Three City Council members spoke Sunday at the Rethink35 “Wider Won’t Work” rally against the Interstate 35 Capital Express project. Those in attendance at Sanchez Elementary School included Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis, who is chair of Council’s Mobility Committee, as well as Council members José Velásquez and Zo Qadri. The speaker lineup also featured […]
Transportation
Posted inRoads
City official explains need to fix Barton Springs Road bridge
There is an urgent need to move forward with repairs and expansion of the Barton Springs Road bridge leading into Zilker Park, Eric Bailey, acting deputy director of Capital Delivery Services for the city, told City Council’s Mobility Committee last week. The bridge was built in 1926 and expanded to four lanes in 1946. Bailey […]
Posted inTransit
Application period still open for Project Connect anti-displacement Community Advisory Committee
There is still time to apply to join the citizen committee that will advise the city of Austin, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Austin Transit Partnership on anti-displacement and equity matters related to Project Connect. The city’s $7 billion investment in Project Connect included $300 million for anti-displacement measures that will go toward […]
Posted inTransportation
Records show first responders in Austin struggling to respond to Cruise’s self-driving cars
Austin’s first responders grappled with how to manage Cruise’s robot cars and their “alarming” behavior, records obtained by KUT show. An internal reporting system used by Austin firefighters and police describes Cruise cars coming within inches of parked fire trucks, ignoring police directing traffic and – in one instance – almost cutting off an ambulance […]
Posted inTransportation
Mobility Committee laments state law curtailing city’s power over driverless car companies
City Council members heard last week about the ongoing public safety concerns that the emerging autonomous vehicle industry has created in Austin. Last week’s Mobility Committee meeting saw a presentation from staff from the Transportation and Public Works Department as well as public safety departments that updated committee members on their attempts to improve safety […]
Posted inTransit
MetroBike wins $11.3 million federal grant to fund transition to electric bicycles
Austin’s MetroBike program is the winner of a $11.3 million federal grant that will pay to expand and enhance its services, as well as allow it to transition to a fully electric bicycle fleet. The grant is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternative Set-Aside grant program, which is funded through the Federal […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro board hears results of first post-pandemic Origin & Destination survey
Besides interrupting Capital Metro’s transportation services, the pandemic also interfered with its process of measuring its ridership, typically done every five years. On Monday, for the first time since 2015, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors heard a presentation on the Origin & Destination Survey. “We came back around in 2020 in hopes […]
Posted inTransportation
Vision Zero analysis reveals drugs or alcohol involved in higher percentage of traffic fatalities than state data shows
An analysis by Austin’s Vision Zero initiative found that the presence of drugs or alcohol among Travis County traffic fatalities is higher than previously thought. Vision Zero Analytics is a series of white papers by the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department as part of the overall effort to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries […]
Posted inTransportation
A campaign is underway to rename Austin’s airport after LBJ
Could Austin’s gateway to the world be renamed after a Texas political titan? Yes, if the LBJ Foundation has anything to say about it. The Austin organization has quietly begun a campaign to rename Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after President Lyndon Baines Johnson – a shrewd politician from the Hill Country whose mixed legacy includes helping pass […]
Posted inRoads
Council pushes for pause on I-35 expansion, citing air quality concerns
Citing concerns over possible environmental and air quality impacts, City Council wants to delay the start of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. By a 7-3 vote, Council approved a resolution Thursday that asked the Texas Department of Transportation and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to hold off on any funding for the $4.5 billion project […]
Posted inRoads
Whip In won’t be torn down for I-35 expansion, reversing earlier plans
The expansion of Interstate 35 will push out more than 100 homes and businesses in Central Austin. But some places previously slated for demolition will get to stay. Among them: the South Austin bar and convenience store Whip In. Early plans called for demolishing Whip In and Travis Heights Wine and Spirits, a business next door in […]
Posted inRoads
With I-35 expansion, Austin gem Nature’s Treasures is being forced to move
Located on the Interstate 35 frontage road just south of Airport Boulevard, Nature’s Treasures has become an iconic destination for fans of minerals and the metaphysical. The crystal store is among more than 100 homes and businesses about to be forced out by the expansion of I-35. The 14,000-square-foot Nature’s Treasures property includes a retail showroom, […]