Four years into Austin’s commitment to have half its population choose alternatives to driving by 2039, the Transportation and Public Works Department is still hopeful its growing pains will eventually pay dividends. Division Manager Kirk Scanlon visited City Council’s Mobility Committee last week for an update on the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, a framework of […]
Transportation
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
CAMPO board OKs amendments to I-35 expansion project without votes from 3 Council members
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board voted last week to approve amendments to its highway improvement plans, which will pave the way for the latest version of the Interstate 35 Capital Express project. It did so without the votes of three City Council members appointed to the board. The 22-member board considered […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro updates financial forecast, returns $130 million to contingency fund
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Finance, Audit and Administration Committee heard an update on the agency’s financial status at its meeting on Aug. 14. Catherine Walker, chief financial and risk officer, presented a financial report as of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23. According to the presentation, sales tax remittances received as of May are […]
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 to launch free fare program to serve riders experiencing homelessness
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is preparing to launch its new fare program for individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin. The HMIS Pass program will distribute passes to unhoused Austin and Travis County residents who are receiving services through the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS. Capital Metro is currently finalizing pass parameters […]
Posted inPlanning
Upgrades coming to a trail near East Riverside neighborhood
One of the last segments to make a continuous trail from Lady Bird Lake to Mabel Davis Park is another step closer to becoming a reality. The Planning Commission last week approved an environmental variance for construction work expected to start in 2024, a portion of which involves a trail underpass at East Riverside Drive […]
Posted inTransit
Red Line improvements add capacity, access for critical Project Connect transit option
The light rail line that’s planned to run through downtown Austin is the portion of Project Connect that’s drawn the most attention in recent years. But folks like Matt Geske, who regularly ride the Red Line commuter train that goes from Leander to the Austin Convention Center, are happy to give the long-running transit line […]
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 inTransit
Disability advocates raise safety, accessibility concerns with Cap Metro board
A member of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Access Advisory Committee is calling for monthly safety briefings from the board after the organization failed to address multiple instances of sexual harassment on the part of a MetroAccess driver. Audrea Diaz was appointed to the committee in January 2019. She requested the briefings during the board’s citizen […]
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 […]