The board of directors of the Austin Transit Partnership, the entity formed by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the city to design and build the Project Connect transit system, will consider a resolution next week to launch the process of finding a new executive director for ATP. Randy Clarke, who is the president and […]
Project Connect
This project brought together a series of Central Texas transportation agencies looking to build high-capacity transit options in the region in the wake of CAMPO’s 2035 regional transportation plan. The City of Austin’s much-discussed 2014 Urban Rail plan was part of Project Connect’s efforts.
Posted inPlanning
City opens applications for $20M in anti-displacement projects
The city is accepting proposals from community organizations involved in affordable housing and related services to apply for some of the $20 million available for anti-displacement efforts related to Project Connect. At a news conference Monday, leaders from the Austin Housing Finance Corporation and the Housing and Planning Department explained that there is about $64 […]
Posted inTransit
Analysis of code changes for Project Connect extended until December
City staff will need until December to determine the full scope of processes and city regulations that will have to be changed to accommodate the planning and construction of the components of the Project Connect transit plan. City Council had originally instructed the city manager to have a plan for needed code amendments complete by […]
Posted inPlanning
Council approves anti-displacement funding for year two of Project Connect
Forty-one million dollars is officially on its way to the affordable housing pipeline as of last Thursday, when City Council resolved to allocate funding from Project Connect’s $300 million anti-displacement budget in the next fiscal year. The resolution, sponsored by Council Member Ann Kitchen, commits $21 million toward existing housing development assistance programs with the […]
Posted inTransportation
Roadway changes coming soon to a transit corridor near you
Transit authorities convened Wednesday morning to announce several long-anticipated city changes to clear the way for the Orange and Blue lines, two stretches of light rail that are part of Project Connect, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s multibillion-dollar transit infrastructure project. The changes in question? Left turns are going away at many of the intersections that […]
Posted inTransit
Transit planners study allowing buses on light-rail bridge over Lady Bird Lake
Facing pushback over plans to allow only light rail and pedestrians on a new bridge over Lady Bird Lake, officials overseeing Project Connect, Austin’s $7.1 billion transit expansion, are taking a closer look at whether to design the bridge so Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses could cross into downtown. The Lady Bird Lake Bridge is […]
Posted inTransit
Community weighs in on governance of ATP, Cap Metro
At least 165 community members participated Tuesday night in the first of two virtual meetings designed to gather feedback about the future of Austin’s Project Connect, which is currently in the design stage. In addition to specific questions about where the different lines will be built, groups such as the Austin Justice Coalition and People […]
Posted inHousing
Austin to spend $65 million this year to reduce displacement near future transit lines
The city of Austin is preparing to spend $65 million this year on efforts to prevent people who live near future public transit lines from being priced out of their homes. The single largest transit expansion in Austin’s history is expected to increase demand for property near frequent transit routes, potentially making affordability problems worse […]
Posted inTransit
Transit partnership moves on $17 million contract for consultant
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors met Monday to discuss several important updates to the Austin Transit Partnership (whose board convened last Wednesday), including a multimillion-dollar service contract with the consultancy Ernst and Young. Board Member Eric Stratton delivered administrative and technical program updates to the board, including information on ongoing hiring processes. […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro updates city on federally funded transit study
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority shared how it plans to spend the first $900,000 in federal money granted to Project Connect this past Thursday in a briefing with the city’s Environmental Commission. The grant, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program, will fund a pilot study in an equity-based approach to transit-oriented development (ETOD) […]
Posted inPlanning
Project Connect team unveils report on anti-displacement strategy
Project Connect is one step closer to realizing its $7.1 billion public transportation investment, after a report outlining plans for the $300 million set aside for anti-displacement programs was completed last Thursday. The report, developed by a team of impacted community members and city staffers, describes a racial equity anti-displacement tool designed to direct and […]
Posted inAustin
Chamber prez credits Austin’s rapid recovery to diverse local economy
Even after nearly two years of Covid-19 restrictions, Austin continues to have one of the strongest regional economies in the United States. Austin Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Laura Huffman says the key to that bounce-back comes from the diversity of the local business community. With health care a growing presence because of the […]