The latest urban rail suggestion for the city would link north central Austin, in the Highland Mall area, to the downtown and stretch the same transit service to the East Riverside corridor. According to Project Connect representatives, that route would best serve future transportation needs in the area. However, critics of Project Connect say […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Lone Star Rail presses City of Austin over tax increment funding
Officials with the Lone Star Rail District continue to push Austin City Council members to approve a tax increment financing deal between the two parties. If consummated, such an arrangement would use a portion of City of Austin property tax revenue to pay for both operations and maintenance of the potential Georgetown-San Antonio rail line […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Transportation
Commissioners vote to move heritage tree for road expansion
After assurances that the state would pay for most of the cost, Travis County Commissioners voted Tuesday to remove and transplant a 30-inch Heritage Oak tree standing in the way of an expansion of Frate Barker Road in South Austin. Commissioners had postponed a vote last week on approving the $9 million contract to […]
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Transportation
County ponders how to deal with heritage tree in path of road extension
Travis County Commissioners will face a tough decision next week as they decide the fate of a 100-year-old oak tree that is in the way of an extension of Frate Barker Road in South Austin. The item came up on the court’s agenda on Tuesday, but after examining a complex array of solutions, Commissioners […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council reluctantly votes to end overnight access to bicycle trails
City Council members voted Thursday to end the pilot program that had opened portions of the city’s urban trails to bikes overnight, though many members expressed frustration about the position the issue put them in. Council members had the options of either leaving the trails open or consenting to remove officers from the city’s […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Transportation
Travis Commissioners finally endorse SH45 SW
Many of the same Austinites made the same arguments they’ve made for decades, but this time, the result was different. At the behest of Pct. 3’s Gerald Daugherty, the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday endorsed construction of the controversial SH45 Southwest roadway. Just three years ago, a somewhat different group of Travis County […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council members concerned over funding issues for Lone Star Rail
Austin City Council members are calling for more in-depth discussion about a potential interlocal agreement with the Lone Star Rail District. The agreement, if approved, would govern the partnership between the city and a potential rail agency for a line that could run from Georgetown to San Antonio. It is one of several such agreements […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Transportation
Despite opposition, Daugherty aiming to get SH45SW back on track today
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty hopes to take a major step today to get his fellow Commissioners to endorse building the controversial SH45 Southwest roadway between South MoPac Boulevard and FM 1626. The roadway has been in the planning stages for almost 30 years, but has faced repeated roadblocks and delays.  The major issue so […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council again postpones action on 24-hour access to hike-and-bike trails
A battle over whether three segments of the City of Austin’s hike-and-bike trails should remain open will last at least another week, after City Council members postponed a vote on an ordinance that would end the pilot program. However, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t any action. Though the item was quickly dispatched Thursday, […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
City Council gets review of progress on Urban Rail Program
Austin City Council members received a set of updated Urban Rail statistics Tuesday. The presentation offered a glimpse at the ongoing process as staff and Mayor Lee Leffingwell did their level best to drive home the point that a route for the project — still subject to voter approval via a probable 2014 bond election […]
Posted inLocal Government, Transportation
Travis Commissioners balk at plan to use tax districts for Lone Star Rail
Travis County Commissioners were asked to get on board with developing a funding mechanism for the Lone Star Rail District’s future operations on Tuesday, but the plan may be in for a bumpy ride, as some commissioners say they need much more information before moving ahead. The Lone Star Rail District was formed in […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation
Neighborhood lobbies for Pressler Street extension to Cesar Chavez
Members of the Austin City Council’s Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee are set Wednesday to weigh in on a possible extension of Pressler Street through the Lamar Beach area. The move would connect the Original West Austin Neighborhood with West Cesar Chavez Street. The Original West Austin Neighborhood Association passed a resolution on Sept. […]