Billions of dollars to be spent on mass transit plan Project Connect
The Austin City Council and the two transit organizations implementing Project Connect are gearing up to make decisions about the design of two light rail lines that could shape the geography of Austin for generations.
Project Connect calls for two light rail lines in its first phase, and a third commuter rail line at a later stage, plus expansion of the bus system and the acquisition of an all-electric, zero-emissions bus fleet.
Planners have been working toward completion of a key milestone, the 30 percent design for the new Orange and Blue rail lines. They aim to hit that milestone in November, with final board approval in December, according to a timetable presented at a March 2nd work session of the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), a local government corporation.
After that it will become more difficult to change the plans without upending the timetable for construction. In early 2023, ATP will submit the plans to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for environmental vetting and evaluation for matching funds. ATP hopes for a final grant agreement by mid-2024.
That means that this year is really the last chance for community input on design choices that will be difficult or impossible to change later. In recent months, Project Connect’s outreach team has held community meetings to brief the public and solicit feedback on some of the tougher design choices—an effort that will intensify in the spring.
Among the decisions to be made, for example, is whether to dig an underpass for a rail station at Pleasant Valley and East Riverside, which would be better for pedestrians and traffic flow, or to use a lower-cost roundabout design. Another question is what the Blue Line bridge across Lady Bird Lake should look like. Should it be a standalone bridge for the train only, or does it make sense to include pedestrian and bus lanes too?
