors last month aimed at funding preliminary […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inTransportation
Dockless scooters and bikes zip through Mobility Committee
City Council’s Mobility Committee learned on Tuesday afternoon that when it comes to dockless bikes and scooters, the last foot is the technology’s biggest problem. That was the message at least from Jason JonMichael, assistant director of smart mobility with the Austin Transportation Department. Along with Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar, JonMichael briefed the committee […]
Posted inWhispers
Commissioners Court recognizes firefighters after close call
Two Travis County first responders owe their lives to a little help from above. The first responders from Emergency Services District 1 were part of the wider response effort to a wildfire last week in the northwestern section of the county. According to ESD 1 Fire Chief Donnie Norman, both firefighters found themselves trapped in […]
Posted inTransit
Project Connect’s big hopes hinge on small investment
Project Connect’s path to an estimated $8 billion worth of high-capacity transit investments could be washed out if City Council and Austin voters don’t greenlight a $15 million installment this year, according to the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s director of long range planning. Javier Arguello told the Urban Transportation Commission on Monday night that the […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.17.18
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s Office hosts a copy at its website. 5. Receive presentation on evaluation of the Capital Area Private Defender Service. (Commissioners Daugherty & Gómez) Monitor’s Take: Three years into […]
Posted inPreservation
Palm School survey offers ground rules for redevelopment
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Thursday received a long-awaited report on the historic bona fides of the county-owned Palm School building during a briefing that offered potential redevelopment scenarios of the 19th-century downtown Austin structure. All of those scenarios would preserve the original structure itself and see new buildings of varying sizes rise up […]
Posted inTransportation
Council revisits draft Corridor Construction Program during work session
Tuesday’s City Council work session featured a swap of information between city staff and Council members regarding the draft Corridor Construction Program. Council delayed a vote on the draft program at its March 22 meeting. That vote set the stage for this week’s discussion, which featured Corridor Program Office Director Mike Trimble answering several outstanding […]
Posted inWhispers
Travis County adopts new Facilities Master Plan
For the first time since a major setback in 2015, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an update to the county’s Facilities Master Plan. The updated version accounts for the voters’ narrow rejection of a $287 million bond to build a new civil courthouse at 308 Guadalupe St. three years ago as well other […]
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO discusses travel demand management
Funding for programs that focus on freeing up existing roadway capacity may yet make the cut in a draft program of regional mobility projects under consideration by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. CAMPO staff’s initial recommendation for the organization’s latest Transportation Improvement Program excluded money for specific programs submitted under the travel demand management category. […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.10.18
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s Office hosts a copy at its website. 5. Consider and take appropriate action on the 2018 Travis County Facilities Master Plan Update. (Commissioner Gómez) Monitor’s Take: The last […]
Posted inTravis County
Office development on unincorporated land draws neighborhood opposition
Anxieties over traffic, safety, environmental degradation and more pushed the Travis County Commissioners Court last week to postpone action on an item that would clear the way for the construction of two new office buildings on a rural but rapidly growing stretch of Hamilton Pool Road. Joe Mansour, founder of Accord Interests, told the court […]
Posted inTransportation
Dockless scooter company takes flight in Austin
For the third time in four years, a brand-new technology-enabled transportation company has set up shop on Austin’s streets without seeking the city’s official blessing. On Thursday morning, the California-based company known as Bird released what one company official described as “a relatively small number” of its dockless electric scooters in parts of South and […]