A trio of reports from Austin Transit Partnership offer some insights into the shape of Project Connect as the local government corporation in charge of the transit initiative prepares to announce its selection next week of the preferred light rail plan that will service downtown and selected areas to the north, south or east. A […]
Austin Transit Partnership
Posted inTransportation
Business leaders eye contract, job opportunities from $25B in transportation projects
With $25 billion in road, rail and airport infrastructure projects on tap for Austin over the next decade-plus, business leaders are starting to shape how the regional economy and its workforce can get the most benefit from the far-reaching changes in local transportation. The demands and opportunities for Austin businesses of all sizes, and the […]
Posted inTransit
Project Connect scenarios balance budgets against potential size and ridership
Cost constraints facing Austin’s planned light rail line through downtown have resulted in five options that feature shorter routes and place tracks at street level with traffic, in a substantial departure from the initial plans approved by voters in 2020. The five light rail scenarios, which will be viewed by the public today at an […]
Posted inTransit
Texas Legislature could derail Austin’s transit expansion
Austin’s slowly shrinking vision for a fast-moving urban rail system by the end of the decade is about to face a new challenge, one that could upend the voter-approved transit expansion: property tax warriors in the Texas Legislature. New bills challenging the Austin Transit Partnership’s (ATP) powers to borrow money come as the organization is […]
Posted inTransit
Behind a ‘messed up’ process to pick Austin’s next light-rail leader
Lee esta historia en español The Austin Transit Partnership – a voter-created organization collecting almost $160 million a year in property tax to build a light-rail system – has chosen a permanent leader to oversee the single largest expansion of public transit in the city’s history. The Orange and Blue lines eventually will offer frequent service along almost 30 […]
Posted inTransit
Canally named sole finalist for ATP amidst confusion
Members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors have unanimously recommended that ATP interim Executive Director Greg Canally be presented to the community as the sole candidate for the permanent executive director job. Canally has served as interim director since Randy Clarke resigned last May to take a job in Washington, D.C. ATP Board […]
Posted inTransit
Council passes transparency changes to transit partnership board
Last week, City Council voted to recommend changes to the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors that would add two additional seats to the five-member board and establish transparency standards for their appointments. The resolution directs the city manager to consult with community stakeholders to address and consider eligibility requirements, which has been a controversial […]
Posted inTransit
Light-rail tunnel under downtown Austin might not happen after all
Some or all of Austin’s light-rail system could be at street level downtown instead of underground, which was the vision sold to voters when they authorized Project Connect in November 2020. The Austin Transit Partnership, a local government corporation created to build the Orange and Blue lines, is considering ways to cut costs as inflation eats into the budget for the multibillion-dollar system. […]
Posted inTransit
City aims to get out of its own way with ‘fast-track’ permitting for Project Connect rail lines
An ordinance aimed at streamlining permitting for Project Connect has been making its way through boards and commissions in recent weeks – the latest sign of progress toward new rail and bus lines approved by voters in 2020. On Tuesday, staffers from the city’s Project Connect Office and the Austin Transit Partnership gave a presentation […]
Posted inDevelopment
City formulates $98 million financing plan to cover Colony Park gap
The city is asking Travis County to contribute $30 million to the development costs of the Colony Park planned unit development in Northeast Austin, part of a proposed financing package of $98.8 million needed to complete the project. A city memo released Tuesday outlines several details related to the ongoing development that is being led […]
Posted inTransportation
Cap Metro deploys ‘tricked-out’ electric vehicle to help drum up community enthusiasm
MEEP isn’t just the sound made by a popular Muppet; it’s also Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new portable community engagement vehicle created to involve Austinites in programs like Project Connect, the expansion of Austin’s municipal transit system. The Austin Transit Partnership, the entity overseeing Project Connect, relies a great deal on community engagement, such as […]
Posted inTransit
Council looks at changes to transit partnership board
City Council has tentatively agreed to consider changes to the membership of the board of the Austin Transit Partnership, with just a small change now, and the possibility of a larger and more controversial change in the future. Council approved a resolution on Thursday adding two ex officio members to the ATP Board of Directors, […]