AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[M1EK]

Express bus just means fewer stops - it may or may not include HOV service. In this case, the 98x-series buses run on Mopac/183, which, although choked with traffic, is still faster than the "local", i.e. the #3 or #383, which has to go through a lot of traffic lights too.

The express bus service on that corridor will still be a bit faster than the commuter rail + shuttle bus trip even when traffic gets a lot worse - people are underestimating how far out of the way the train takes you, and how long it's going to take to transfer to the shuttle and ride it back into 'town'. The shuttle, additionally, is a 'local', meaning lots of stops (many more than the 98x series have near UT and downtown - for instance).

[ATXboom]

http://www.statesman.com/business/co...crestview.html

Crestview Station breaks ground Friday
First phase of transit-oriented development to have apartments, retail and office

By M.B. Taboada

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Construction on the first phase of Crestview Station, which promises to transform an old industrial site into one of Austin's biggest transit-oriented developments, will begin Friday.

The entire 73-acre, mixed-use project will be on a previously contaminated site in the North Austin neighborhood that requiredmore than 18 months and $5.5 million of environmental cleanup efforts before construction could begin.


JAMES HARTWICK AND PARTNERS INC.

(enlarge photo)
The first phase of a 73-acre, mixed-use development planned for North Austin will have live/work spaces, at left in rendering, as well as buildings for office and retail establishments.


JAMES HARTWICK AND PARTNERS INC.

(enlarge photo)
A rendering shows what the view will be down St. Johns Avenue from North Lamar Boulevard in the Crestview development. Completion of the development will take five to seven years.



(enlarge photo)


The $100 million project, which will be on the Capital Metro commuter rail line that is scheduled to start service this year, is expected to bring housing and retail and office spaceto the neighborhood.

On Friday, developers Stratus Properties Inc. and Trammell Crow Co. received the site development permit from the city. A month ago, they began digging a three-acre retention pond under another permit.

"The Crestview project will be a catalyst for redevelopment in this area," said Eric DeJernett, senior vice president and a Crestview project coordinator for Trammell Crow. "It's going to change the landscape in that part of town and create a lot of excitement for that area."

It will be the first big transit-oriented development on the rail line and will be well under way by the time the station opens in the fall. The site is bordered by North Lamar Boulevard and Morrow Street.

High Street Residential, a Trammell Crow subsidiary, will develop the first phase, Midtown Commons at Crestview, about 20 acres that wraps around the train station and includes 340 apartments. The first phase also will include 32,000 square feet of retail space and 32,000 square feet of office space. The retail section will include restaurants, shops and possibly a small grocery store, but developers have not begun signing tenants.

The apartments will have an average of 850 square feet. Studios will have 550 square feet, and two-bedroom unitswill have up to 900 square feet. Rents will average about $1.50 per square foot, or $1,125 for a 750-square-foot apartment.

"It's a true village," said Art Lomenick, managing director of Trammell Crow Co. and High Street Residential. "To have 70 acres to craft into an urban village is pretty unique to in-town Austin."

The company can build up to 900 more units in two or three more phases, which will probably include townhomes, duplexes, fourplexes and condominiums.

The second phase of the project, which will include 450 single-family homes, may begin in six months, and some of the homes may be ready as early as March 2009. Completion of the development will take five to seven years.

Austin Energy plans to purchase a two-acre site on the northern end of the tract to build a utility substation.

Within transit-oriented developments,"it'simportant to have a lot of density and mix of products and prices," said Stratus chief executive Beau Armstrong. "We worked hard to come up with that mix, and I think we've done it."

Originally, two national builders expressed interest in developing the single-family home project, but the housing slowdown has led to a change in plans. Stratus now plans to be the developer and sell lots to two or three builders, Armstrong said. Home prices will start in the mid-$200,000s.

The environmental cleanup of the Crestview site was completed last year by Weston Solutions Inc. The company was hired to demolish the buildings that were once occupied by a Huntsman Corp. research facility and to clean up the site. Huntsman, which was on the site from 1949 to 2005, tested products that went into detergent, soap and foam. After the cleanup, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last year approved residential use of the site.

[email protected]; 912-2942

[JAM]

Here are links and photo's to story above. Is this considered true TOD? It looks like an interesting development.

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/01/30//0130crestview.html


The first phase of a 73-acre, mixed-use development planned for North Austin will have live/work spaces, at left in rendering, as well as buildings for office and retail establishments.


A rendering shows what the view will be down St. Johns Avenue from North Lamar Boulevard in the Crestview development. Completion of the development will take five to seven years.

[M1EK]

It doesn't pass most of the tests for true TOD - the most obvious of which is that it requires high-quality rail transit (commuter rail doesn't qualify because it doesn't run frequently enough and doesn't go anywhere directly without a bus transfer on the other end).

Here's a crackplog I wrote months ago about this particular development, and the "T" part of "TOD"

[JAM]

Originally Posted by M1EK

It doesn't pass most of the tests for true TOD - the most obvious of which is that it requires high-quality rail transit (commuter rail doesn't qualify because it doesn't run frequently enough and doesn't go anywhere directly without a bus transfer on the other end).

I guess I can see that. If a small bakery wanted to open up to serve breakfast to the morning rail riders, and other treats for riders that came thru all day long, they might not be able to pay rent due to the low volume of people coming thru. However, it still is transit, so I guess, technically they can use the word. Is there some sort of federal money involved that drives Austin to use the words TOD?

[M1EK]

Well, it degrades the "brand" of TOD to the point where it's meaningless - consider the complaints about "transit-adjacent development". More characteristics of TOD, paraphrased from VTPI:

1. It should be as convenient, or MORE convenient, to use transit compared to driving. This is critical - the walk to the transit should be quick and pleasant; the walk to the car can't be easier.

2. Transit service needs to be as cheap, or MORE CHEAP, than driving and parking. Ideally, people who move there and don't have cars would pay the same or less than people who drive every day (this is an ideal that rarely happens, at least for now).

3. The transit service should allow for more density than the non-near-transit competition in the same general area. If the development's only building to a density which could be supported by nothing but cars and buses a few blocks away, it's not TOD.

More here; scroll down just a bit to "Is It Really TOD?"

[arbeiter]

I mean it's transit-oriented, as in the development is oriented physically around the transit, but the actual transit itself is basically about as useful as a tourist trolley.

[M1EK]

that's what some are now derisively calling "transit-adjacent development"

[ATXboom]

AUSTIN AIR TRAVEL

Indianapolis joins growing list of nonstop destinations from Austin
Travelers will be able to fly nonstop to 43 cities outside of Texas.
Click-2-Listen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Thursday, February 07, 2008

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is adding nonstop flights at a record pace, with seven so far coming in 2008.

On Wednesday, Northwest Airlines said it would start nonstop flights to Indianapolis on May 2.

By summer, Central Texans will be able to fly nonstop to 43 cities outside of Texas, including three in Mexico and one in Canada.

Nonstop service is more than a convenience for leisure travelers. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce says it's a top issue in recruiting companies because executives want to know they can easily travel to regional offices in other states.

Northwest will offer one flight daily to Indianapolis, through its Pinnacle Airlines partner, on 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ 200 jets.

Nonstop service to most of the new destinations will begin in May; Southwest's service to Philadelphia starts March 17.

[Mikey711MN]

You can add Charlotte to the ever-growing list of nonstop destinations from AUS. US Airways will fly the route 2x daily on CRJ-900 equipment starting 5/4.

(as confirmed here)

[ATXboom]

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/

Impressive... inching our way to almost 50 nonstop destinations outside TX!

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/

Impressive... inching our way to almost 50 nonstop destinations outside TX!

For reference, here's the list of every domestic market from Austin excluding Alaska and Hawaii that sees at least 20 passengers per day according to DOT's Consumer Air Fare Report (Table 6) from 2Q 2007 (latest data available) Cities in bold have, or will have nonstop service by mid-May.

Austin, TX (AUS) to:

DFW - 190 miles - 1605 daily passengers - (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (Love Field & DFW)
NYC - 1522 miles - 1211 daily passengers - (New York City, NY (JFK) & Newark, NJ (EWR)
CHI - 978 miles - 879 daily passengers - (Chicago, IL (O'Hare & Midway)
LAX - 1242 miles - 812 daily passengers - (Los Angeles, CA)
SJC - 1476 miles - 655 daily passengers - (San Jose, CA)
LAS - 1090 miles - 647 daily passengers - (Las Vegas, NV)
HOU - 148 miles - 590 daily passengers - (Houston, TX (IAH & HOU)
DEN - 775 miles - 575 daily passengers - (Denver, CO)
PHX - 872 miles - 503 daily passengers - (Phoenix, AZ)
WAS - 1316 miles - 476 daily passengers - (Washington, DC (DCA) & Dulles, VA (IAD)
ELP - 528 miles - 419 daily passengers - (El Paso, TX)
BWI - 1342 miles - 446 daily passengers - (Baltimore, MD)
BOS - 1698 miles - 412 daily passengers - (Boston, MA)
ATL - 813 miles - 384 daily passengers - (Atlanta, GA)
SEA - 1770 miles - 373 daily passengers - (Seattle, WA) seasonal service
SAN - 1164 miles - 370 daily passengers - (San Diego, CA)
MCO - 993 miles - 338 daily passengers - (Orlando, FL)
SFO - 1504 miles - 311 daily passengers - (San Francisco, CA)
BNA - 756 miles - 292 daily passengers - (Nashville, TN)
LBB - 341 miles - 288 daily passengers - (Lubbock, TX)
STL - 722 miles - 259 daily passengers - (St. Louis, MO)
MSP - 1042 miles - 256 daily passengers - (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)
PHL - 1430 miles - 235 daily passengers - (Philadelphia, PA)
RDU - 1162 miles - 221 daily passengers - (Raleigh/Durham, NC)
TPA - 928 miles - 211 daily passengers - (Tampa, FL)
HRL - 273 miles - 192 daily passengers - (Harlingen, TX)
PDX - 1715 miles - 186 daily passengers - (Portland, OR)
DTW - 1149 miles - 183 daily passengers - (Detroit, MI)
MAF - 294 miles - 177 daily passengers - (Midland/Odessa, TX)
ABQ - 619 miles - 174 daily passengers - (Albuquerque, NM)
MCI - 650 miles - 172 daily passengers - (Kansas City, MO)
FLL - 1105 miles - 168 daily passengers - (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
MSY - 445 miles - 166 daily passengers - (New Orleans, LA)
SNA - 1209 miles - 163 daily passengers - (Santa Ana, CA)
AMA - 419 miles - 159 daily passengers - (Amarillo, TX)
CLT - 1033 miles - 159 daily passengers - (Charlotte, NC)
IND - 920 miles - 157 daily passengers - (Indianapolis, IN)
SLC - 1085 miles - 155 daily passengers - (Salt Lake City, UT)
SMF - 1481 miles - 151 daily passengers - (Sacramento, CA)
OAK - 1497 miles - 144 daily passengers - (Oakland, CA)
TUL - 426 miles - 144 daily passengers - (Tulsa, OK)*
CMH - 1074 miles - 130 daily passengers - (Columbus, OH)
OKC - 358 miles - 122 daily passengers - (Oklahoma City, OK)
PIT - 1210 miles - 122 daily passengers - (Pittsburgh, PA)
LIT - 446 miles - 106 daily passengers - (Little Rock, AR)
RIC - 1271 miles - 103 daily passengers - (Richmond, VA)
ONT - 1197 miles - 100 daily passengers - (Ontario, CA)
BDL - 1607 miles - 93 daily passengers - (Hartford, CT)
RNO - 1475 miles - 79 daily passengers - (Reno, NV)
MIA - 1104 miles - 77 daily passengers - (Miami, FL)
BHM - 682 miles - 72 daily passengers - (Birmingham, AL)
CLE - 1174 miles - 67 daily passengers - (Cleveland, OH)
JAX - 954 miles - 67 daily passengers - (Jacksonville, FL)
BUR - 1241 miles - 66 daily passengers - (Burbank, CA)
ORF - 1319 miles - 64 daily passengers - (Norfolk, VA)
OMA - 772 miles - 64 daily passengers - (Omaha, NE)
PVD - 1663 miles - 63 daily passengers - (Providence, RI)
BUF - 1366 miles - 60 daily passengers - (Buffalo, NY)
ALB - 1577 miles - 58 daily passengers - (Albany, NY)
SDF - 876 miles - 57 daily passengers - (Louisville, KY)
MHT - 1692 miles - 53 daily passengers - (Manchester, NH)
COS - 716 miles - 52 daily passengers - (Colorado Springs, CO)
BOI - 1375 miles - 50 daily passengers - (Boise, ID)
SYR - 1486 miles - 50 daily passengers - (Syracuse, NY)
RSW - 1001 miles - 49 daily passengers - (Fort Myers, FL)
CVG - 958 miles - 49 daily passengers - (Cincinatti, OH)
PBI - 1096 miles - 49 daily passengers - (West Palm Beach, FL)
ROC - 1418 miles - 47 daily passengers - (Rochester, NY)
JAN - 472 miles - 45 daily passengers - (Jackson, MS)
MKE - 1032 miles - 45 daily passengers - (Milwaukee, WI)
GEG - 1600 miles 42 daily passengers - (Spokane, WA)
TUS - 797 miles - 41 daily passengers - (Tucson, AZ)
BTR - 390 miles - 36 daily passengers - (Baton Rouge, LA)
LEX - 922 miles - 35 daily passengers - (Lexington, KY)
BTV - 1660 miles - 34 daily passengers - (Burlington, VT)
PWM - 1764 miles - 34 daily passengers - (Portland, ME)
SAV - 984 miles - 34 daily passengers - (Savannah, GA)
XNA - 462 miles - 32 daily passengers - (North Arkansas Regional Airport, AR)
CHS - 1056 miles - 30 daily passengers - (Charleston, SC)
DSM - 813 miles - 30 daily passengers - (Des Moines, IA)
MFE - 279 miles - 30 daily passengers - (McAllen, TX)
MSN - 1004 miles - 29 daily passengers - (Madison, WI)
DAY - 1012 miles - 28 daily passengers - (Dayton, OH)
GSO - 1103 miles - 27 daily passengers - (Greensboro, NC)
CID - 872 miles - 27 daily passengers - (Cedar Rapids, IA)
BIL - 1227 miles - 25 daily passengers - (Billings, MT)
MEM - 559 miles - 25 daily passengers - (Memphis, TN)
FAT - 1348 miles - 23 daily passengers - (Fresno, CA)
ISP - 1559 miles - 23 daily passengers - (Islip/Long Island, NY)
GRR - 1103 miles - 22 daily passengers - (Grand Rapids, MI)
SBA - 1327 miles - 22 daily passengers - (Santa Barbara, CA)
SGS - 545 miles - 22 daily passengers - (Springfield/Branson, MO)
VPS - 648 miles - 21 daily passengers - (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
GSP - 957 miles - 21 daily passengers - (Greenville/Spartanburg, SC)
MDT - 1364 miles - 21 daily passengers - (Harrisburg, PA)
TYS - 882 miles - 21 daily passengers - (Knoxville, TN)
CRP - 167 miles 20 daily passengers - (Corpus Christi, TX)
HVL - 706 miles - 20 daily passengers - (Huntsville, AL)

*Expressjet current has nonstop service between Austin and Oklahoma City & Tulsa, but it will end sometime in April or May of 2007.

Nonstop International service to

Mexico City, Mexico - (MEX)
Monterrey, Mexico (MTY)
Cancun, Mexico, (CUN)
Toronto, Canada (YYZ)

[JAM]

Interesting that Dallas is over double Houston traffic. I guess it must be AA's presence here. I guess those are a lot of connecting flights.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by JAM

Interesting that Dallas is over double Houston traffic.

Historically, Dallas has always been the most popular destination out of AUS. Prior to 9/11, Houston was always the second most popular detination. After the 9/11 attacks and increased security times, local traffic between AUS-DAL and AUS-HOU dropped, because it was faster for some people to just drive. AUS-HOU suffered more than AUS-DAL, because AUS-HOU is only about 150 miles, while AUS-DAL is a bit longer - about 190 miles.

Originally Posted by JAM

I guess it must be AA's presence here. I guess those are a lot of connecting flights.

I'm not quite sure I understand what you're trying to say. I'd say it has more to do with Southwest's presence here.
In the AUS-HOU and AUS-DAL markets, Southwest carries approximately 80% of the passengers.

Connecting flights doesn't really have anything to do with the data I posted above.

Example: AUS-Dallas 1605 people per day. This is the average number of people per day who either start their trip in Austin and end their trip in Dallas or vice versa. (That's local traffic) The 1605 number does not include people who fly from AUS to DFW in order to change planes to continue on to somewhere else. (Connecting traffic)

[JAM]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

Historically, Dallas has always been the most popular destination out of AUS. Prior to 9/11, Houston was always the second most popular detination. After the 9/11 attacks and increased security times, local traffic between AUS-DAL and AUS-HOU dropped, because it was faster for some people to just drive. AUS-HOU suffered more than AUS-DAL, because AUS-HOU is only about 150 miles, while AUS-DAL is a bit longer - about 190 miles.

Not to mention the I-35 drive is a bit**. The drive to Houston is much more pleasant and there are two routes to take. Not to mention, no time tables to abide, security to pass, and you have a car when you arrive.

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

I'm not quite sure I understand what you're trying to say. I'd say it has more to do with Southwest's presence here.
In the AUS-HOU and AUS-DAL markets, Southwest carries approximately 80% of the passengers.

Connecting flights doesn't really have anything to do with the data I posted above.

Ahhh.. gotcha, I didn't see that specified in the post. Wow, that is really a big difference. Was guessing the diff was connecting flights and except for SWA, AA pretty much dominates AUS.

[Dale]

Question: I thought I'd read that BRT had been shelved. Yet, the Cap Metro website has work forging ahead and says that bids will be put out, for busses, late summer. Is this outdated info then ?

[M1EK]

Depends on where on the CM site you see this. A lot of the ASG stuff hasn't been updated since before the election.

1. It's not BRT; it's "Rapid Bus". BRT even in the assy form it ends up as in this country has to have a bit more than a signal-change doodad.

2. By "shelved" I mean that our councilmembers on CM's board put the kibosh on the bids for vehicles in September 2006, making some of the same points I make about how it was an awful lot of money to spend for a tarted up #101. The Statesman article has aged out; I should have saved it; I crackplogged about it at the time.

[tildahat]

Here's the response I got from Cap Metro in January. I think it's probably best to shelve it in the big picture, though it might improve my commute. (Of course just aligning the 101 with the proposed Rapid Bus stops and route would do 80-95% of the improvement without spending the extra money.)


------------------
Thank you for contacting us regarding Capital Metro services; it is concerns from customers like you who assist us in gauging transit interest in our region.



MetroRapid remains an integral part of our All Systems Go plan. As you may know, MetroRapid service is a new hybrid train like 60 foot articulated high-tech bus that “talk” to traffic signals, shortening bus travel times by as much as 20 percent. Our newest transit transfer center facility (scheduled to open in late 2008) at South Congress/Ben White will include dedicated bays for future MetroRapid-North Lamar/South Congress and MetroRapid-Ben White service. It is an important part of the community’s vision for future transit and a critical component of a comprehensive transit system for this region.



The initial MetroRapid route from Tech Ridge on the north to the Slaughter/I-35 area on the south remains our top priority for the service. As a result of strong interest in new and enhanced transit services in the region, the agency is currently reassessing its long-term financial capacity. This work is being conducted to ensure that we are able to not only develop, but also deliver new services in a sustainable manner. This work is underway now and expected to be complete later this year. While this work has affected progress on MetroRapid, it is critical for the long-term health of the agency. Once this financial work is complete, we anticipate a green light to move the MetroRapid program forward as quickly as possible, with service initiation expected shortly after receiving delivery of a fleet of sleek and advanced technology vehicles necessary for operation. To address your specific question regarding when this project will be available for service, a reasonable timeframe for service start-up is early 2010.



Strategic planning work continues to develop MetroRapid services on other promising corridors such as Riverside Drive, US 290 West to the Y at Oak Hill; East 7th Street to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport; MLK/Manor Road; and the far South Austin areas like Manchaca. We also continue to work with local jurisdictions and the development community to track new development as it may affect future MetroRapid routes and to encourage transit-friendly development along MetroRapid corridors. As we continue to move forward with our Facility Development Plans (as part of ASG) all facility designs continue to reflect the incorporation of MetroRapid services.



Express and Local bus service is the core of Capital Metro’s public transit system. Both services are expanding as part of the long range transit plan to address the transportation needs of the fastest growing areas of our community such as far South/Southwest Austin.



Thank you again for your interest, we hope you will continue to be a regular Capital Metro customer. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Gerardo







Gerardo Castillo

Manager, Community Involvement

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

[email protected]






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 1:49 PM
To: Allsystemsgo
Subject: Rapid Bus



During the election for All Systems Go! the rapid bus was scheduled to start in 2007. It is now 2008. When will Rapid Bus service be starting?



Thanks.

[M1EK]

McCracken and Leffingwell basically made it clear to CM that there would be no "green light" under current conditions (they weren't going to get any Federal funding; and TOD benefits for the community from Rapid Bus are zero). So take that comment with a grain of salt.

[ATXboom]

http://www.statesman.com/business/co...2/nonstop.html


Pretty cool interactive map of all the ABIA destinations


AMERICAN-STATESMAN

More nonstop flights are coming onboard for Austin, with JetBlue Airways Corp. adding three destinations beginning May 1. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will become the connecting airport for JetBlue's Florida travelers flying to the West Coast. Austin has gained nine nonstop destinations outside of Texas in the past year, helping raise the city's profile as a travel center and