AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Nope. I voted for Project Connect, and hope the state doesn't overturn the will of Austin's electorate.

However, most people seem to pick a side. Hate cars, and oppose any and all car related infrastructure. Or hate any and all transit and bicycle infrastructure.

I dislike both viewpoints, and think "noisy" activists being unreasonable and unlikeable tends to push the electorate to one side or the other.

It is all rather childish, I agree.

"most people"

you're online right now. people in the real world are not this dramatic.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

"most people"

you're online right now. people in the real world are not this dramatic.

Good point. I should have clarified most people on social media, but that is where most of the discussions on these topics occur at least in my life. When I bring up any of the things I talk about on this forum irl most people look at me like an alien.

[wwmiv]

Delete

[Riverranchdrone]

Now that we know that the IH35 construction is starting this summer, Will they make 183 or SH130 free the next 10 years to take traffic off of IH35?

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

Now that we know that the IH35 construction is starting this summer, Will they make 183 or SH130 free the next 10 years to take traffic off of IH35?

I've heard nothing of the sort, and I seriously doubt it. There are debt payments which must be made to repay the bonds.

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

I've heard nothing of the sort, and I seriously doubt it. There are debt payments which must be made to repay the bonds.

It would be nice if they could force through truck traffic to use SH-130 during construction. That would certainly help.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by WestAustinite

It would be nice if they could force through truck traffic to use SH-130 during construction. That would certainly help.

Most of the traffic on I-35 in Austin is local traffic. Those trucks are picking up, and dropping off shipments in the city.

A lot of traffic already uses 130 to bypass Austin, that's why they already widened it a couple of years ago. In a few years when the entire stretch of I-35 in Travis County is the midst of massive construction I'm sure everyone that can avoid driving through will do so, tolls or not.

[ATX2030]

PROJECT CONNECT
Project Connect eyes 2027 start to light rail construction

by: Kelsey Thompson
Posted: Mar 25, 2024 / 11:12 AM CDT
Updated: Mar 25, 2024 / 11:13 AM CDT

https://www.kxan.com/traffic/traffic...-construction/

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Project Connect leaders are gearing up for a 2027 construction start for Phase 1 of light rail in Austin, officials said in an interview Monday. Based on current timelines, trains are expected to be running in Austin come 2033.

13 years.....wow!

[Echostatic]

Six years of construction is fine. Taking seven years to get from voter approval to construction is not. But that's the world we live in.

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by paul78701

One (disingenuous to me) thing, when it comes to those that are fighting so hard to oppose the project, is their argument that the increased amount of vehicles flowing through will be bad WRT climate change. It ignores that, when this project is completed 10 years from now, more than half of new vehicles being sold will be required to be hybrid or EVs (from what I understand).

I don't think anyone can reliably predict the exact percentage of ICE/non-ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles will be on the road in 10ish years. However, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the total emissions with the added vehicle flow was completely flat (or even reduced) 10 years from now due to the number of non-ICE vehicles on the roads.

As a huge EV proponent myself, I don't think your argument is a good one because EVs still generate boatloads of pollution, just different kinds and in different places. Just because you cannot see (and smell) the externalities doesn't mean they don't exist.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

As a huge EV proponent myself, I don't think your argument is a good one because EVs still generate boatloads of pollution, just different kinds and in different places. Just because you cannot see (and smell) the externalities doesn't mean they don't exist.

It's not my argument though. It's theirs. At least from how I understand their argument, they are complaining about vehicle emissions from traffic. It seems that argument ignores what the actual emissions may be with the future EV/hybrid/ICE mix of vehicle traffic.

Their arguments don't seem to center around the associated pollution that may come about during the EV production processes or whatnot (I'm assuming this is what you're referring to). I'm not saying it should be ignored, but it doesn't seem to show up in their narrative. At least not that I've seen.

[Riverranchdrone]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

I've heard nothing of the sort, and I seriously doubt it. There are debt payments which must be made to repay the bonds.

It was an idea that has been thrown around many times. They have even talked about buying out the tolls. It would be a great idea to removed much of the traffic off the IH35 highway before the construction. Mostly because IH35 is such a heavy trade corridor. The smaller local roads could then handle all the local traffic.

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Most of the traffic on I-35 in Austin is local traffic. Those trucks are picking up, and dropping off shipments in the city.

I'm curious about the stats on this. I've never seen an analysis of truck traffic coming through central Austin and how much of it bypasses the city on its way to other places. Are there some published stats you can share?

I am under the impression that a significant portion of truck traffic is coming out of Mexico on its way to Dallas and other locations in the central US but perhaps it's not a high percentage.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by WestAustinite

I'm curious about the stats on this. I've never seen an analysis of truck traffic coming through central Austin and how much of it bypasses the city on its way to other places. Are there some published stats you can share?

I am under the impression that a significant portion of truck traffic is coming out of Mexico on its way to Dallas and other locations in the central US but perhaps it's not a high percentage.

I'm under the same impression, albeit without the requisite data to prove anything. Anecdotally, I'm often on 130 between its northern I-35 connection and Round Rock / Hutto, sometimes as far south as Pflugerville. I have seen a massive increase in semi traffic over the past couple years.

[atxsnail]

CapMetro got $1.5M from the feds for something...

https://doggett.house.gov/media/pres...rdable-housing

The funds, which Rep. Doggett helped secure through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning, will be used in partnership with the City of Austin to coordinate affordable housing and infrastructure development on 5.5 acres of City-owned property adjacent to CapMetro’s Rail Crestview Station. The planning phase will determine how an expansion of the Crestview station will increase ridership as well as potential service impacts, platform design and light rail transit connectivity.

The first part of this quote reads like the money would just go towards the Ryan Drive redevelopment, which makes sense b/c it will need to be heavily subsidized in order to meet the stated affordability goals. But the second part mentions "an expansion" of Crestview Station and I have no idea what that could possibly mean.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

CapMetro got $1.5M from the feds for something...

https://doggett.house.gov/media/pres...rdable-housing




The first part of this quote reads like the money would just go towards the Ryan Drive redevelopment, which makes sense b/c it will need to be heavily subsidized in order to meet the stated affordability goals. But the second part mentions "an expansion" of Crestview Station and I have no idea what that could possibly mean.

I would guess that expansion (at least in part) would include whatever work needs to be done to ensure that the station could also serve the eventual light rail extension to it.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by paul78701

I would guess that expansion (at least in part) would include whatever work needs to be done to ensure that the station could also serve the eventual light rail extension to it.

Could also be potentially further study of depressing the red line and the station below Lamar (which in some rendering's I've seen means the station actually extends east past Lamar)

[freerover]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

It's guys like you that make people vote against transit. I support upgrading transportation infrastructure including Project Connect, and Capital Express. Both projects are needed. But damn man, I guess you guys can't see how unlikeable you come across to the like 90% or more of adults who drive cars every single day in this city.

Especially when a project, like Capital Express Central, makes such a drastic improvement for essentially everyone and every mode of transportation. It's adding HOV lanes which express buses will use. Upgraded sidewalks for the entire length. Urban boulevard with 35 mph speed limit through downtown replacing the frontage roads. More street crossings improving connectivity. It's below grade. It will have caps and stitches.

But I already know the auto generated response. "Lipstick on a pig!". Any improvement to a roadway which increases it's capacity, no matter how many other improvements for others you will oppose. It is unreasonable, illogical, and borders on fanaticism.

lol. Sure. I make people vote against public transit. This is a false choice between the status quo and an upgraded highway. You can build bus only lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes etc within the existing 35 ROW without expanding the highway. It’s called a boulevard and it’s quite common in corridors that literally dissect major cities. All this project will do is bring more cars into the CBD and make traffic worse within the city. The only way to maintain current congestion or to reduce it is to not increase the amount of cars. That’s the geometric reality of car use that Americans like to pretend does not exist. What’s the plan in 50 years? Bulldoze half of downtown and UT to make more lanes? All you are doing is encouraging more natural habitats to be destroyed with sprawl instead of growing our cities up. It’s just really dumb planning with no regards to sustainability.


More importantly, you don’t have to agree but maybe don’t spaz out about someone else’s opinion. If you choose to vote against public transit, that’s a reflection on you and your values. Not me.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by freerover

lol. Sure. I make people vote against public transit. This is a false choice between the status quo and an upgraded highway. You can build bus only lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes etc within the existing 35 ROW without expanding the highway. It’s called a boulevard and it’s quite common in corridors that literally dissect major cities. All this project will do is bring more cars into the CBD and make traffic worse within the city. The only way to maintain current congestion or to reduce it is to not increase the amount of cars. That’s the geometric reality of car use that Americans like to pretend does not exist. What’s the plan in 50 years? Bulldoze half of downtown and UT to make more lanes? All you are doing is encouraging more natural habitats to be destroyed with sprawl instead of growing our cities up. It’s just really dumb planning with no regards to sustainability.


More importantly, you don’t have to agree but maybe don’t spaz out about someone else’s opinion. If you choose to vote against public transit, that’s a reflection on you and your values. Not me.

Welcome to my Texas, baby. It’s funny how people talk about how weird and liberal is, but the people here really are nothing like that.

[smallfrie]

At some point, and I think we've reached that point, it becomes less and less about the virtues and the benefits of Project Connect and more and more about the corruption - and I use the word corruption advisedly, as is said.

One looks at the new Project Connect budget with the 2033 dollars (and they make as if that using the 2033 dollars is some kind of perversion forced upon them) and sees roughly 2 Billion dollars for Professional Services - and notes that doesn't include the actual engineering for the train construction - and roughly a Billion dollars for a Maintenance Facility and ones stomach turns.

Let me repeat that: roughly 2 Billion dollars for Professional Services - not including the actual engineering for the train construction - and roughly a Billion dollars for a Maintenance Facility.

That is almost world class corruption. If there wasn't so much corruption in the world, it would be world class corruption. I can't imagine a Biden administration paying for half of that, let alone a Trump one.