Editor’s note: The original version of this story contained an error conflating two of AG Ken Paxton’s opinions. The story has now been corrected. A little over a year ago, a group of prominent Austin citizens filed suit against the Austin Transit Partnership over Project Connect, the 2020 transit expansion that was originally designed to […]
Transportation
Posted inElections
Where do Austin’s mayoral candidates stand on transportation issues?
When Austinites cast their ballots this election, transportation will be front and center – not just because it’s a major challenge for the region, but also because voters will have just navigated their way to a polling station. Austin’s mayor plays a powerful role in shaping how we get around the city and has an influential […]
Posted inTransportation
Report highlights need for future airport audits
The city’s Aviation Department faces a variety of risks, particularly related to insufficient staffing, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor. Auditor-in-charge Kathie Harrison told the Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday that the three top risk areas facing Aviation include contract and vendor management, asset management and maintenance and […]
Posted inTransit
Delayed CapMetro Rapid routes to launch next year with slower service and diesel buses
Capital Metro’s newest high-frequency bus routes have been delayed, and now the transit agency says the Expo Center and Pleasant Valley routes will launch next year with reduced frequency and diesel-powered buses instead of the promised electric ones. The delays are pushing back the timeline for other planned CapMetro Rapid (formerly MetroRapid) routes, including those serving Oak Hill, […]
Posted inTransit
San Antonio, Travis County and Mexico officials urge Legislature to fund passenger rail next session
Monday morning saw a bevy of local – and international – officials come together on one issue that unites all who must traverse Texas: its nightmarish traffic. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and San Antonio City Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda rode an Amtrak train to Austin along with Emmanuel Loo, deputy secretary of economic […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin’s airport set to move ahead with $865 million terminal expansion
A centerpiece of the largest-ever expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is on a glide path to obtain final approval for design and construction. City Council will vote on the project this month as ABIA strains to handle far more passengers than it was designed to accommodate. If approved, the 370,500-square-foot extension of the Barbara Jordan […]
Posted inRoads
Living Streets Program plans to expand operations
In an effort to build community and address equity across the city, Austin’s Living Streets Program is working to reenvision local streets as spaces where residents can walk, bike, gather and connect. Community members can apply by Oct. 4 for three different types of resident-led street activations: Neighborhood Block Parties, Healthy Streets and Play Streets. […]
Posted inTransportation
Audit: City needs better data to improve e-scooter rules
The city of Austin does not have enough information to ensure it can make and enforce rules governing electric scooters, according to an audit report presented to the City Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday. The audit also indicated that the city has failed to include relevant parties in making those rules. Audit Manager […]
Posted inTransportation
Council to see start of contracts for nearly $2.5B to fund airport expansion
City Council will consider a handful of funding items today that collectively would approve almost a half-billion dollars in contracts for the expansion of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The five requests total $497.8 million and represent the next major decisions in a series of possible approvals that would total nearly $2.5 billion in the coming months. […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin to Manor Trail now complete, linking suburb to citywide trail network
Lee esta historia en español The missing link in a 5.5-mile trail from Austin to Manor is now complete, connecting the fast-growing suburb with Austin’s expansive network of public paths. “It helps with quality of life,” Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey said while taking an afternoon stroll along the final section of the Austin to Manor Trail. […]
Posted inRoads
Vision Zero’s improvements to protected left turns cut traffic injuries and fatalities in half
In May, the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department and Vision Zero program announced that its Barton Springs Road safety pilot program – which reduced the road to one lane in each direction between Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard, added lanes at intersections and relocated bus stops to places with crossings – has […]
Posted inTransportation
Case study offers early praise for the structure and organization of Project Connect
A new report from an advocacy group in support of mass transit projects across the country has praised Austin’s Project Connect initiative, which is still roughly a decade away from realizing its goal of providing light-rail service through the city. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles-based group Accelerator for America Action released a “living case study” […]