Urban Transportation Commission Special Called Meeting December 7th, 2021 at 5pm AUSTIN CITY HALL – BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM 1101 301 W. SECOND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Urban Transportation Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live AUSTIN, TEXAS CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Mario Champion, Chair Susan Somers, Vice Chair Ruven Brooks Nathan Ryan Samuel Franco Athena Leyton Allison Runas Cynthia Weatherby Diana Wheeler James Driscoll AGENDA CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL 1. APPROVAL OF November 2nd, 2021 MINUTES 2. NEW BUSINESS: PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS A. Lady Bird Bridge Briefing Presenters: Annick Beaudet and Peter Mullan, Project Connect Office Sponsors: Samuel Franco and Nathan Ryan B. Farm & City Projected Regional Transportation Presentation Presenters: Jay Crossley, Farm and City Sponsors: Ruven Brooks and Cynthia Weatherby 3. STAFF BRIEFINGS A. Downtown Commission: Commissioner Cynthia Weatherby B. Joint Sustainability Commission: Commissioner Diana Wheeler C. Bicycle Advisory Council: Commissioner Athena Leyton D. Pedestrian Advisory Council: Commissioner Allie Runas E. City Council Mobility Committee: Commissioner Mario Champion F. Community Advisory Committee for Austin Transit Partnership Board: Susan Sommers 4. Future Agenda Items • Highway Funding ( TDB; Brooks) • TDM Update ( TBD; Somers • ASMP Update ( TBD; Brooks) • Project Connect Racial Equity Anti-Displacement Tool ( TBD; Somers) • Red River Extension ( TBD; Champion) ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Christopher Parks, at (512)-978-1568, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Urban Transportation Department, please contact Christopher Parks at christopher.parks@austintexas.gov.
Project Connect Update Blue Line Bridge December 2021 Project Components 2 INTEGRATED PROGRAM DELIVERY PARTNERSHIP Utilities Relocations Permitting Right of Way 3 3 Blue Line – Corridor Overview Note: Station locations and names subject to change Blue Line Project – Corridor Overview 4 ORANGE & BLUE LINE – KEY MILESTONES (2021 – 2022) April 2021 Summer 2021 Spring 2022 Spring – Summer 2022 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Notice of Intent Complete 15% Design Enter FTA Project Development Summer 2022 Winter 2022 Initial FTA Rating Complete 30% Design and Cost Estimate Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), Draft 30% Design and Cost Estimates 2023 ‐ Beyond End of EIS and 30% Design Comment Phase Final EIS (FEIS) Complete FTA NEPA Record of Decision (ROD) 5 Blue Line Bridge Rail (underground) Rainey/MACC Station platform (underground) Rail Portal Rainey/MACC Station Entrances Lady Bird Lake Bridge Rail / Ped / Bike Waterfront Station Rail (at‐grade) 6 Key Rail Connections: • South Shore: Above‐ground station (“Waterfront”) • North Shore: underground station (“Rainey/MACC””) Bridge modes: 1. Light rail (Blue Line) – electric vehicles 2. Cyclists 3. Pedestrians Other considerations: • Connections to Butler Hike and Bike Trail and Waterloo Greenway • Waller Creek Tunnel outfall structure • Waller Creek Boathouse impacts Blue Line Bridge: Connections 10 minutes 5 minutes 2 minutes Pedestrian Connections Walking time across the bridge: <5 minutes • Within 2 minutes walking distance from bridge: Rainey/MACC & Waterfront Station Entrances South Central Waterfront • Waterloo Greenway Trails Butler Hike/Bike Trail • Within 5 minutes walking distance from bridge: • • • • • • • • • • • • • ESB‐MACC Rainey Street District Convention Center Palm School Long Center Auditorium Shores Sanchez Elementary School City Hall Downtown Jobs and Retail 6th Street & Congress Avenue • Within 10 minutes walking distance from bridge: 10 minutes 5 minutes 2 minutes 7 Blue Line Bridge: Landscape Waterfront Station Waterloo Greenway 8 Context: Waterloo Greenway and Pontoon Bridge* *included in Council Approved Waller Creek Design Plan 9 Opportunity • In addition to being an important mobility corridor connecting north and south Austin, this new bridge can be a community connector ‐ an inclusive PLACE serving the community broadly. • A rare chance to create a new symbol for our community and our community’s values. 10 History: Lady Bird Lake Downtown Austin Flood (1935) Congress & Drake Bridges (1981) Town Lake Hike & Bike Trail …
Toward equitable, sustainable regional transportation planning for the Austin region City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission Jay Blazek Crossley, Farm&City, December 7, 2021 A 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to high quality urban & rural human habitat in Texas in perpetuity. Average Housing + Transportation Costs as a Percent of Regional Typical income Vehicle Miles Traveled The three Austins HT%AMI VMT/Cap Urban 45% 7,078 Sub-urban 52% 8,279 Rural 55% 8,842 1.15 million Suburban and rural residents 0.87 million Urban Residents 3.22 mil suburban and rural residents 1.45 mil Urban residents 2.65 million Suburban and rural residents 2.02 million Urban Residents 2.03 million Suburban and rural residents 2.64 million Urban Residents 2045 Evening Peak Volume Changes TxDOT Alternatives Legend 25% or more 15% to 25% 5% to 15% -5% to 5% -5% to -15% -15% to -25% -25% or more TxDOT Alternatives Volume increases on I-35 but decreases on city streets. Reconnect Austin Reduces entrance/exit ramps through downtown pushing traffic to city streets primarily in east Austin. Rethink35 Converts I-35 to a boulevard and pushes traffic to city streets primarily in east Austin. RED Volume increases GREY BLUE Volume decreases Links with low volume (less than 100 trips) and small changes Texas A&M Transportation Institute analysis of I-35 for TxDOT Austin • In June, Farm&City worked with TTI to supply them with meaningful alternative growth scenarios in their analysis of I-35. • TTI told us in a meeting with TxDOT staff on August 10th that they did run the travel demand models with the different scenarios. • The report released by TxDOT on August 10th does not include this work and does not provide any meaningful data to be able to critique the traffic maps. • I have asked TxDOT and TTI for the full report and have not received any response. From “Supporting Performance-Based Planning and Programming through Scenario Planning,” US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration 2.03 million Suburban and rural residents 2.64 million Urban Residents A 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to high quality urban & rural human habitat in Texas in perpetuity. jay@farmandcity.org
Project Connect Update Blue Line Bridge December 2021 Project Components 2 INTEGRATED PROGRAM DELIVERY PARTNERSHIP Orange Line Blue Line Tunnel Green Line – Phase 1 Facilities MetroRapid MetroExpress Neighborhood Circulators Customer Tech Red Line – Phase 1 Permitting Right of Way Coordination Utility Design and Coordination Active Transportation and Traffic Coordination Anti-Displacement Investments 3 3 Blue Line – Corridor Overview Note: Station locations and names subject to change Blue Line Project – Corridor Overview 4 ORANGE & BLUE LINE – KEY MILESTONES (2021 – 2022) April 2021 Summer 2021 Spring 2022 Spring – Summer 2022 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Notice of Intent Complete 15% Design Enter FTA Project Development Summer 2022 Winter 2022 Initial FTA Rating Complete 30% Design and Cost Estimate Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), Draft 30% Design and Cost Estimates 2023 - Beyond End of EIS and 30% Design Comment Phase Final EIS (FEIS) Complete FTA NEPA Record of Decision (ROD) 5 Blue Line Bridge Rail (underground) Rainey/MACC Station platform (underground) Rail Portal Rainey/MACC Station Entrances Lady Bird Lake Bridge Rail / Ped / Bike Waterfront Station Rail (at-grade) 6 Key Rail Connections: • South Shore: Above-ground station (“Waterfront”) • North Shore: underground station (“Rainey/MACC””) Bridge modes: 1. Light rail (Blue Line) – electric vehicles 2. Cyclists 3. Pedestrians Other considerations: • Connections to Butler Hike and Bike Trail and Waterloo Greenway • Waller Creek Tunnel outfall structure • Waller Creek Boathouse impacts Blue Line Bridge: Connections 10 minutes 5 minutes 2 minutes Pedestrian Connections Walking time across the bridge: <5 minutes • Within 2 minutes walking distance from bridge: Rainey/MACC & Waterfront Station Entrances South Central Waterfront • Waterloo Greenway Trails Butler Hike/Bike Trail • Within 5 minutes walking distance from bridge: • • • • • • • • • • • • • ESB-MACC Rainey Street District Convention Center Palm School Long Center Auditorium Shores Sanchez Elementary School City Hall Downtown Jobs and Retail 6th Street & Congress Avenue • Within 10 minutes walking distance from bridge: 10 minutes 5 minutes 2 minutes 7 Blue Line Bridge: Landscape Waterfront Station Waterloo Greenway 8 Context: Waterloo Greenway and Pontoon Bridge* *included in Council Approved Waller Creek Design Plan 9 Opportunity • In addition to being an important mobility corridor connecting north and south Austin, this new bridge can be a community connector - an inclusive PLACE serving the community broadly. • A rare chance …
Begin forwarded message: Begin forwarded message: From: Samuel Franco Date: October 21, 2021 at 2:43:05 PM CDT To: Jocelyn.Vokes@atptx.org, "Nirenberg, Jackie" <Jackie.Nirenberg@capmetro.org> Cc: info@austintransitpartnership.org, bc-mario.champion@austintexas.gov Subject: Additional comments on new Blue Line Light Rail Bridge Design Austin Transit Partnership Staff, My name is Samuel Franco, and I am a resident of Austin City Council - District 3. I hold both a BS and MS in Civil Engineering and have been an infrastructure professional for more than a decade. I strive to make my community a better place in my free time by staying active in local politics and community issues. I serve as the Chair of the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board and sit on both the Design Commission and Urban Transporation Commission for the City of Austin. Thank you very much for the excellent discussion on Tuesday, October 12 at the "Community Design Workshop : Lady Bird Lake Bridge" and for the opportunity to provide input into the design for the new transit bridge over our beloved Lady Bird Lake. This email recaps my comments at that public input meeting and further expands on my thoughts. I believe it is not equitable to build the only new north and south connection in our congestion-laden city, west of the historical divide that is Interstate 35, and only put historically more expensive rail on that bridge. This new connection over the lake, as currently envisioned by Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) staff, would not adequately or equitably serve the northeast, southeast, or southwest Austin residents. With the first two geographic areas mentioned lying within the majority-minority council districts that have been and are still predominantly people of color, I find the lack of bus access over this bridge to be very disheartening. While the light rail, as currently envisioned, will travel quickly across the river on a dedicated bridge, those that can not ride the light rail are relegated to being stuck in Austin's horrific traffic jams to wave at the people in cars alongside them. Further, in this phase of implementation, the light rail system only has one east and west route. While I am sure it is well-intentioned, this footprint does not serve the majority of the historically underrepresented parts of our city. While the new light rail system goes north to south, for the most part, our east Austin residents are resigned to "expanded" and hopefully better bus connections. …
