Child care in Austin is expensive and hard to find. Parents sign up on day care waiting lists long before their kids are even born. And the shortage is getting worse. Escuelita del Alma offers something even harder to find: a chance for children to learn a second language. “We’re like any other child care center, except […]
Nathan Bernier, KUT
Posted inRoads
Austinites in the path of wider I-35 prepare to be pushed out
Along Interstate 35, the notices have arrived. The highway expansion has been off and on for years. But now it’s actually happening. People who received letters or phone calls will have to leave. They have a few months, maybe more. “It’s hard,” said Dina Flores, the owner of Spanish-immersion day care Escuelita del Alma. She […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro wants French company to run bus service despite warnings from union leaders
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is moving to hire a Paris-based company to operate bus service in the Austin area – sidelining the current contractor, MV Transportation, and raising alarms among union leaders representing more than 1,200 bus drivers and maintenance workers. A panel of four Capital Metro board members on Wednesday unanimously gave initial approval […]
Posted inRoads
Noise concerns amplify as I-35 expansion in Central Austin nears
Now that the expansion of Interstate 35 through Central Austin has cleared a final bureaucratic hurdle, the city can expect the project to resonate in more ways than one. Noise from heavy machinery will rumble day and night after construction starts next year. Once completed, the enlarged highway will hold more vehicles, turning up the volume […]
Posted inRoads
I-35 expansion through downtown Austin gets final green light
The state’s contentious plan to make the biggest road in Central Texas even bigger has cleared a major bureaucratic hurdle, paving the way for the historic expansion of Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East. The Texas Department of Transportation issued a final environmental impact statement and record of decision on […]
Posted inRoads
Extreme heat bakes Austin’s streets, making them warp and crack
Austin roads are taking a beating this summer. An extended heat wave that could be the most severe on record is warping highways and cracking streets. But the pavement is shriveling so slowly, it can be hard to notice. One of the most catastrophic – and fortunately, most rare – road failures blamed on heat […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro quietly rolls out money-saving app and payment card months late
Lee esta historia en español With little fanfare, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched a new app and payment card last week – months behind schedule. The card and app can save users money on train or bus rides. The transit agency is also rolling out cheaper fares for people with lower incomes but is not […]
Posted inRoads
Austin’s I-35 plans revised to include new cap and a $25 million boardwalk
Lee esta historia en español The Interstate 35 expansion through Central Austin is undergoing significant revisions as local officials try to negotiate improvements to the $4.5 billion project, aimed at widening the highway that’s cut through downtown since it opened in 1962. Adjustments to the once-in-a-generation project include the possibility of covering larger sections of […]
Posted inPreservation
With missing link in place, Violet Crown now offers 11 miles of uninterrupted trail
A mile-long missing link in the Violet Crown Trail is now complete and open to the public. This new segment in Sunset Valley guides trailblazers from the end of Home Depot Boulevard, through a wooded area, under MoPac Expressway and up to the Garza Ranch development close to the Arbor Trails Shopping Center. With this […]
Posted inTransit
Do Austin’s new bus shelters cut it in the Texas heat?
Under Austin’s scorching afternoon sun, Elijah Archie finds himself at the outskirts of Capital Metro’s service area. He’s on Decker Lane, earbuds in, eyes scanning for the bus. He’s standing next to one of the public transit provider’s sleek, new silver bus shelters. Archie wasn’t impressed with the shelter’s modern design. He didn’t really care […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin pays $88 million to settle legal fight over ABIA’s South Terminal demolition
The city of Austin will shell out $88 million to Lonestar Airport Holdings, the company running the South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The move paves the way for the terminal’s demolition and construction of a new concourse capable of accommodating 10 to 40 gates. The South Terminal, while on airport premises, is a stand-alone […]
Posted inTransit
Austin’s light-rail plans set to advance after narrowly dodging Texas-sized wrecking ball
Austin’s light-rail ambitions are barreling ahead after narrowly escaping the clutches of Texas lawmakers determined to rein in the multibillion-dollar transit expansion. But the voter-approved plan, known as Project Connect, must still navigate a tricky track laden with potential legal and political hazards. “For now, we are going to take a deep breath,” Mayor Kirk […]