Recommendation 20260407-006: 2026 Bond Update — original pdf

Recommendation

BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation 20260407-006: 2026 Bond Update WHEREAS, City Council Resolution No. 20240718-093 directed the City Manager to develop “a comprehensive bond package that funds and addresses climate, infrastructure, and any other public improvements for the purpose of conducting an election no later than November 2026;” WHEREAS, the 2026 Bond Development Initial Project Request List included 10 projects and programs from Austin Transportation & Public Works (ATPW) totaling $925,200,000; WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s commitment to Vision Zero has seen early signs of success, with a slight decrease in fatalities on City-owned roadways while fatalities on state-owned roadways have sharply increased; WHEREAS, the ATPW long-term Key Performance Indicator of percent of lane miles in the City’s Street Inventory in Fair to Excellent Condition has dropped from 75% in FY21 to 68.5% in FY25; WHEREAS, both the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP) & the Austin Climate Equity Plan set the goal of achieving a 50/50 mode-split goal with 50% of people walking, bicycling, taking transit, or using other non drive-alone mode to work by 2039; WHEREAS, on November 30, 2023 the City Council adopted amendments to the ASMP creating a new Bicycle, Urban Trails, and Sidewalks, Shared Streets and Crossing Plan, collectively referred to as ATX Walk-Bike-Roll, setting the following build-out goals: ● Expand the All Ages and Abilities Bikeways Network to 660 miles by 2033; ● Construct all 94 miles of Tier 1 Urban Trails by 2043; ● Address all Very High and High priority sidewalks and shared streets by 2033 (Approx. 340 miles of new sidewalks and 200 miles of shared streets) WHEREAS, in commenting on the Environmental Investment Plan, UTC Recommendation 20240305-006 noted that a $188.8 million investment was needed to keep the ATX Walk-Bike-Roll Buildout Plans on track through 2028; WHEREAS, funding from previous bonds allocated toward named projects, such as the Dougherty Arts Center and the various Corridors projects, has been underspent and not resulted in comparable results to programmatically defined bond funding; WHEREAS, transportation represents the largest share of Austin’s greenhouse gas emissions, and thus presents the greatest opportunity for climate investment; WHEREAS, in Recommendation 20251202-005, the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) recommended the Bond Advisory Task Force and the Project Review Board advance a $331,200,000 transportation bond, focusing investments in safety, ATX Walk-Bike-Roll, and roadway conditions. WHEREAS, the Bond Election Advisory Task Force Transportation & Electrification Working Group proposed a $300,000,000 transportation and electrification bond (see Appendix A); WHEREAS, on January 21, 2026, the Project Review Board proposed an initial draft with a $251,000,000 transportation bond (see Appendix A); NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) recommends that the City Council prioritize mobility programs for a 2026 Bond that align with three core strategic goals for the City of Austin and Austin Transportation & Public Works: 1. Reducing the number of people hurt or killed by traffic crashes to zero (Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, Austin Strategic Mobility Plan); 2. Achieving a 50/50 mode-split goal with 50% of people walking, bicycling, taking transit, or using other non drive-alone mode to work by 2039 (Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, Austin Climate Equity Plan); and 3. 80% of the City's total lane miles are rated in fair to excellent condition (ATPW Long-Term Key Performance Indicator); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends that the City Council consider a program’s previous bond performance when considering prioritizing investments in the 2026 Bond (See Appendix B for evaluation); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends that if the City Council is inclined to follow the Project Review Board’s recommendation of $251 million for transportation, the City Council move forward with the following mobility investments in the 2026 Bond: Investment in Safety - $55 Million Subprograms Vision Zero: $38 million (Initial Project Request: $65 million) Aligned Plan: 2016-2018 Vision Zero Action Plan, 2025 Update Aligned Goal: Decrease traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Austin streets (ASMP, Safety Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2016 ($15 million, 99.8% Obligated); 2018 ($15 million, 90.1% Obligated), 2020 ($65 million, 73% Obligated) Safe Routes to School: $10 million (Initial Project Request: $20 million) Aligned Plan: 2019 Safe Routes to School Citywide Summary Report (City Council-initiated update coming in 2026) Aligned Goal: Recognize the expanding needs of different users and modes on the transportation network (ASMP, Safety Culture Policy 4) Previous Bond Performance: 2016 ($27.5 million, 99.42% Obligated), 2020 ($20 million, 84% Obligated) Transit Enhancement $7 million (Initial Project Request $19 million) Aligned Plan: 2024 Transit Enhancement Infrastructure Report Aligned Goal: Increase the number of transit priority treatments at intersections along the Transit Priority Network (ASMP, Public Transportation Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2020 ($19 million, 72% Obligated) Investment in ATX Walk-Bike-Roll - $140 Million Subprograms Sidewalks: $75 million (Initial Project Request: $81 million) Aligned Plan: 2023 Sidewalks, Shared Streets, and Crossings Plan Aligned Goal: Complete 100% of all missing very high- and high-priority sidewalks and shared streets by 2033 (ASMP, Pedestrian Network Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2016 ($37.5 million, 100.71% Obligated), 2018 ($20 million, 100% Obligated), 2020 ($80 million, 93.6% Obligated) Bikeways: $30 million (Initial Project Request: $40 million) Aligned Plan: 2023 Bicycle Plan Aligned Goal: Increase the linear miles of all ages and abilities facilities, completing 660 miles by 2033 (ASMP, Bicycle Target) Previous Bond Performance 2016 ($20 million, 101.4% Obligated), 2020 ($40 million, 76.9% Obligated) Urban Trails $35 million (Initial Project Request: $80 million) Aligned Plan: 2023 Urban Trails Plan Aligned Goal: Increase the linear miles of Tier 1 Urban Trails & complete 100% of Tier 1 Urban Trails by 2043 (ASMP, Urban Trails Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2016 ($26 million, 100.5% Obligated); 2018 ($3 million, 66.5% Obligated); 2020 ($80 million, 68.6% Obligated) Investment Roadway Conditions - $58 Million Subprograms Street Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Program: $50 million (Initial Project Request: $194 million) Aligned Plan: N/A Aligned Goal: Decrease the lane miles of City streets in poor or failing condition (ASMP, Condition of Infrastructure Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2018 ($66.5 million, 95.3% Obligated) Bridge Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Program: $8 million (Initial Project Request: $61.2 million) Aligned Plan: N/A Aligned Goal: Decrease the lane miles of City streets in poor or failing condition (ASMP, Condition of Infrastructure Target) Previous Bond Performance: 2018 ($50 Million, 26.46%) BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends that ATPW prioritize funding for the Austin Core Transportation Plan through programmatic funding in the 2026 Bond, including Sidewalks, Bikeways, Street Reconstruction, and Vision Zero, but not include it as a named project; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends that bond funding for mobility projects be allocated toward defined departmental programs with council-approved plans and equity and needs-based prioritization tools, rather than named projects, to ensure projects can be delivered within the 6-year bond cycle. Appendix A: Bond Recommendation Reference Recommendation Total Vision Zero Safe Routes Transit Bikeways Sidewalks Urban Trails Street Rehab ACT Plan Bridges Neighborhood Partnering EV Charging UTC 20251202-005: 2026 Bond $331.2m $58.7m $20m $11.8m $40m $81m $53.2m - $65.5m BEATF Transportation & Electrification WG Initial $300m $58.7m $20m $7m $40m $81m $35m $8m $42m - - - - $1m $7.3m Project Review Board Initial Draft UTC 20260407-007: 2026 Bond Update $251m $30m $10m $7m $15m $33m $30m $8m $96m $20m $2m $251m $38m $10m $7m $28m $75m $35m $8m $50m - - - - Appendix B: Link to data here. Data through Q1 2026. Bikeways Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 $20,000,000.00 -$275,502.46 $20,275,502.46 101.38% 2018 2020 $40,000,000.00 $9,244,978.751 $30,755,021.25 76.89% Total $60,000,000.00 $8,969,476.295 $51,016,951.49 85.03% Bridges & Structures Allocated Obligated Un-Obligated Obligated % 2016 2018 $50,000,000.00 $13,230,644.42 $36,769,355.58 26.46% 2020 Total $50,000,000.00 $13,230,644.42 $36,769,355.58 26.46% Transit Enhancement Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 2018 2020 $19,000,000.00 $5,311,903.12 $13,688,096.88 72.04% Total $19,000,000.00 $5,311,903.12 $13,688,096.88 72.04% Safe Routes to School Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 $27,500,000.00 $159,977.63 $27,340,022.37 99.42% 2018 2020 $20,000,000.00 $3,209,339.96 $16,790,660.04 83.95% Total $47,500,000.00 $3,369,337.59 $44,130,662.41 92.9% Sidewalks Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 $37,500,000.00 -$257,014.03 $37,766,508.67 100.71% 2018 $20,000,000.00 $1,881.56 $19,998,118.44 99.99% 2020 $80,000,000.00 $6,027,307.32 $73,972,692.68 92.47% Total $137,500,000.00 $5,965,021.916 $131,534,978.09 93.60% Street Reconstruction Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 2018 $66,500,000.00 $3,135,956.87 $63,364,043.13 95.28% 2020 Total $66,500,000.00 $3,135,956.87 $63,364,043.13 95.28% Urban Trails Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 $26,000,000.00 -$141,344.26 $26,141,344.26 100.54% 2018 $3,000,000.00 $1,004,259.42 $1,995,740.58 66.52% 2020 $80,000,000.00 $25,155,375.68 $54,844,624.32 68.56% Total $109,000,000.00 $26,057,699.046 $82,942,300.96 76.09% Vision Zero Allocated Un-Obligated Obligated Obligated % 2016 $15,000,000.00 $30,676.88 $14,969,323.12 99.80% 2018 $15,000,000.00 $1,487,024.07 $13,512,975.93 90.09% 2020 $65,000,000.00 $17,548,952.02 $47,451,047.98 73.00% Total $95,000,000.00 $18,197,308.52 $76,802,691.49 80.84% Motioned by: Commissioner Schumacher Seconded by: Commissioner Fernandes Date of Approval: 4/7/2026 Record of the vote: 8-0 Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign)