TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
Initial Project Connect light rail route approved by officials
ONGOING PROJECTS
RAIL REVISION The city of Austin, Austin Transit Partnership and Capital Metro officials approved a revised light rail plan.
183
ANGUS RD.
183
BALCONES WOODS DR. RESEARCH BLVD.
BY BEN THOMPSON
Austin City Council, the Austin Transit Partnership board and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Author- ity board signed off on a revised plan for Project Connect’s initial light rail lines this spring. The board of the ATP, the entity created in 2020 to manage Project Connect’s rollout, accepted the plans May 24 while council and CapMetro leaders voted in early June. The action clears the way for final development of the transit system outline. “The approval of the Austin light rail implementation plan is a huge step toward getting us to the day when we can start building,” Mayor Kirk Watson said June 1. The inaugural light rail network local leaders have now accepted is scaled back from the version presented to Austinites in 2020. It includes fewer stations, only one lake crossing, no downtown subway and miles less track overall. It will cover about 10 miles at street level with 15 stations between 38th Street to the north, Yellow Jacket Lane to the east and Oltorf Street to the south. The initial investment is expected to cost between $4.5 billion and $4.8 billion sourced from local tax collections and anticipated federal funding. If more funds become available in Phase 1, rail lines could stretch to the Crestview area and the airport.
AIRPORT BLVD.
Phase 1
N
Future extension Phase 1 priority extension
183 North Mobility Project expansion Work on the 183 North project includes temporary road closures to accommodate construction. Through July 31, the right lane of the north- bound US 183 frontage road will be closed 24 hours a day between Bal- cones Woods Drive and Angus Road. Timeline: January 2022-2026 Cost: $612 million Funding sources: Texas Department of Transportation, Central Texas Re- gional Mobility Authority
35
GUADALUPE ST.
183
S. CONGRESS AVE.
COLORADO RIVER
E. BRAKER LN.
PLEASANT VALLEY RD.
35
290
MONTOPOLIS DR.
130 TOLL
71
YELLOW JACKET LN.
290
183
N
DAFFAN LN.
N
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF JUNE 14. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT NNWNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. Funding sources: city of Austin 2016 and 2020 mobility bonds, federal funds Walnut Creek Trail extension U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett announced May 19 that he secured $5 million in federal funding for the Walnut Creek Trail extension to help complete a 3.5- mile gap from Southern Walnut Creek Trail to Braker Lane. Once complete, Walnut Creek Trail will span 19 miles from East to North Austin. Timeline: total trail completion TBD Cost: total trail cost TBD
Mobility Authority budget plans for growth, improvements in FY 2023-24
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
DRAFT BUDGET
years runs from July 1 to June 30. Some projects in the draft capital budget include $28.4 million for the capital budget for toll violation mitigation equipment and a future Mobility Authority headquarters, and $34.4 million for preliminary design or environmental work for future capital improvement projects. The board is expected to vote on the budget during its next meeting June 28, after press time.
Equipment enhancements, traffic studies and planning for projects are among the items on the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s draft fiscal year 2023-24 budget. The Mobility Authority’s board of directors received a presentation on the FY 2023-24 budget draft during its meeting May 31 from Mobility Authority Executive Director James Bass. The Mobility Authority’s fiscal
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is looking at several items for its fiscal year 2023-24 budget. new building $28.4M Future project designs $34.4M Toll violation equipment,
$10.7M
Toll system replacement
$7.3M
Ongoing projects
SOURCE: CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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NORTH - NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • JUNE 2023
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