03 ACT Plan Update Presentation — original pdf

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ACT Plan Update Urban Transportation Commission Austin Transportation and Public Works | March 16, 2026 ACT Plan Purpose  The ACT Plan is a Small Area Mobility Plan (SAMP) covering Downtown Austin and will be adopted by Council as an attachment to the ASMP  It is an update to previous transportation focused efforts Downtown – dating back to 2000  Why are we updating the transportation plan for Downtown?  changes in transit and bicycle planning  changes in highway improvements serving Downtown  changes in national best practices on urban street design  disruptions to traditional mobility  The ACT Plan will create a unified vision for transportation Downtown and align the many projects and initiatives under one actionable plan to help accomplish the goals in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. 2 2 ACT Plan Process  2018 - Phase 1 data collection effort  2019 - Phase 2 plan development  2020 - Planning put on hold  2022 - Planning recommences  August - October 2022 - Public Engagement Phase 1  November 2022-March 2023 - Public Engagement Phase 2  September 2022-December 2024 - Project and Plan Development  February-May 2025 - Draft Plan Review & Public Engagement Phase 3 (Council adoption postponed)  June 2025-March 2026 - Revised Final Draft Plan & Council adoption process 3 Public Engagement  Worked with Downtown Austin Alliance to form a project Working Group  Identified more than 80 Downtown stakeholders  Held public events, pop-ups, community meetings, and online surveys throughout downtown and outside of downtown  Integrated with other Downtown focused projects and programs (e.g., Palm District, Project Connect, etc.)  Identified more than 20 different focus populations to ensure diverse feedback 4 4 Plan Review Timeline  February 24, 2025 – Design Commission  March 4, 2025 – Urban Transportation Commission  March 11, 2025 – Planning Commission  March 20, 2025 – Council Mobility Committee  March 26, 2025 – Joint Sustainability Committee  February 18, 2026 – Downtown Commission  March 3, 2026 – Urban Transportation Commission  March 5, 2026 – Council Mobility Committee  March 26, 2026 – City Council 5 What We Heard  Support for pedestrian-first, human-centered design elements  Support for current and future transit-priority lanes and protected bike lanes  Support for quick build options at lower cost for more facilities in the short term  Provide high-quality crosstown bicycle connections through downtown  Concerns about bicycle facility gaps along 5th/6th at Lamar  Final Draft ACT Plan highlights priority projects along West 5th and 6th streets with protected bicycle infrastructure connecting to 4th Street and Congress  Recommendations include extending bike and transit improvements along 5th and 6th streets west of Lamar  Reflect the preferred cross section for 6th Street  Additional community engagement to develop Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) for 6th Street  Final Draft ACT Plan reflects the PER recommendations  Consider additional two-way conversions 6 ACT Plan Recommendations  Address ASMP goals and major outcomes  Manage Growth & Increased Demand  Coordinate with Major Transportation Improvements  Support Emerging Transportation Options  Prioritize Safety, Climate, and Mode Share Goal  Aligns and integrates Downtown street network with Planned Projects  I-35 Capital Express  Project Connect  Congress Avenue  Convention Center  Cap & Stitch  Identifies Priority Projects, Supporting Projects, and System Improvements and Strategies 7 7 Make Downtown Streets More Multimodal 8 Two-Way Conversions  Two-Way Conversions are recommended for  7th Street  9th Street  10th Street  Brazos  Directional changes are required for 8th and the rest of 7th due to TxDOT’s I-35 changes  5th and 6th remain one-way to prioritize space for transit, pedestrians and bicycles and to maintain vehicle operations One-way street Two-way street Two-way conversion 9 Two-Way Conversions  Most downtown streets are two-way  ACT Plan adds additional two-way conversions to the network  Only six remaining one-way corridors downtown  Remaining one-way streets are our “heavy lifters”  East/west crosstown connectors  Connections to/from I-35 and Mopac ramps  Transit routes One-way street Two-way street Two-way conversion 10 Transit Enhancements Transit-only lanes improve speed and reliability to and through downtown • Converting 3-4 vehicle lanes to 2 lanes with transit-only lane and bike lane • Connecting east/west and north/south transit service (including Project Connect) West 6th Current: 4 Vehicle Lanes West 6th Proposed: 2 Vehicle Lanes Transit-only lanes One-way street Two-way street Two-way conversion 11 Bicycle Connections  Priority Projects create crosstown connections to north-south routes and trails Protected Bike Lane One-way street Two-way street 12 Bicycle Connections  Additional projects and system improvements create a complete bicycle network Protected Bike Lane One-way street Two-way street 13 Peer City Precedents 14 Two-Way Streets Require More Space for Cars  To avoid permissive left turns (which are highly correlated with pedestrian crashes) and significant operational problems, two-way streets require left turn pockets at intersections  Two-way streets require minimum 30-33 feet of street space for cars instead of 20-22 feet  Requires tradeoffs to reduce space for bike/ped/transit facilities  Impacts continuity of transit and/or bike lanes at the intersection, where transit delays and active transportation crashes are most prevalent. One-Way Two-Way One-way streets provide space to extend bus and bike facilities through the intersection, where transit delays and active transportation crashes are most prevalent. Fitting in the left turn lane needed on two-way streets requires dropping the transit only lane and sharing with general traffic or merging bus and bike traffic and removing protection for cyclists at intersections. 11 Example: Downtown Seattle, WA Seattle’s One-Way Downtown Street Grid Pine Street @ 7th One-way streets provide space to extend bus and bike facilities through the intersection. 12 Example: Downtown Portland, OR Portland’s One-Way Downtown Street Grid  Traffic signals timed to progress traffic at 13-16 mph (“one way progression”)  Slow-moving traffic with signalized crossings every 250 feet creates a highly walkable downtown  Reduced pedestrian delay – Short signal cycle lengths = short waits and frequent opportunities for pedestrians to safely cross One-way streets provide space to extend bike facilities through the intersection. SW 2nd @ Ash 17 Research-Based Factors Impacting Safety for All Street Types  Speed management  Frequent pedestrian crossings  Typical downtown Austin block length and signal spacing = 350 feet  Frequent signals and short blocks slow traffic and provide frequent pedestrian crossing opportunities  Managing vehicle left turns  Left turn lanes to provide protected or protected/permissive vehicle left turns  Access management  No research-based CMFs for converting one- way streets to two-way 15 Two-Way Conversions - Considerations  There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach – context and engineering judgement is critical  Not all streets are good candidates for two-way operations  Two-way streets are not necessarily “safer” than one-way streets  Some of the most walkable cities in North America have one-way downtown street grids  One-way streets provide surplus ROW that can be allocated to transit, bike, and pedestrian facilities instead of vehicles, including through intersections where active transportation crashes and transit delays are most prevalent  ACT Plan recommendations balance safety, function, and multi-modal needs for Downtown Austin 15 Additional Measures for Improving Walkability in Downtown Signal Spacing  Typical downtown block length and signal spacing = 350 feet  Pedestrian crossing gap documented at 5th/6th @ San Antonio  Final Draft ACT Plan proposes new signals at San Antonio to close this gap west of Guadalupe Speed Management Tools  Final Draft ACT Plan calls for exploring raised intersections on 6th Street within the entertainment district Signal Timing  Currently timed for vehicle speeds of 25 mph in downtown  Final Draft ACT Plan calls for conducting speed studies to identify opportunities to adjust signal timing to reduce speeding (including 5th/6th west of Guadalupe) 16 Thank you 20