AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[electricron]

From http://www.mystatesman.com/news/tran...dfMihyYqQ0KeJ/

But as the turn of the 21st century approached, and development picked up in that formally rural eastern corridor, the cities along the way, backed by their Williamson and Travis county colleagues, pushed for a Texas 130 route farther to the east. Building a big highway where the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas trains used to run (from 1904 to 1976) would be too disruptive to the people beginning to live nearby, they said, especially in Pflugerville, where the corridor cuts right through town.
Texas Department of Transportation officials disagreed, saying going farther east would lower traffic usage too much, especially if they had to sell bonds for a tollway. But in the end, TxDOT bowed to local wishes, and Texas 130 broke ground in 2003 where you see it today on that eastern alternative route. And traffic, at least for a few years, in fact was disappointingly light. Texas 130 has not made a discernible dent in I-35 traffic.

Nimbys ruined the better SH-130 alignnment, and can't agree on what to put on the abandoned MoKan (Katy) corridor. Typical Austin SNAFU.

I suggest building the Orange line to Pflugerville and Georgetown and the Green Line to Elgin and Manor should be the next projects for Austin exurban commuters.

As for the urban commuters, I suggest to continue building more BRT lines. Although a main transit hub transfer center should be built first because urban Austin is going to need a lot of BRT lines.

[SecretAgentMan]

Hi, I just wanted everyone to know that I am still here, but I'm not going to take M1EK's troll bait. Thanks to Novacek and wwmiv for standing up to him.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by electricron

From http://www.mystatesman.com/news/tran...dfMihyYqQ0KeJ/


Nimbys ruined the better SH-130 alignnment, and can't agree on what to put on the abandoned MoKan (Katy) corridor. Typical Austin SNAFU.

I'm not really sure how "ruined" it is.

1) Traffic has been heavy, and they're now expanding it (I think ahead of schedule)

2) Would 183 be getting the big expansion it's undergoing now if there was a bypass in the MoKan corridor so close? The end result is that Austin will have an inner loop bypass(183) and an outer loop(130). And both go to the airport.

3) Long term, the 130 alignment has way more room for expansion (I think up to 12 lanes) than the MoKan ever would.

4) If they had used MoKan for 130, I'm guessing that would have killed orange Line commuter rail forever. It may still not happen, or it may require paying back TxDot for the RoW, or it may be a mix of rail and some roads, but at this moment it's still an option. A full 130 in that alignment probably would have taken the full RoW.

5) 130 in the MoKan alignment would still probably have been built as a toll road (given the realities of funding at the time). Therefore it likely would have (like 130) failed to divert very much traffic from 35.

6) One of Austin's reasons for fighting bypasses to the west and accepting them to the east is to direct (more of) the growth to the east and away (as much as possible) from the fragile environment west. For that purpose, the further east alignment may be even more helpful (more greenfield for development along the current 130 alignment than MoKan).

7) When people talk about 130 "failing", they're usually talking about the bankrupt southern portion. As far as I can tell, the decision to not use MoKan shouldn't have had any effect on that. For whatever reason, the southern portion of 130 routes out to the southeast (I guess to use the 183 alignment). Mokan doesn't exist south of Austin, so that failing portion probably would have been routed the same or similar.

[Jdawgboy]

I haven't been up in Dallas in years but I have been on I-10 in Houston. I must say I'm suprised that stretch isn't in the top 10 because whatever people feel about I-35, the Katy Freeway stretch of I-10 is much worse. One only has to remember that most of 35 is 3 lanes in each direction while I-10 has what? 8 to 10, even 12 lanes sometimes in each direction and its still gridlocked.

[jbssfelix]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I haven't been up in Dallas in years but I have been on I-10 in Houston. I must say I'm suprised that stretch isn't in the top 10 because whatever people feel about I-35, the Katy Freeway stretch of I-10 is much worse. One only has to remember that most of 35 is 3 lanes in each direction while I-10 has what? 8 to 10, even 12 lanes sometimes in each direction and its still gridlocked.

12 main lanes, 6 toll lanes, and 8 frontage lanes if you want to count those too. Total = 26 lanes.

[lovethecity]

The Katy Freeway is one of the most perfect examples of induced demand in action. More lanes = more drivers and auto-centric development.

[Mopacs]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I haven't been up in Dallas in years but I have been on I-10 in Houston. I must say I'm suprised that stretch isn't in the top 10 because whatever people feel about I-35, the Katy Freeway stretch of I-10 is much worse. One only has to remember that most of 35 is 3 lanes in each direction while I-10 has what? 8 to 10, even 12 lanes sometimes in each direction and its still gridlocked.

Just curious - how effective have the managed/toll lanes been? Are they congested as well? I've used them when driving through town, but not during peak times.

[SecretAgentMan]

Those interested in Austin Transportation issues might want to check out Traffic Jam next weekend: https://austintexas.gov/article/remi...-4-traffic-jam

[Novacek]

There's a bunch of mobility bond update info from the council work meeting today

http://austin.siretechnologies.com/s...doctype=agenda

If that link doesn't work, it's the 2/28 meeting here
https://austintexas.gov/department/c...uncil-meetings

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Novacek

There's a bunch of mobility bond update info from the council work meeting today

http://austin.siretechnologies.com/s...doctype=agenda

If that link doesn't work, it's the 2/28 meeting here
https://austintexas.gov/department/c...uncil-meetings

There was 79 agenda items, which one discussed your mobility bonds?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by electricron

There was 79 agenda items, which one discussed your mobility bonds?

The first link, B1



9:00 AM – City Council Convenes

A.
Pre-Selected Agenda Items

B.
Briefings

B.1
Mobility Bond Implementation Update.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Novacek

The first link, B1



9:00 AM – City Council Convenes

A.
Pre-Selected Agenda Items

B.
Briefings

B.1
Mobility Bond Implementation Update.

Thanks! What's amazing that I would like to point out is that it's going to take years to complete all the projects funded by the 2016 Bond Package.

[Slyfox]

I'm praying for a high speed rail line between Austin & Houston somewhere in the next 15 - 20 years.

Just wanted to throw that out there.

[clubtokyo]

Originally Posted by Slyfox

I'm praying for a high speed rail line between Austin & Houston somewhere in the next 15 - 20 years.

Just wanted to throw that out there.

That would be amazing! I wish in 5 years, and it would create a boost for both cities in my opinion. I would love to be able to go to the Texas coast in an hour or however long it would take.

[drummer]

That's an interesting thing to consider. Do you folks think, assuming that the Dallas-Houston HSR gets built, that Austin's first touch to HSR would go up and down the I-35 corridor (DFW & San Antonio) or have a single connection to Houston?

[electricron]

Originally Posted by drummer

That's an interesting thing to consider. Do you folks think, assuming that the Dallas-Houston HSR gets built, that Austin's first touch to HSR would go up and down the I-35 corridor (DFW & San Antonio) or have a single connection to Houston?

With the lack of good access into Austin from both the north and south by a dedicated HSR corridor, I'm thinking relatively the access towards the east will be much easier to accomplish. They wouldn't have to run the tracks all the way to Houston, just to the Hempstead area at a junction with the tracks towards Dallas. The existing convention center cuts east west access into the Austin Amtrak station from the east, so the HSR station will have to lie on the east side of downtown Austin and its convention center.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by electricron

Thanks! What's amazing that I would like to point out is that it's going to take years to complete all the projects funded by the 2016 Bond Package.

Any big construction (which the corridors are) is going to take a long time.

What's worse is that none of the corridors will even _start_ for another year. The addition of "William Cannon and/or Slaughter" to the corridor list is going to delay _every_ corridor while they do the initial planning for those two.

I know that was the price to buy off Ann Kitchen, and maybe we wouldn't have anything without, but it's annoying.

[paul78701]

Seattle Times Editorial Board Flunks Geometry:
https://www.seattletransitblog.com/2...unks-geometry/

Don't let the title fool you. This is mostly a very good post on the efficiency of public transit as compared to roads.

[The ATX]

Just as TxDOT is getting enough money to work on some big transportation improvements, the Legislature is working on taking a lot of it back.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/stat...FKNGmBp6csViO/

[wwmiv]

If that happens, you can kiss I-35 being cut and capped goodbye.