City Council plans to move forward with adding four plaza-like caps and four “stitch” crossings to portions of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. A memo released yesterday from Transportation and Public Works Department Director Richard Mendoza updates Council and Mayor Kirk Watson on the timeline and funding options involved in the cap-and-stitch effort, which is […]
Transportation
Posted inTransit
Austin’s shift to electric buses is plagued by vehicle glitches and supplier bankruptcy
Capital Metro’s drive to electrify its entire fleet of buses is coming with some hard lessons about the high costs of early adoption. The transit agency’s battery-powered buses have been less reliable and harder to fix. Now, a company selling million-dollar electric vehicles to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, throwing […]
Posted inTransportation
Council greenlights update to urban trails, sidewalks and bikes plan with last-minute amendments
As the city prepares for a decade of unprecedented public transportation and highway infrastructure projects, Austin’s Transportation Department is making moves to spread the love to those choosing to walk, bike or roll. Since early last year, staff has been devising updates to the 2019 Strategic Mobility Plan, a sprawling vision charting the path forward […]
Posted inTransportation
Doggett urges further federal action on airport safety
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett continues to ring the alarm about safety concerns at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and across the country as the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure grapples with a staffing shortage that has resulted in hundreds of near-miss incidents between aircraft on airport runways. On Thursday, Doggett released a statement regarding the publication […]
Posted inBicycles
Austin Energy says e-bike rebate program on track to double in size
As retailers brace for the holiday shopping season, 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for e-bikes in Austin. Austin Energy stopped by City Council’s Mobility Committee meeting last week for an update on its e-bike rebate program, which kicked into high gear this past January with a resolution doubling rebate values. Preliminary […]
Posted inTransportation
Downtown Commission explores ways to improve safety of autonomous vehicles on city streets
Despite the Cruise autonomous vehicle company’s recent decision to pause service in all cities, including Austin, members of the Downtown Commission have concerns about the growing presence of the vehicles and the city’s inability to regulate them. Staff from the Transportation and Public Works Department began a presentation to the commission last week by covering […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro settles with city on East Austin real estate deal that paves the way for wastewater project
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is selling the city of Austin a piece of land in East Austin to pave the way for the Walnut Interceptor Odor and Corrosion Improvements capital project. At its meeting on Monday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors approved the sale of a small plot of land at […]
Posted inTransportation
Safe Routes to School Program charts course ahead as infrastructure plan turns 4 years old
With 425 projects at over 100 schools under its belt, Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department is moving forward with plans to improve pedestrian and bike routes to elementary and middle schools throughout the city. Safe Routes to School Program Manager Coleen Gentles stopped by City Council’s Mobility Committee meeting last week for a brief […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro study to identify constraints and opportunities in completing remaining segments of Red Line Trail
At its State of the Parkway event on Monday, the nonprofit Red Line Parkway Initiative met with regional leaders and grassroots organizers to discuss continued work on the 32-mile trail along the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Red Line. The Red Line Parkway Initiative is involved in planning, fundraising and community engagement surrounding the trail and […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin near-miss incident subject of discussion at U.S. Senate hearing on nationwide airport safety “crisis”
February’s near-miss incident at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was the subject of discussion at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing last week on nationwide airport safety concerns. Aviation industry executives and government officials testified on how to improve safety at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation […]
Posted inRoads
City prepares to spend first $15M to design caps for I-35 expansion
City Council has given early direction to staff to begin working on the financial planning and models for constructing a series of caps over portions of a reconstructed and lowered Interstate 35. At Tuesday’s work session, Council members heard a number of scenarios and timelines for adding caps, which are large plazas that would be […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin airport’s safety is under scrutiny after a string of near misses
A disturbing string of dangerous incidents at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – including near misses and two tarmac deaths this year – has elected officials clashing with city staff over safety at an airport where passenger volumes have more than doubled in the last decade. Now, some of those frustrations are boiling into public view. City […]