AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[gillynova]

Man, been WAITING on this one as my best friends live over there, and I trek to West Texas for my gf's family often

[freerover]

Originally Posted by randalls

The giant "Y" overpass where 290 meets 71 in Oak Hill (aka the "Oak Hill Parkway") is on schedule to finish this year. All lanes will open to and from Dripping Springs starting in the summer. Then final clean up. This one is a game changer for SW Austin:

https://mailchi.mp/fb95c49466f8/oak-...8?e=069faf2313

It'll be funny to see how people react getting through the Y so fast and then slamming into worse traffic on 71 and Mopac as more cars hit it per minute than before the project. I generally loath highway projects but the mopac south toll lane project is smart and should help a bit.

In the end, all we are doing is increasing the amount of cars on Austin streets which is bad for everyone but Texas gonna Texas.

[randalls]

Yeah, this will be especially freeing for folks coming from Austin out to 290 West. They way they built it, you'll be on an open freeway, blending into the open rural areas west of town. No traffic lights until you get all the way out to Fitzhugh Rd.

Originally Posted by gillynova

Man, been WAITING on this one as my best friends live over there, and I trek to West Texas for my gf's family often

[Urbannizer]

$60 million contract for Austin Light Rail’s 1st phase approved by ATP board

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A multi-million dollar design-build contract for the first phase of Austin’s first light rail system was approved on Wednesday.

Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the local government corporation in charge of Austin’s light rail system, selected Austin Rail Constructors as the contractor for Austin Light Rail.

ATP’s Board unanimously approved the $60 million contract for Austin Rail Constructors (ARC), which is a joint venture between Stacy and Witbeck Inc. and Sundt Construction Inc.

ARC will coordinate and execute the design and construction of “nearly every aspect of the system, including the transitway, tracks, systems, stations, bridges, traffic signals, utilities, drainage structures and streetscape improvements,” according to a press release from ATP.

Wednesday’s contract approval means ATP may begin pre-construction activities and finalize the design for the first phase of what is anticipated to be a multibillion-dollar, multi-phase project for Austin Light Rail.

“This is a big, important milestone for Austin Light Rail,” ATP CEO Greg Canally said. “ATP is highly focused on delivering this much needed mobility investment for Austin, and with this contract now in place, we are on track to begin construction in 2027.

Austin’s first light rail system will feature 15 stations along a nearly 10-mile stretch and consist of all-electric trains running every 5–10 minutes throughout most of the day. Austin Light Rail will be designed to be expandable for future extensions.

[homebucket]

Very nice. Hopefully more of this. What is the projected ridership for this first phase?

[freerover]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Very nice. Hopefully more of this. What is the projected ridership for this first phase?

They have 3 major RFPs that have already been through RFIs last year. They have run everything like professionals and got very high marks from the feds. The big thing is the lawsuit against Ken Paxton and how that will work out.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Very nice. Hopefully more of this. What is the projected ridership for this first phase?

Daily Ridership Projected: 28,500 – 29,900

[Urbannizer]

https://downtownaustin.com/getting-a...ation-impacts/

Northbound traffic on Congress Avenue will see an outside lane closure, reducing travel to one lane
Westbound traffic on Cesar Chavez Street will see an outside lane closure, reducing travel to two lanes
The southbound, left turn lane on Congress Avenue will be closed. Left-hand turns from southbound Congress Avenue lanes onto eastbound Cesar Chavez lanes will be prohibited. Use detour at 2nd Street.
Travel in all directions will remain open.
Pedestrian detours will be in place, but access will remain

Alternate Routes:
Northbound Access on Congress Avenue: S. Mopac, S. Lamar, S. 1st, I-35
Left-hand turn from southbound Congress Avenue to eastbound Cesar Chavez: 2nd Street Detour

[Urbannizer]

[gillynova]

^^ Ahh, I was wondering what's going on there

[Urbannizer]

I-35 Pedestrian Walkway

[Urbannizer]

North Burnet/Uptown ATX Station

[atxsnail]

Capmetro's blog has a pretty long list of capital project status updates with some new pictures:
https://waypointblog.com/evolving-ce...ojects-update/

[Urbannizer]

TxDOT tells Austin to sign boardwalk deal or lose $25 million

The Texas Department of Transportation has told the city of Austin it must accept a proposed funding agreement for a $25 million boardwalk along Lady Bird Lake, or risk losing the project altogether.

The boardwalk would replace a narrow stretch of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, in front of the Hyatt Regency between South First Street and South Congress Avenue. When it rains, puddles narrow the path even further.

In a letter to Mayor Kirk Watson dated Feb. 5, TxDOT said it will remove the boardwalk from its environmental approval for the I-35 expansion if City Council does not accept the agency's proposed advanced funding agreement.

"The city can sign the AFA for the boardwalk or decline it," TxDOT engineer Tucker Ferguson wrote.

The boardwalk proposal was unveiled in 2023 as part of a package of measures to soften the blow of the I-35 Capital Express Central project.

This "proposed concept plan" for the boardwalk was developed by the Trail Conservancy with the developer of One Lady Bird Lake, New York City-based Related Companies. The Trail Conservancy shared this graphic with TxDOT's Austin district in May 2023, saying it was greatly needed and would be between 650- and 700-feet-long.

[Echostatic]

Are these Broadmoor station renderings new? Found them on that CapMetro blog post.

[The ATX]

I don't know. But those office buildings along the track were canned years ago.

[Urbannizer]

They were released before construction began.

[Urbannizer]

https://publicinput.com/n73647

Construction is beginning next week between Koenig Lane and MoPac Expressway, marking the next phase of safety, mobility, drainage, and connectivity improvements along Burnet Road. Two sets of crews will work simultaneously along the corridor; the first is expected to begin construction on Monday, March 2, 2026, north of Koenig Lane. The second team will begin work just south of Braker Lane on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The crews will work toward US-183 throughout the rest of 2026.

ADA‑compliant curb ramps to improve accessibility
Shared‑use paths for safer walking and biking
Installation of two crosswalk signals (Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, or PHBs) to support safer crossings
Traffic signal upgrades
Drainage improvements
Realignment of Burnet Lane at Burnet Road to improve safety and traffic operations

[Urbannizer]

Congress Ave Improvements

Raised bike lane.

[ROCrot]

Mopac South Express Lanes Project Public Hearing, March 9, 2026 - May 3, 2026. Option 2C is being put forward as the recommended build alternative.

Public Hearing Info, including slide decks and URLs pointing to supporting materials:
http://ph.mopacsouth.com/

CTRMA YouTube Flythrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukEkqo_6ZU0

Construction is expected to take 36 months, but there is no indication when construction would actually begin, as there are a few steps left in the process before the plan can proceed further. Perhaps we can guess that construction would start sometime in 2027, 2028, or 2029? That means it would open sometime in 2030-2032.

Anyone want to wager on whether Bill Bunch from the SOS Alliance will try to put a wrench in the works in an attempt to regain relevance, but only slow down the project with lawsuits and court cases, resulting in more years of wasted time, continued congestion, and air pollution from traffic standstills?