Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority began advertising a contract for preliminary engineering design services and mode recommendations for the Project Connect 21-mile high-capacity Orange Line on Dec. 18, the day after the agency’s board of directors approved Project Connect‘s long-term vision plan. Now, after receiving three responses in January and negotiating with the most qualified firm, the […]
Capital Metro
The city’s urban transportation system.
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to meet its own bus stop standards by 2020
The Capital Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority is wrapping up construction on the last of 16 MetroRapid stops approved in a contract with Muñiz Concrete and Contracting Inc. in May 2018. This year the agency is turning its attention to its MetroBus stops with a new contract with Muñiz for the addition of benches, shelters and […]
Posted inTransit
Transit fund celebrates 5 million discounted rides
Getting around is still the second-greatest cost for Austin residents, but the Transit Empowerment Fund – a collaborative effort between the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin Community Foundation and One Voice Central Texas – has eased that financial burden for a portion of the community’s most vulnerable residents. The TEF Board celebrated a milestone at […]
Posted inTransit
Can Austin get dedicated transit lanes without losing car lanes?
Mayor Steve Adler and Capital Metro Transportation Authority leaders say it is critical that Austin put in place a high-capacity public transit system that runs in a dedicated right-of-way, but that the new system does not have to come at the expense of existing car lanes. “We’re talking about creating dedicated pathways so that this […]
Posted inTransit
New downtown rail station to break ground early April
After carving away the excess from Downtown Station plans in January, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarded a construction contract of $36,865,160 to Austin-based firm Jay-Reese Contractors Inc. at its Feb. 25 meeting. Jay-Reese was one of three firms to respond to Capital Metro’s request for proposal in August 2018. The firm has completed a number […]
Posted inTransit
Access to schools highlights Cap Remap limitations
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority knew that its June 2018 network change, Cap Remap, would remove transit service from vulnerable communities long before the changes took place. The eliminations were part of an intentional attempt to funnel resources into frequent service routes across the city. The agency’s own internal analysis of the route changes in November […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro cuts back on downtown station plan
A nationwide shortage of skilled labor and a tariff-induced spike in the cost of steel have raised estimated construction costs for Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s downtown rail station. Instead of looking for extra project funding, the agency has decided to simplify the station’s design to remain within the project budget. Capital Metro’s downtown station project […]
Posted inTransit
After years of declines, Cap Metro sees an increase in ridership
After years of declining ridership, Capital Metro’s ridership increased in 2018. The boost comes in a year that saw the transit operator’s largest overhaul of its bus system, known as Cap Remap, which affected more than half its lines. Overall, Capital Metro’s ridership went up 5.4 percent in December 2018 compared to the previous year, […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro approves Project Connect vision plan
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s long-term vision plan was adopted by the agency’s board of directors Monday afternoon. As per Project Connect program manager Dave Couch, the map – an array of intersecting and parallel lines of various colors and styles – is the result of a decision made two years ago to study the transportation […]
Posted inTransportation
Council hopes to reduce car use with two initiatives
At its last meeting of the year Thursday, City Council approved two measures aimed at encouraging people to get out of their cars. One item, crafted by Council Member Delia Garza, instructs the city manager to put together a working group to consider a pilot program “that would address shifting modes of transportation by incentivizing […]
Posted inTransit
Weeks before Project Connect vote, city talks community engagement
The Dec. 17 Capital Metro Board of Directors vote on the Project Connect vision plan is quickly approaching. Austin residents are being asked by the transportation agency and City Council representatives to take the time this holiday season to attend and participate in community conversations regarding their specific transportation needs. As new public discussion dates […]
Posted inTransportation
Solving regional affordability problems will require addressing transportation costs
Decreasing affordability in Austin and the surrounding area is primarily tied to a shortage of housing options coupled with rising property taxes. But the region’s lack of transportation options is the source of another significant, though less recognized, financial burden on residents. That was the message from Dave Couch, the Project Connect program manager, as […]