The Bond Election Advisory Task Force got its first look Monday at how the Transportation and Public Works Department is approaching the selection and prioritization of projects for next year’s expected bond package. Task force members had plenty of questions about how those choices will be made. Among the concerns, members asked staff how transportation […]
CAMPO
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is the regional planning organization for Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. Its membership is drawn from the elected officials of those municipalities, as well as various cities that fall within the region, including the City of Austin. CAMPO’s focus is on regional transportation issues.
Posted inRoads
Travis County sets aggressive goal to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2050
One of the policy areas that the county has most influence over is roadway safety. Past city limits, the Travis County Commissioners Court is responsible – along with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and other regional authorities – for managing the increased traffic that comes along with booming growth. […]
Posted inRoads
Funding freeze for I-35 expansion denied in heated CAMPO vote
An attempt to freeze funding for the Interstate 35 expansion through Central Austin until the project’s impact on air quality can be more fully assessed was easily defeated Monday in a vote by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s planning board. The 22-member panel allocates billions in federal transportation cash throughout the Austin area. The […]
Posted inRoads
Three City Council members join “Wider Won’t Work” rally against I-35 expansion
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 […]
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
TxDOT ignored I-35 expansion health concerns, county says
The Travis County Commissioners Court says the Texas Department of Transportation has ignored their concerns about the impact of Interstate 35 expansion on the health of Austin residents. “We specifically asked TxDOT to do a number of important studies – environmental and air-quality studies – affecting public health. And they didn’t. They ignored them, basically,” […]
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO board authorizes consultant to assist in drafting 2050 Regional Transportation Plan
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board voted on Monday to authorize negotiations on an assistance contract for the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. The RTP is the long-range planning document that outlines the goals, strategies, and objectives of the Transportation Policy Board, and includes transportation projects planned over the next two decades. Those […]
Posted inRoads
TxDOT could put a four-lane road where Austin is building a trail
The Texas Department of Transportation is studying whether to build a four-lane highway along the same stretch of land where Austin is planning to break ground next year on a 12-foot-wide concrete trail. Both projects fall within part of an old railroad route that shut down almost half a century ago. The 28-mile MoKan Corridor […]
Posted inTransportation
Commissioners discuss CAMPO’s forecasts for the future
At a recent Urban Transportation Commission meeting, the executive director of the nonprofit Farm & City urged the commission to keep Farm & City’s concerns in mind when it comes to transportation planning around the region. Jay Blazek Crossley raised two main issues with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s regional planning process. The first, he said, is that […]
Posted inTransit
CAMPO board approves project funding for seniors and differently abled citizens
At Monday’s meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a quorum of transit board members, Travis County commissioners and City Council members discussed Federal Transit Administration 5310 Project Call funding, which is primarily intended for projects that increase accessibility and service for seniors and those with disabilities. CAMPO intends to allocate $2.1 million to Capital […]
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO approves TxDOT’s transportation plan amendment requests
On Monday, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board voted to approve two of the Texas Department of Transportation’s requests to amend the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan and the Transportation Improvement Program. The RTP addresses general congestion and transportation needs over the next 25 years, while the TIP addresses shorter-range plans – within […]
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO proceeds with traffic management plan
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board has unanimously voted to allow its executive director, Ashby Johnson, to begin negotiations with a firm to implement the Transportation Demand Management program. The TDM program is a bundle of strategies aimed at reducing traffic in the CAMPO region. Its main goals are to gather and analyze […]