The Austin City Council got a look Thursday at Project Connect’s Central Corridor Study recommendations for the city’s proposed high-capacity transit line, its initial route and its price tag. Project leader Kyle Keahey told Council members the study team recommends a Locally Preferred Alternative, or LPA, of an Urban Rail route from Riverside Drive […]
Urban Rail 2014
An effort undertaken to secure funding for the first leg of what would more-or-less be a light rail system for the City of Austin. It marked the third such major attempt in a decade.
Posted inTransportation
Study prefers Urban Rail, Lady Bird Lake bridge for Central Corridor project
The Project Connect: Central Corridor study team says Austin should use Urban Rail as the preferred local mode of transportation for the central portion of its proposed $1.4 billion transit project. The Central Corridor project’s 9.5 mile alignment will run from the Highland Mall/ACC area south through the University of Texas and Downtown areas, across […]
Posted inTransportation
Rail bond issues dominate discussion at Austin Monitor forum
Even if the election cycle wasn’t in full swing with another Austin Rail Bond vote slated for November, Austinites would probably still be discussing the city’s transportation woes. All of those forces combined Wednesday night for a lively discussion at the Austin Monitor’s Transportation Forum. The event was the second forum hosted by the […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Council hears Transit Bond election’s effect on future tax rates
Amid questions revolving around a potential multimillion-dollar November 2014 Transit Bond election, city staff Tuesday laid out the city’s bonding capacity picture for Council members. Though the fact that a tax increase would be required to accommodate any amount of additional bonding was not quite news, the figures associated with such an action were […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Leffingwell, Spelman offer different views of city’s rail future
With no firm number yet attached to a potential November 2014 City of Austin transportation bond, two Austin City Council members presented vastly differing visions last week of what it might eventually cost. Meanwhile, the Council members revealed further planning details about what a train system might look like in terms of required infrastructure investments. […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Transportation
Leffingwell: Fixing transportation issues critical to Austin’s future
“Rail or Fail.” That was the message (that may become a bumper sticker) from Mayor Lee Leffingwell as he gave his final State of the City address yesterday. Though Leffingwell hit on many of Austin’s recent and continuing triumphs in his speech, he took the opportunity to address growing transportation problems in the city, […]
Posted inTransportation
Project Connect seeks public input on transit options
On the heels of completing its first study into the Central Corridor, Project Connect has begun exploring and receiving input on viable transit options that it hopes will one day ease traffic congestion in the Austin area. Phase 2 of the project is charged with exploring alternative modes of transportation, as well as the possible […]
Posted inLocal Government, Transportation
Capital Metro endorses Highland-East Riverside rail alignment
The Capital Metro board officially backed the first phase planned by Project Connect Wednesday. The board voted 7-0 on the resolution with Frank Fernandez off the dais. The plan is the same one Project Connect finalized late last year that would connect the Highland Mall area of Austin with downtown and East Riverside by rail. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Transportation
Commissioners postpone resolution to support Project Connect
There was no resolution this week from Travis County Commissioners about supporting Project Connect, the high-capacity, cross-agency transit plan for the Austin metropolitan area. The court mainly heard from supporters of Project Connect Tuesday. “I have been in this community just over three years now,” said Linda Watson, President and CEO of Capital […]
Posted inElections, Transportation
Group files to campaign for Guadalupe-North Lamar rail corridor
A group calling itself Our Rail filed papers Monday with City Clerk Janette Goodall that will allow its members to campaign for ballot measures that would establish the Lamar-Guadalupe corridor as part of the initial design of the city’s Urban Rail project. According to the documents, the group intends to fight for a charter amendment […]
Posted inTransportation
Spelman: plan for Lamar rail after Highland-Riverside is done
Project Connect’s Central Corridor Advisory Group voted Friday to endorse the Highland-East Riverside sub-corridor as the first route for Austin’s proposed Urban Rail line. The City Council is poised to vote on the matter this Thursday. But the Highland route, which basically runs from Highland Mall along Airport Boulevard and Red River Street through […]
Posted inTransportation
Project Connect defends decision to bypass Lamar corridor for transit
Almost two weeks after Project Connect recommended the Highland and East Riverside areas to move forward to the next phase of transit expansion in Austin, it opened itself to feedback on the plan last Tuesday. And what most people in the room, on the phone, online or watching TV wanted to know was, “Why […]