AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[nixcity]

Thanks. It looks like they should just gradually increase capacity basically in steps as shown. Maybe with double tracking in a few places, extending to brazos and increasing capacity this line could hit 5,000-10,000 and make it not totally worthless.

[KevinFromTexas]

austlar1,

I moved the Subway posts to their own thread like you suggested.

Here's the link:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=201277

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by nixcity

Thanks. It looks like they should just gradually increase capacity basically in steps as shown. Maybe with double tracking in a few places, extending to brazos and increasing capacity this line could hit 5,000-10,000 and make it not totally worthless.

To be not totally worthless, they'd have to double tracks over the entirety so that they can increase frequency and then extend hours to 9 or 10 PM weeknights and 2 AM Friday and Saturday. Extending to Brazos is a good idea, but I'd go further and extend to Lavaca.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://impactnews.com/articles/mopac...ental-approval

MoPac express lanes get additional state funding, environmental approval

by Amy Denney
August 31, 2012

The MoPac Improvement Project, which will add one express lane in each direction to the roadway, passed several hurdles in the past week after the Texas Transportation Commission approved additional funding and the Federal Highway Administration issued its approval of the environmental study.

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http://impactnews.com/articles/capit...orapid-project

Capital Metro proposes 2013 budget, allocates funds for MetroRapid project

by Amy Denney
August 28, 2012

Capital Metro has proposed a $193.7 million fiscal year operating budget, which is a 12 percent increase over last year, and plans to spend $63.9 million in capital projects.

The fiscal year 2013 budget includes several notable expenses:
• $4 million in pension contributions. The Capital Metro board opted to increase pension contributions by $2 million each year for the next 10 years to accommodate for the transfer to the new bus contractors, Communications Manager Francine Pares said. This will allow Capital Metro to fund the pension to 75 percent.

• $2 million for bus stop accessibility improvements, which includes $800,000 rolled over from FY2012. Capital Metro budgeted $1.8 million last year as part of an interlocal agreement with the City of Austin, but Chief Operating Officer Elaine Timbes said the initial contracts did not include a clause relating to the federal grant money the transit authority received. She said the contracts had to be redone and bids resolicited, thus resulting in Capital Metro and the city not being able to spend the entire $1.8 million last year.

• $10.3 million to continue replacing aging buses

• $24.9 million for the MetroRapid project, including $50,000 for the bus priority lane on Lavaca and Guadalupe streets in downtown Austin

[nixcity]

Is that an HOV lane??

[KevinFromTexas]

Oh, I would love a few of these in Austin. A "floating" bicycle roundabout bridge in the Netherlands.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...&postcount=683

[KevinFromTexas]

My biggest worry with it being built is that it would encourage more sprawl down there. The environmental impact from the highway itself would be small potatoes to the sprawl that would result from it being built.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...inglePage=true

Is the future of 45 Southwest tollway in doubt

By Ben Wear
Published: 8:22 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012

Like the Olympics, Texas legislators and Feb. 29, the question of whether to build Texas 45 Southwest seems to return every few years. It's here again, with its familiar cast of frustrated suburbanites, distressed environmentalists and wavering politicians.

Last week was supposed to feature public discussion of a definitive study of the traffic ripples that building the 3.6-mile tollway between FM 1626 and MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) would cause on nearby roads, particularly Brodie Lane. And in October, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is scheduled to vote on whether to pull Texas 45 Southwest out of the area's long-range transportation plan, which would effectively snuff the road for the foreseeable future.

[wwmiv]

The solution is easy to that: have the city buy alot of the land out there on bond as public parks. The rest of the loop would simply be to connect and finish out the system.

[BevoLJ]

I think Travis Co already bought most of it. There is some sort of park or trail thingy the City, and Travis and Hays Co. are building that goes from Barton Springs from Zilker down through some of the green belt and up to like the Brodie area and down to Hays Co.

I agree that sprawl maybe a worry about it, but honestly the whole "If we refuse to build it, they won't come" has never worked in Austin. It has only made a mess out of the city and its traffic.

I think the biggest thing with 45 is that for one it would be something that Austin and Travis Co would be building that virtually no one in Austin or Travis Co would be using. It would be pretty much only for Hays Co residents to commute easier. So why should Austin/Travis Co tax payers foot the bill for a expensive highway that would be 90% for Hays Co tax payers?

The other issue with it would be that it would probably drastically increase the traffic on Mopac. Which means Austin and Travis Co will not only need to pay for the highway for those Hays Co residence, but also it will shorten the time needed before Mopac becomes as useless as I-35 and will need a major upgrade. Currently getting from South and South West Austin to downtown is a piece of cake. Which is one of the best things about South Austin. But after this is built, the increase in traffic may make it much harder for South Austin residence to have easy access to downtown.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

I think Travis Co already bought most of it. There is some sort of park or trail thingy the City, and Travis and Hays Co. are building that goes from Barton Springs from Zilker down through some of the green belt and up to like the Brodie area and down to Hays Co.

I agree that sprawl maybe a worry about it, but honestly the whole "If we refuse to build it, they won't come" has never worked in Austin. It has only made a mess out of the city and its traffic.

I think the biggest thing with 45 is that for one it would be something that Austin and Travis Co would be building that virtually no one in Austin or Travis Co would be using. It would be pretty much only for Hays Co residents to commute easier. So why should Austin/Travis Co tax payers foot the bill for a expensive highway that would be 90% for Hays Co tax payers?

The other issue with it would be that it would probably drastically increase the traffic on Mopac. Which means Austin and Travis Co will not only need to pay for the highway for those Hays Co residence, but also it will shorten the time needed before Mopac becomes as useless as I-35 and will need a major upgrade. Currently getting from South and South West Austin to downtown is a piece of cake. Which is one of the best things about South Austin. But after this is built, the increase in traffic may make it much harder for South Austin residence to have easy access to downtown.

I thought the best reason to make it a tollway was so that users paying the tolls actually pay for it. If most of those users are from Hays County, then it is them ultimately paying for it.
As long as Austin metro area continues to grow, whether the growth is in Hays County or not, MoPac will get congested just like I-35.

[austlar1]

This extension will get built one day. it is a matter of time. My concern is that savvy IH35 through traffic will divert around the west side of Austin on this thing. It will be a cheaper and possibly quicker diversion than taking the toll road all the way around on the east side of town. Of course, I am a regular non rush hour commuter on Mopac and love the fact that it usually moves smoothly at those hours, so I guess I am kind of a NIMBY on this subject.

[Jdawgboy]

This is a difficult debate. On the one hand I can see why so many in Austin do not want the extension because of environmental reasons and I happen to be in that crowd but it is also because of environmental reasons why it may be needed. This sounds mean but those people chose to live in suburban sprawl instead of within the city though I'm sure some of them had to because they couldn't afford a place in the city. One side of me says let them choke on their fumes as they sit in traffic but then that's when the other side realizes that its no better for the environment especially the air quality if the extension is not built. You have more congested arteries that are spewing alot of c02 in condensed quantities rather than moving traffic which is spread out the emissions.

[JoninATX]

Groundbreaking Thursday on metro rapid

By Ben Wear | Monday, September 17, 2012, 03:58 PM

With work beginning on Capital Metro’s $47.6 million “rapid bus” project, the agency will hold a groundbreaking Thursday in North Austin at one of the more than 75 stops on two new bus routes.

Construction began today on the MetroRapid stop at the North Austin Transit Center. But the ceremonial event, starting at 10 a.m., will be held a couple of miles north of there at Chinatown Center. Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Capital Metro board chairman Mike Martinez, also an Austin City Council Member, will attend along with other transit and business leaders.

The federal government is funding about 80 percent of the project. Capital Metro will replace two current, traditional bus routes with service featuring longer buses on one route, with more distance between stops, more elaborate stops with real-time message boards, and on-board equipment that allows drivers to extend green time on traffic signals if they fall behind schedule.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...ay_on_met.html

[JoninATX]

Also on Capital Metro facebook page states that August daily ridership for metro rail was 2,415. So a steady increase on what it was a year ago with 1,800 daily passengers.

[BevoLJ]

2,415 is pretty dang good. That would be well over 800,000 annual. Just need like 400 more daily riders to pass the million annual riders mark.

[BevoLJ]

Anyone know the daily rider capacity? Like how many it can handle on the busiest days before it has to add those cars like electricron posted?

[electricron]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Anyone know the daily rider capacity? Like how many it can handle on the busiest days before it has to add those cars like electricron posted?

The GTWs seat around 100 passengers each, can carry 150 comfortably including some standing, and 200 maximum at crush loading.
Therefore, I would multiply the number of trains by 100 to arrive at full capacity, and by 200 for maximum capacity.

On weekdays, MetroRail runs approximately 36 trains, 18 northbound and 18 southbound. Your answer lies realistically between 3600 and 5400, and 7200 maximum.

I would hazard to suggest that many peak morning and afternoon trains already are carrying more than 100 passengers, that the mid-day and late evening trains aren't.

[nixcity]

^Do you mean up to 7,200 without adding on to the trains?

[KevinFromTexas]

Project website is here:
http://www.bergstromexpressway.com/index.php


http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_st...om-expressway-

9:25 AM
Officials consider tolling 'Bergstrom Expressway'
By: Sebastian Robertson

Traffic in Austin is not a new problem. The newest crack at solving an old congestion problem doesn't involve creating new roads, but changing the old.
Mobility planners have their eyes on a seven-mile stretch of Highway 183, between Highway 290 and Highway 71. It’s a corridor that funnels traffic to and from the airport and dubbed the “Bergstrom Expressway.” Several agencies took public input on the development project Tuesday night.

"Getting it up to modern standards as a nonstop expressway is really critical to the economic development of the community and making life better for everyone as well," Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Steve Pustelnyk said.

[wwmiv]

"Consider"? That's a bit of a lurch. It's more of "when are we going to build" than a "will this be tolled". Also, the whiners who say they can't get out of their neighborhood without having to pay a toll are ridiculous. If this is built, full access roads will be built to accompany it as are shown on the schematic maps that will allow them the same level (actually better, but that's beside the point) of access that they have now. They're morons. Furthermore, wherever there were overpasses with untolled "freeway" lanes such as the intersection with MLK, there will continue to be an untolled underpass lane like they did at Parmer on 45. They seriously don't understand the way these things work. Not only are we getting an upgrade to infrastructure that everyone will be able to use for free, but we are also getting new and better infrastructure.