AUSTIN | Transportation Updates - Page 305

lzppjb · #**6081** Posted **Dec 6, 2018, 3:18 AM**

I've been unable to find any sort of renderings or plans for the Westgate Transit Center they're putting in underneath Ben White Blvd @ Manchaca Road. Has anyone seen anything they can share? Just curious about it.

nixcity · #**6082** Posted **Dec 6, 2018, 3:20 AM**

^Was just looking at this. The changes are amazing, this looks like a vision that meets the worth of our city. Red line extended to Republic Square would be incredible. So much will hinge on how they sell this to the voters over the next 2 years and what the economy is like come November 2020.

Jdawgboy · #**6083** Posted **Dec 6, 2018, 3:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lzppjb

I've been unable to find any sort of renderings or plans for the Westgate Transit Center they're putting in underneath Ben White Blvd @ Manchaca Road. Has anyone seen anything they can share? Just curious about it.

It's been torn up under the bridges and looks like they are working on drainage and other stuff but not a whole lot to look at yet. I think it's a bit weird to call it the Westgate Transit Center when it's next to Manchaca Rd not Westgate. In fact it's about a half mile away from Westgate Blvd.

lzppjb · #**6084** Posted **Dec 6, 2018, 4:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

It's been torn up under the bridges and looks like they are working on drainage and other stuff but not a whole lot to look at yet. I think it's a bit weird to call it the Westgate Transit Center when it's next to Manchaca Rd not Westgate. In fact it's about a half mile away from Westgate Blvd.

Yeah, I was hoping for an artist's vision of the finished project. And I agree about the name. They call it that because it's close to all the lines that come to the old Westgate Mall area.

jordanatx · #**6085** Posted **Dec 7, 2018, 4:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lzppjb

I've been unable to find any sort of renderings or plans for the Westgate Transit Center they're putting in underneath Ben White Blvd @ Manchaca Road. Has anyone seen anything they can share? Just curious about it.

Not a ton of info, but a couple pictures and a little more info starting on page 71 here: https://www.capmetro.org/uploadedFil...t-Redacted.pdf

urbancore · #**6086** Posted **Dec 7, 2018, 5:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jordanatx

Not a ton of info, but a couple pictures and a little more info starting on page 71 here: https://www.capmetro.org/uploadedFil...t-Redacted.pdf

That “existing” photo is hilarious. It’s missing all the homeless camps.

StoOgE · #**6087** Posted **Dec 7, 2018, 10:07 PM**

Going all out with this one guys.

lzppjb · #**6088** Posted **Dec 9, 2018, 3:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jordanatx

Not a ton of info, but a couple pictures and a little more info starting on page 71 here: https://www.capmetro.org/uploadedFil...t-Redacted.pdf

Thanks!

atxsnail · #**6089** Posted **Jan 29, 2019, 3:53 PM**

CapMetro made some adjustments to the new Downtown Station for the Red Line. They reduced some decorative elements, removed (temporarily) some fairly large ticket booth structures, and removed two of the seven shade canopies. They also removed a section of track, but it's hard to see from the renders where or why.

The ticket kiosks were probably unnecessarily grand considering the limited scope of the Red Line. The shade structures will probably be missed however.

Notated Renders
http://www.austinmonitor.com/wp-cont...rkups_flat.pdf

Board Meeting Doc
https://capmetro.org/uploadedFiles/N...nda-Packet.pdf

GoldenBoot · #**6090** Posted **Jan 29, 2019, 6:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by atxsnail

CapMetro made some adjustments to the new Downtown Station for the Red Line. They reduced some decorative elements, removed (temporarily) some fairly large ticket booth structures, and removed two of the seven shade canopies. They also removed a section of track, but it's hard to see from the renders where or why.

The ticket kiosks were probably unnecessarily grand considering the limited scope of the Red Line. The shade structures will probably be missed however.

WOW! This went from a really respectable (borderline "cool") design to a really sh**ty one! Has the budget for this project changed (decreased significantly)?

freerover · #**6091** Posted **Jan 29, 2019, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by atxsnail

They also removed a section of track, but it's hard to see from the renders where or why.

Management Input to improve pedestrian safety.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

WOW! This went from a really respectable (borderline "cool") design to a really sh**ty one! Has the budget for this project changed (decreased significantly)?

Costs cuts due to contractor bids higher than expected due to skilled labour shortage, price of steel due to tariffs, other material costs. This is hitting other transit agencies and civic projects across the US.

-Groundbreaking in March for the downtown station! Really great news along with expectation that all city permits will be in by next month.

-Also, Cap Metro is in the process of getting Engineering firms to work on the main Project Connect corridors. The Orange (N. Lamar/S.Congress) line already has responses and the request for the Blue (Riverside) line will go out in mid feb. Really great news and it'll help ensure people know what they are voting on in 2020.

Also looks like Cap Metro is pursuing the transit lane on the S. 1st bridge with the city which would make a HUGE difference especially considering how critical the new #20 is. Previous sketches added bus only lanes to the bridge with a center reversible lane so private autos have 3 lanes into downtown in the morning and 3 lanes out of downtown in the evening.

Slyfox · #**6092** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 4:45 AM**

Thought this was pretty cool and good for Austin.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190...ange-challenge

"Thanks to ambitious goals, Austin wins Bloomberg climate change challenge"

"Citing Austin’s aggressive environmental goals, which include making municipal operations carbon neutral by 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies on Friday announced that the Texas capital has won a national climate change challenge. The honor means Austin will join a two-year accelerator program that will give the city access to as much as $2.5 million in technical assistance and support."

"Austin officials plan to use the help from Bloomberg to achieve several goals, including working with local car dealerships to increase electric vehicle sales; advancing incentive programs to encourage sustainable commuting; performing energy efficiency retrofits and retro-commissioning in municipal buildings with high energy use; increasing Austin Energy commercial rebate program participation; and implementing new parking management and pricing programs to reduce vehicle emissions."

It would be great if they expand Austin's charging station infrastructure to encourage more EV's.

GoldenBoot · #**6093** Posted **Feb 17, 2019, 10:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyfox

Thought this was pretty cool and good for Austin.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190...ange-challenge

"Thanks to ambitious goals, Austin wins Bloomberg climate change challenge"

"Citing Austin’s aggressive environmental goals, which include making municipal operations carbon neutral by 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies on Friday announced that the Texas capital has won a national climate change challenge. The honor means Austin will join a two-year accelerator program that will give the city access to as much as $2.5 million in technical assistance and support."

"Austin officials plan to use the help from Bloomberg to achieve several goals, including working with local car dealerships to increase electric vehicle sales; advancing incentive programs to encourage sustainable commuting; performing energy efficiency retrofits and retro-commissioning in municipal buildings with high energy use; increasing Austin Energy commercial rebate program participation; and implementing new parking management and pricing programs to reduce vehicle emissions."

It would be great if they expand Austin's charging station infrastructure to encourage more EV's.

"Access to as much as" $2.5 million? What a joke.

Want to encourage more EV's? Bring down their price & increase their range. Size would be great too...you can't fit a family of five comfortably in one.

drummer · #**6094** Posted **Feb 19, 2019, 2:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

"Access to as much as" $2.5 million? What a joke.

Want to encourage more EV's? Bring down their price & increase their range. Size would be great too...you can't fit a family of five comfortably in one.

We're about to be a family of five and have to get a larger vehicle. I never really thought about how much room is actually needed for a family of five. We have a five-seater sedan right now and it simply isn't large enough (for three car seats since we'll have three kids three and under). Pray for us.

We're still a one-car family as I either bike or ride a motorbike when I'm on my own. I think it's tough in the US due to a combination of habits and infrastructure, but large families indeed have it tough in any case.

freerover · #**6095** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 6:15 PM**

Looks like the 183 North project is back on track and has its funding. I know everyone is expecting a giant shit of a project but as someone who lives on the east side, I can say that CTRMA has done a really good job with the 183 East project which is a pretty big undertaking.

Tolls suck but the project adds a free lane for traffic, an express lane for buses and emergency vehicles and a way to beat traffic if you're late or if you aren't a daily commuter and don't mind paying the toll for 1 day. It also adds direct connectors from Mopac so people don't have to exit that express lane and Nascar across mopac to get to the 183 exit lane.

StoOgE · #**6096** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 7:31 PM**

I see TXDot is still on their 1970s California freeway game.

urbancore · #**6097** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 7:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I see TXDot is still on their 1970s California freeway game.

word..zero lessons learned from the Katy Freeway

wwmiv · #**6098** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 8:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbancore

word..zero lessons learned from the Katy Freeway

This is an unproven theory with plenty of counterpoints in the relevant data. Plenty of researchers in this area disagree with his conclusions, and argue that reality is substantially more complicated and whatever effect exists is contingent upon other factors (IE there’s what’s called, in statistics, either an interactive or mediated relationship with one or more other variables).

freerover · #**6099** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 8:26 PM**

Cap Metro approved the contract for the new Downtown Train station. Construction starts after SXSW.

Trains will be stopped at Plaza Saltillo Station for 5 months from June 2019 to October 2019. They'll be a shuttle to ferry riders to and from the station.

urbancore · #**6100** Posted **Feb 25, 2019, 9:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

This is an unproven theory with plenty of counterpoints in the relevant data. Plenty of researchers in this area disagree with his conclusions, and argue that reality is substantially more complicated and whatever effect exists is contingent upon other factors (IE there’s what’s called, in statistics, either an interactive or mediated relationship with one or more other variables).

Certainly it’s more complicated........but the results are clear. More lanes = more traffic.