TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES Officials discuss future of public transportation
COMPILED BY CARSON GANONG & BRIAN RASH
ONGOING PROJECTS
HEATHERWILDE BLVD.
BY CARSON GANONG
CAPITALMETRO PICKUP PILOT STATS The following data shows some recent results from the first nine months of a 12-month on-demand pilot Pickup program that began in March 2021. 392 average rides per month 594 rides in December 22 average service days per month 3.3 square-mile service area
THREE OPTIONS Pflugerville officials in January began considering options for three public transportation programs for city residents. 1. On-demand Pickup program through Capital Metro • Picks up and transports customers within a designated zone • Accessible with Capital Metro Pickup app • Rides through pilot program cost $1.25 2. Create ridesharing voucher program through Uber • Similar to an existing program in the city of Kyle • Pflugerville would cover the cost of a portion of rides through Uber as long as they start and end within city limits • Accessible through an app 3. Expand existing agreement with Senior Access
At a Jan. 25 meeting, Pflugerville City Council discussed what public transportation in Pflugerville will look like moving forward. In March 2021, Capital Metro began a 12-month pilot of its on-demand Pickup program in Pflugerville, serving a 3.3-square-mile area of the city. According to a city presentation, in the first nine months of the pilot, Capital Metro provided an average of 392 rides per month through the program, peaking at 594 rides in December. Of those rides, 19% were to and from the Tech Ridge stop, an access point for Capital Metro’s bus service. When the Pickup pilot ends this March, the city will have several options for future public transpor- tation. At the meeting, city staff outlined three options. The first option is to renew the interlocal agreement with Capital Metro and continue Pickup services for another year. The city would have the option to amend the agreement to add more vehicles or expand the program’s service area. The second is to establish a ride share voucher program with Uber similar to the city of Kyle. Under such a program, the city would cover a portion of all Uber ride fares as long as they begin and end within Pflugerville city limits. The final option is to expand the city’s agreement with Senior Access, a nonprofit that already provides
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Heatherwilde Boulevard improvements in Pflugerville Improvements to Heatherwilde Boulevard at Pecan Street include a left-turn lane for northbound and southbound traffic in place of the existing median. Timeline: December 2021-April 2022 Cost: $330,085.25 Funding source : city of Pflugerville
SOURCE: CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
PICADILLY DR.
senior transportation services to Pflugerville and other nearby cities. City staff recommended extending the Capital Metro Pickup program until the end of the fiscal year in September while council considers options to avoid a gap in service. The details of the program, including the 3.3-square-mile service area and the $1.25 fare, would remain unchanged during the six-month extension. Regarding cost to the city, the Uber and Senior Access programs would have lower baseline costs, but the Capital Metro program qualifies for funding from the Federal Transit Authority. Mayor Pro Tem Doug Weiss said council’s priority for public trans- portation in Pflugerville should be
VIKI LYNN PL.
• Already provides senior transportation services to
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Pflugerville and other nearby cities • Would expand allowable users to all ages
Grand Avenue Parkway reconstruction in Pflugerville
Crews are reconstructing the roadway from Viki Lynn Place to Picadilly Drive. Construction for Phase 1A, which will repair northbound lanes of Grand Av- enue from Viki Lynn Place to Ramble Creek Drive, began Dec. 6. Timeline: December 2021-summer 2022 Cost: $3.19 million Funding source : city of Pflugerville
SOURCE: CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
balancing costs with quality and equity of service. “I want to make sure no matter what option we go with, we’re not diminishing quality of service,” Weiss said. Council members said during the January meeting they will continue discussions on public transportation with the goal of coming to a decision before the end of the fiscal year.
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Construction for Kelly Lane Phase 2 project to begin in spring
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Live Oak Street repaving in Hutto Crews finished utility replacement work on a section of Live Oak Street between West Street and Park Avenue in January. The second phase involves repaving the same section. Timeline: December 2021-TBD Cost: $336,000 Funding source : city of Hutto
BY CARSON GANONG
add raised medians, increase lighting, improve drainage to reduce flooding and include the addition of a round- about at Vilamoura Street. City staff said a cost estimate should be available once Phase 2 goes to bid. Staff is also conducting outreach for Phase 3. Timeline: spring 2022-TBD Cost: TBD Funding source : city of Pflugerville 2018 bond
Improvements to Kelly Lane in Pflugerville are underway. Crews widened the roadway west of Falcon Pointe Boulevard as part of Phase 1. For Phase 2 construction, which voters approved as part of a 2018 bond election and is slated to begin in spring 2022, workers will widen the two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided section from Falcon Point to just east of Moorlynch Avenue. City information states Phase 2 will
ROUNDABOUT
KELLY LANE PARK
FALCON POINTE BLVD.
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF FEB. 1. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT PFHNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
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PFLUGERVILLE - HUTTO EDITION • FEBRUARY 2022
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