AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

If a rail line is was bursting at the seams with passengers, and needing an expansion of service it would be considered a success.

How many miles of rail has DART up in Dallas built? Isn't it the most extensive light rail system in the US? How many billions of dollars have been spent? And how many people ride those trains?

Hundreds of thousands of cars cross the Colorado River on I-35 every single day. Spending $4.5 billion to upgrade it is reasonable.

Compare that to Project Connect's price tag of $7 billion. How many people do you think will cross the Colorado River on the train every day?

I-35 expansion is a much better use of taxpayer dollars if you look at it logically. That's not to say Project Connect is not a worthy endeavor, but it will never carry as many passengers as I-35. When considering that it will cost billions of more dollars to build, it is not the obvious choice if you had to choose.

Total traffic counts on I35 are a bit south of 200k, so not hundreds of thousands of cars.

How many people will cross the Colorado on the light rail? Infinitely more than cross it on rail today.

But how many more will cross it on I35 after billons of dollars of upgrades? TxDot claims ~0 additional drivers (their environmental impact statement said ~0 additional VMT).

Your cost estimates are also apples to oranges. The light rail is 5B in today's dollars (including 40% contingency), the 7B figure was future YOE dollars. The I35 cost hasn't been updated in years. It's pre-inflation. It will certainly be 10B+ in YOE dollars by the time it's through.

[ATX2030]

Hate to burst bubbles but Austin and ATP are in for some sleepless nights. The Administration will be reviewing all current and future Federal grants and funding for transportation projects. Would not be surprised one bit if the funding being requested by Austin and the ATP from the Feds to cover half of the 7.1 billion dollar price tag for Project Connect doesn't get awarded. Also would not be shocked if any current funding is reduce or canceled. Austin and ATP could fight it but they would assuredly get bogged down in a quagmire of Federal bureaucracy, red tape and litigation that will last for years.

Also, the city is already anticipating that the requested Federal funding for the cap and stitch project for 35 will not be awarded.

It doesn't help Austin's cause in D.C. when a former Austin city council member, who is also one of the two current U.S. Rep's for Austin, is one of the most vocal and ardent opponents of the current Administration.

For what it's worth I voted for light rail in 2020. I still support light rail as well as the 35 expansion and the cap and stitch project. However, after witnessing what has occurred in D.C. in just the last month, I am also acutely aware that there is a very real possibility that Federal funding is in serious jeopardy. If ATP had been further along, already turning dirt and laying track, I would not have this uneasy feeling. With construction not slated to begin until 2027 at the earliest it's not looking great.

[freerover]

I don’t think the grant decision is for another 2 years. It’s impossible to predict what’s going to be the situation at that point. The current trajectory seems unsustainable politically but we’ll see how it all shakes out.


A bill was also filed in the statehouse that would give the governor veto power over project connect. We’ll see how far that goes.

[chrisclark]

Originally Posted by Maximusx1

This response right here is why your side is losing everything. The entire concept of imposing your will because everyone else 'should have to' suffer is why you're losing. Keep it up and see what it gets you... more losing.

And you people love the 'one more lane bro' meme to make fun of highway expansion. But what is your plan? One less lane? Have you ever been in traffic and seriously thought one less lane is the answer to the problem in front of you? You just ignore the laws of fluid dynamics. That's why the poster above says your solutions don't exist in reality. They don't. Your solutions are memes. Grow up and join reality.

This is such projection. We want to end car-dependency, giving people more options and more freedom, not impose our will on others.

"Ignoring the laws of fluid dynamics"? Do you really believe car lanes are the most efficient way of transporting people?

[ATX2030]

Austin's new CapMetro Rapid lines debut this weekend with buses every 20 minutes

KUT 90.5 | By Nathan Bernier
Published February 21, 2025 at 5:07 AM CST

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-02-21/austin-texas-capmetro-rapid-lines-bus-transportation

Capital Metro is rolling out its long-awaited Rapid lines this weekend, but "rapid" for now will mean a 20- to 30-minute wait for the next bus.

Originally slated for 2023 with ambitious plans for an all-electric fleet, 10-minute frequency and end-of-line park and rides, the Rapid routes — formerly known as MetroRapid — will launch with reduced service and diesel vehicles instead of battery-powered.

Neither of the two park and rides is ready yet, so the routes will end at temporary stations nearby. Pleasant Valley Route 800, from southeast Austin to northeast Austin, will stop at the southeast corner of Slaughter Lane and Vertex Boulevard. The Expo Rapid Route 837 will have a temporary stop at the northwest corner of Loyola and Decker Lanes......

[AusTex]

Originally Posted by chrisclark

This is such projection. We want to end car-dependency, giving people more options and more freedom, not impose our will on others.

"Ignoring the laws of fluid dynamics"? Do you really believe car lanes are the most efficient way of transporting people?

Welcome chrisclark, member since Aug 2023 with your first post! Thanks.

[ATX2030]

$105M federal grant for Austin’s I-35 ‘cap and stitch’ project on shaky ground
by: Grace Reader

Posted: Feb 20, 2025 / 02:43 PM CST
Updated: Feb 20, 2025 / 06:56 PM CST

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/1...-cap-and-stitch-project-on-shaky-ground/

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Council members received several major transportation updates during its Mobility Committee meeting Thursday including how federal grants may be impacted by changes in federal leadership and a progress update on Austin’s light rail project.....

[gillynova]

Honestly, a lot of people who visit a city judges to see if there is a rail system connected to the airport and bringing them to the downtown core. We have nothing close to that but other successful cities, like SLC, SFO, Boston, Atlanta and many more do

My friends and I flew into Midway Chicago and LOVED that we could just walk to a train and go to downtown with such ease

LAX's new rail system is going to be HUGE and help alleviate all the traffic there once completed as well. We definitely need it here is Austin and it will be worth the time and money

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Honestly, a lot of people who visit a city judges to see if there is a rail system connected to the airport and bringing them to the downtown core. We have nothing close to that but other successful cities, like SLC, SFO, Boston, Atlanta and many more do

My friends and I flew into Midway Chicago and LOVED that we could just walk to a train and go to downtown with such ease

LAX's new rail system is going to be HUGE and help alleviate all the traffic there once completed as well. We definitely need it here is Austin and it will be worth the time and money

Agreed. What's the point of all this rapid growth in Austin if all y'alls are gonna do is keep expanding your sprawly highway system and autocentric infrastructure?

[drummer]

Not saying we need more highways, but I remember when we had painfully fewer highways and it was a nightmare.

I'm on the side of diversification - cars will never go away, but they can't be all that there is. Let's have a lot of different options - bikes, cars, taxis, rideshares, standard buses, BLT, street car, light rail, commuter rail, HSR to other metros - AND regional/long-haul flights at the airport.

For those in the R&D space, I would also like to float the idea of teleportation.

[papertowelroll]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Honestly, a lot of people who visit a city judges to see if there is a rail system connected to the airport and bringing them to the downtown core. We have nothing close to that but other successful cities, like SLC, SFO, Boston, Atlanta and many more do

My friends and I flew into Midway Chicago and LOVED that we could just walk to a train and go to downtown with such ease

LAX's new rail system is going to be HUGE and help alleviate all the traffic there once completed as well. We definitely need it here is Austin and it will be worth the time and money

What makes me laugh about this is that it is *faster* to get from ABIA to Downtown Austin via CapMetro than it is to get to Downtown Chicago from Midway via the orange line.

Ironically, Midway is the faster car trip and ABIA is the faster public transit trip.

I do very much want project connect but impressing tourists with an airport connection is not on my list of reasons why.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by papertowelroll

What makes me laugh about this is that it is *faster* to get from ABIA to Downtown Austin via CapMetro than it is to get to Downtown Chicago from Midway via the orange line.

Ironically, Midway is the faster car trip and ABIA is the faster public transit trip.

I do very much want project connect but impressing tourists with an airport connection is not on my list of reasons why.

I see your point but that's also at 9:30pm. Congestion-proof predictability would go a long way to improving the experience.

Not that transit is invulnerable: on my last trip to Chicago I got hit with the famous "unauthorized person on the tracks" delay on the orange line ride into the Loop. We sat for 30 minutes with the power off in mid July heat waiting for them to take care of that. I guess at least here with overhead wire they'd still keep the AC on.

[freerover]

I feel like this should be obvious but judging from twitter, it's not.

If you want a train to the airport, the soonest that could possibly happen is if this project connect plan is built and the planned extension is then added to the port. There is no possible 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 way that this plan dies and a new train plan to the airport materializes and opens before the PC airport extension opens.

[papertowelroll]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

I see your point but that's also at 9:30pm. Congestion-proof predictability would go a long way to improving the experience.

Not that transit is invulnerable: on my last trip to Chicago I got hit with the famous "unauthorized person on the tracks" delay on the orange line ride into the Loop. We sat for 30 minutes with the power off in mid July heat waiting for them to take care of that. I guess at least here with overhead wire they'd still keep the AC on.

I tried it just now at 4:45 PM and it came out to 40 minute, which matches Chicago exactly.

A train is a more comfortable ride, but it's a fairly minor difference. Even in Chicago one could take an uber and get a 3x faster trip. It's really just that in Austin your brain thinks of uber as the first and only option whereas in Chicago you think about trying transit.

The notion that the airport access is a particularly important goal for a rail system is just silly. Being useful for daily commutes from home to work is much more essential.

[Riverranchdrone]

Our highways are old. They need to be replaced and modernized. Will this help traffic? Not in the slightest. We need train options. Most likely double or triple on what ever is currently proposed. It should all be with in the inner loop. Not really effective to go any further. We need to increase density with in the inner loop. See Paris and Dallas core as examples. The trains will not help traffic but will have more of an impact on the community.

[ATX2030]

CapMetro's secret fight to fix a broken fare system

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-...austin-tx-broken-bus-fare-system-qr-code

KUT 90.5 | By Nathan Bernier
Published February 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM CST

For months, Capital Metro passengers knew something wasn't right.

The QR code scanners they used to pay fares with phones were unreliable, sometimes not working at all. Riders would often board without paying, flagged on by the driver to keep passengers moving.

"There's some issues with the QR codes. It could just be because it doesn't read it that well, or it just says it doesn't have anything on there," Shaye Jones told KUT News last month while waiting for the bus in South Austin. "The bus driver's usually just like, 'You're fine. Go ahead.'"

"They're a lot more forgiving about the QR code than maybe other bus passes," she said.

But few realized the full extent of the problem, and that for more than a month in 2024, the transit agency's entire fare system had effectively collapsed.

Now, internal documents obtained by KUT News through the Texas Public Information Act reveal just how severe the crisis was and how CapMetro was scrambling behind the scenes to fix it.

The fare system breakdown is tied to sweeping changes coming Saturday, when CapMetro will retire its existing payment system and require riders to use a new app to pay on a bus. A tap-to-pay feature, originally expected to launch with the transition, has now been delayed by at least a month due to certification delays......

[ATX2030]

Your ultimate guide to the I-35 expansion through Central Austin

KUT 90.5 | By Nathan Bernier
Published February 21, 2024 at 5:01 AM CST

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2024-...he-i-35-expansion-through-central-austin

Austin's I-35 — the spine of the region's roadway grid — is about to undergo the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. Brace yourself; construction could last a decade.

This time it's for real. The money — at least $4.5 billion — has been set aside. TxDOT is willing to draw from future road projects if it needs more cash. Road building companies will start bidding on contracts this spring. Construction is planned to kick off this summer unless a lawsuit stops it.

[sjk]

Regarding the South I-35 elevated lanes construction, I didn't get a chance to snap a photo but noticed today that there is now a segment with slats connecting them

[gillynova]

^ I drive it everyday! I think they've been there for a couple months but I can try to take a photo later today

[Riverranchdrone]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Honestly, a lot of people who visit a city judges to see if there is a rail system connected to the airport and bringing them to the downtown core. We have nothing close to that but other successful cities, like SLC, SFO, Boston, Atlanta and many more do

My friends and I flew into Midway Chicago and LOVED that we could just walk to a train and go to downtown with such ease

LAX's new rail system is going to be HUGE and help alleviate all the traffic there once completed as well. We definitely need it here is Austin and it will be worth the time and money

I agree with this statement. The only big city that I can think of that doesn't have a train to the airport in Las Vegas. That might have changed since its been over a decade since I have been there. When I drove for Lyft, the airport to downtown route was the most popular and profitable route. There are Uber and Lyft drivers coming from Houston that just drive people from the airport to downtown. Imagine all the cars that could be removed by having a train to the airport.