TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES $150million in transit projects set to start in 2022
ONGOING PROJECTS
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BY BEN THOMPSON
CENTRAL AUSTINMOBILITY BOND PROJECTS A series of projects, including intersection improvements and upgrading tra c signals, on Burnet Road—estimated to cost $2.6 million—and Airport Boulevard— estimated at $12.2 million—are set to begin.
The Austin Corridor Program O ce continues to make progress on the nearly $500 million in transportation upgrades it is overseeing following passage of the city’s 2016 mobility bond, with around $150 million in safety and other transportation proj- ects expected to get o the ground in 2022. This year’s planned work along nine segments of the city’s major arterials, such as North Lamar Boulevard, Airport Boulevard, Burnet Road and Riverside Drive, stems from the $482 million dedicated to corridors out of the total $720 million 2016 bond. Money has already gone toward intersection and tra c signal updates, new sidewalks and bicycle lanes, and other pathways. The cor- ridor o ce said it remains on track to have all bond-backed projects completed or underway by 2024. “We have over 20 critical safety and mobility improvements that we’ve already completed as part of this program. We will also be moving several of our larger design-bid-build projects into bid and construction this year,” Corridor Program O ce Director Mike Trimble told members of City Council’s Mobility Committee on March 10. “We are anticipating— between our [inde nite delivery/ inde nite quantity] work, signals, bike and [pedestrian] projects, and other projects—about $150 million worth of work will go to bid and construction this year. That will bring us to about half of our program in bid and construction by the end of calendar year [2022].” According to the corridor o ce,
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North Lamar improvements Austin Public Works crews start- ed construction on North Lamar Boulevard for a mill and overlay treatment—a preventive maintenance process that consists of grinding up existing asphalt, removing it and laying new pavement. This represents the rst stage of the project. A second phase from Koenig Lane to Justin Lane will begin later this year. Timeline: March 5-mid-April, 2022 Cost: $850,000 Funding source: Austin Public Works
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SOURCE: AUSTIN CORRIDOR PROGRAM OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
work on Airport Boulevard north of 55th Street as well as on Burnet between Koenig Lane and White Horse Trail will be the rst on tap in 2022. Trimble said awards for both projects will appear on council’s April 7 agenda for possible approval alongside a contract for general signal, bike and pedestrian updates on targeted corridors. “It’s a real credit to the team working on these projects that we’re able to say we’ll be delivering these projects in accordance with our eight-year goal,” Trimble said in a statement. “But at the end of the day, the community and the outcomes are the driving force behind what we’re doing, and we’re committed to delivering these improvements as soon as possible.” The work, mainly using 2016 bond
money, comes as the city also seeks to build up its mobility spending with support from the federal infrastructure package passed in 2021. Transporta- tion sta told council they are seeking millions of dollars for additional projects throughout the city as that funding is doled out nationwide. Among the largest projects, the city is eyeing to move on with federal backing is the Southeast Austin Connector, an expansion of the long- awaited Bergstrom Spur urban trail that would connect South Austin to the airport area along an abandoned rail line. Sta said the original spur project proposal also now includes improved connections to the Country Club Creek Trail and South Pleasant Valley Drive. An application for a $20 million federal match on the project is heading to council in April.
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Elroy Road A project to widen Elroy Road from a two-lane rural road to a ve-lane artery nished in March. The project also included construction of a bike lane and sidewalk in each direction. The road serves Del Valle schools and Circuit of The Americas. The project also addressed past ooding issues. Timeline: June 2020-March 2022
Estimated cost: $25.9 million Funding Source: 2017 bond
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MARCH 22. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT CTANEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
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CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • MARCH 2022
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