For the first time since 2014, the Travis County Commissioners Court has voted to distribute revenues from its 18,820-acre property in Throckmorton County among 14 school districts across the county. Melissa Velasquez, executive assistant for Commissioner Brigid Shea, brought the fund to the commissioner’s attention recently after discovering that more than $3.7 million had accumulated […]
Ryan Thornton
Posted inRoads
TxDOT opens I-35 scoping phase
Mobility advocates are calling on the Texas Department of Transportation to reimagine its plans for the Interstate 35 corridor through Central Austin as the agency prepares to open the public scoping phase of the project this week. The Capital Express Central virtual open house will begin Thursday afternoon and continue through Dec. 12, offering residents […]
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO offers new board structure
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is considering modifying leadership policies of the Transportation Policy Board’s bylaws to ensure broader representation from different types and sizes of jurisdictions. But some board members and transportation advocates say election week is not the time to make such proposals. The new proposal from Chair Cynthia Long would reconfigure […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Prop B walks, rolls, rides to victory
In addition to passing a historic mass public transit system under Proposition A, Austin voters also approved Prop B, a $460 million active mobility bond that will allow the city to make significant progress toward completing the bike lane network, filling missing sidewalk gaps and improving traffic safety. In total, 260,706 votes were cast in […]
Posted inElections
Voters pass Project Connect transit plan
With the passage of Proposition A, voters have given the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority the green light to build out the core elements of the city’s first mass transit system over the coming decade as part of a $7.1 billion initial investment in the $10 billion Project Connect system. Capital Metro Board Chair Wade Cooper […]
Posted inElections
Pool reelected to District 7
In a race against sole opponent Morgan Witt, District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool earned over two-thirds of the vote in a bid for re-election. Pool received 27,255 of the 40,530 votes counted in the District 7 race as of Tuesday night, marking her third consecutive Council victory and the start of a second full […]
Posted inCity Charter
City departments may now deal with small-scale violations
City Council unanimously approved a change to city code Thursday that will allow the Office of the City Auditor to refer small-scale secondary employment misuse cases to the city manager’s office. In cases where a city employee is found using city equipment for secondary work, the city auditor may now redirect the case as long […]
Posted inPlanning
Domain substation may compromise Red Line Trail
Austin Energy needs a new substation to serve the population growth around the Domain and the utility already owns a site in an ideal location for that purpose. However, the Public Works Department’s Urban Trails team has been eyeing that the same property for future development of the planned 32-mile Red Line Trail. A request […]
Posted inWhispers
Get out and vote for Prop A, local leaders say
Despite the cold and wind, a group of transit advocates gathered outside of Carver Branch library Wednesday to encourage Austinites to cast their votes in favor of Proposition A and Project Connect. Mayor Steve Adler said he is concerned people are making decisions on Prop A based on false or misleading information spread by organizations […]
Posted inTravis County
County extends small cities relief deadline
Millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds may shortly be returned to the U.S. Treasury Department due to the failure of small cities in Travis County to provide documentation for the county’s $7.3 million small cities relief program. The Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to extend the program deadline to Nov. 10 to allow time for […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro cross-charges electric buses
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been testing out the electric bus market this year with vehicles and charging systems from two different manufacturers. While the six Proterra and six New Flyer buses originally came with manufacturer-specific charging systems, Capital Metro has adapted the systems so that each charger is now able to connect with […]
Posted inTransportation
Downtown Commission defends cars on Congress
As the Austin Transportation Department continues to build out Congress Avenue’s protected bike lanes and make intersection safety improvements, the Downtown Commission wants to ensure that the changes will not result in reduced capacity – the number of cars able to get through the corridor in a given period of time. Laura Dierenfield, a division […]