[Anderson Mill Road Ribbon Cutting]
[00:00:10]
YOU KNOW, I WAS, UH, RUNNING FOR MAYOR BACK IN, UH, AND THAT OBVIOUSLY IN ELECTION NIGHT, THAT TAKES IT ALL PARTS OF THE CITY, INCLUDING THIS AREA UP HERE.
AND I CAN REMEMBER COMING UP TO THIS AREA TO, TO MEET PEOPLE.
AND IT SEEMED AS IF THE ONE THING PEOPLE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE WAS THE ANDERSON MILL ROAD.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE REST OF THE CITY WAS, WAS FOCUSED ON LOTS OF DIFFERENT ISSUES, BUT UP HERE IT WAS VERY CLEAR.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, BACK IN, UH, 2014, THERE WASN'T REALLY A PATH FORWARD TO GETTING THIS WORK DONE ADVOCACY FROM THE COUNCIL OFFICES.
AND THIS DISTRICT HAS HAD SOME REALLY STRONG ADVOCATES INCLUDING UP TILL TODAY, UM, UH, WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY MAKES SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN WE'RE, UH, JUXTAPOSING PRIORITIES AS THEY EXIST THROUGHOUT THE CITY, PERHAPS MOST, ESPECIALLY IN TRANSPORTATION, BECAUSE THOSE ARE DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN A GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
THIS PROJECT HERE TODAY HAS MONEY THAT CAME FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT BONDS GOING BACK TO 2010 EVEN, BUT THE REAL IMPETUS AND THE REAL FUNDING TO GET THIS WORK DONE WAS THE 20 16 5 THAT WENT BEFORE THE VOTERS AND YOUR WORK HALL AT $720 MILLION.
IT WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED BOND AND SIZE.
IT WAS MORE IN TRANSPORTATION BONDING THAN THIS CITY HAD APPROVED IN THE PRIOR 20 YEARS CUMULATIVELY.
WE WERE GOING AFTER IN 2015, IT WAS AN ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNT WHEN WE LOOK BACK ON IT NOW WITH THE FIVE IN 2018 AND THE BOND, AND, UH, UH, UH, THAT CAME AFTER THAT IN 2020, WITH RESPECT TO TRANSPORTATION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $10 BILLION IN TRANSPORTATION FUNDING, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTY AND OUR REGION HAVE NEEDED.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRAFFIC CHALLENGES, YOU CAN KNOW EXACTLY WHY WE HAVE THOSE CHALLENGES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT IN 2016, THAT FIRST BOND WAS MORE THAN WE HAD DONE THE PROCEEDING 20 YEARS AT 720 MILLION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF WHAT TRANSPORTATION IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S AT A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE WITH $10 BILLION OF PROJECTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD.
THIS IS AN EXCITING PROJECT BECAUSE THIS PROJECT CAPSULATES A LOT OF WHAT IT IS WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH TRANSPORTATION ON OUR RIGHT OF WAYS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
IT'S LOOKING AT THE RIGHT AT THE RIGHT OF WAY OF SAYING, WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS, NOT ON MOVING, NOT ONLY ON MOVING CARS, BUT ON MOVING PEOPLE.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT PEOPLE MOVE IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS AND CARS AND BUSES ON BIKES.
THIS IS A PROJECT THAT BEGINS TO TAKE OUR RIGHT AWAY AND MAXIMIZE THAT SPACE, THAT LIMITED SPACE FOR MOVING THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WAY.
IT IS, IT IS THE KIND OF WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE BEING DONE ON OUR MAJOR TRANSPORTATION THOROUGHFARES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE CAUSE THEY REAL EXCITED TO BE HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, UH, A PROUD DAY FOR THE DISTRICTS.
AND AS I SAID, INCREDIBLY STRONG ADVOCATE.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR IN A SECOND FROM MY FORMER COLLEAGUES SPEAKING ABOUT THIS AS WELL, LOBBYING BACK FOR, FOR, FOR ANDERSON MILL WHEN I WAS STILL RUNNING FOR OFFICE, UH, THE VERY FIRST TIME AND IT HELPED TO KEEP THAT ELEVATED THE COMMUNITY A LONG TIME IN COMING, BUT THE RIGHT PROJECT IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
I WANT TO THANK OUR TRANSPORTATION WHILE I WALK AWAY.
I WANT TO TAKE OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT FOR GETTING THIS DONE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE PUT THEIR SHOULDER TO THIS, TO THIS PROJECT FOR EVERYBODY.
I'M MACKENZIE KELLY, DISTRICT SIX CITY COUNCIL MEMBER.
I'M ALSO THE VICE CHAIR OF OUR MOBILITY COMMITTEE IN NOVEMBER OF 2016.
VOTERS APPROVED THE MOBILITY BOND THAT HELPED MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
TODAY, FIVE YEARS LATER HERE, WHERE WE STAND NOW, THIS PROJECT ON ANDERSON MILL ROAD IS COMPLETE, AND I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER TO BE STANDING HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY WITH IMPROVEMENTS LIKE WIDEN SIDEWALKS FOR
[00:05:01]
ADDED MOBILITY, A PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACON, JUST THAT AWAY.AND, UM, UH, RES MEDIA NEAR THE OWNERS INTERSECTION OF ANDERSON MILL AND 180 3, WHICH HONESTLY, HALF PRICE BOOKS IS A GREAT PLACE TO GO.
AND PEOPLE LIKE TO CUT ACROSS THE ANDERSON MILL.
SO NOW WE CAN PREVENT TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS RIGHT THERE.
I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS REALLY AMAZING TO BE HERE TODAY.
I GRADUATED FROM WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AND MY SCHOOL BUS WOULD GO UP AND DOWN ANDERSON MILL.
AND AT TIMES IT WAS PRETTY TREACHEROUS.
SO TO SEE THESE IMPROVEMENTS AND TO KNOW THAT THEY BECAME A REALITY, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE TO GET HERE TODAY, BUT BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PREVIOUS WORK, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT IN AUSTIN IS DIFFERENT, BUT SAFETY AND MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO NOW I WANT TO INTRODUCE A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, JIMMY FLANNIGAN, WHO HELPED MAKE THIS POSSIBLE AS WELL.
UH, I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER TO BE STANDING HERE TODAY TO SEE THIS PROJECT COME TO FRUITION.
IT WAS VERY CLEARLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I WAS DOING WHILE I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER, EVEN BEFORE WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER, AS THE MAYOR SAID, THIS PROJECT REALLY STARTED WITH AN INITIAL CONVERSATION FROM A FAMILY THAT LIVES IN THE ANDERSON MILL NEIGHBORHOOD WHO HAD A CHILD WITH MOBILITY ISSUES, TRYING TO GET ON THE BUS, HAVING TO WALK THROUGH DITCHES, WALK THROUGH DIRT WITH MOBILITY CHALLENGES ALL THE WAY.
AND IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THE CITY WAS GOING TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS CORNER OF THE, OF, OF THE CITY, A LONG SERIES OF MAYORS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT PREDATE MAYOR ADLER, UH, ANNEXED THIS PART OF TOWN, BUT PROVIDED VERY LITTLE SERVICE TO IT IN THOSE YEARS.
AND WE WERE ABLE AFTER TEN ONE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WORK, TO HOLD COMMUNITY MEETINGS, TO CONDUCT.
WHAT, WHAT I LOVINGLY CALLED A CITIZEN LED CORRIDOR STUDY THE FIRST EVER ROB SPILLER, I THINK THE FIRST EVER CITIZEN LED CORRIDOR STUDY TO ACTUALLY GET THIS WORK OFF THE GROUND AND PREPARE IT FOR THE 2016 BOND THAT MAYOR ADLER AND THE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME HAD PREPARED.
AND I THINK THAT BOND WAS MOVED FORWARD.
TEN ONE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THE VOTE THAT DAY.
AND NOW HERE WE ARE YEARS LATER, MANY, MANY PUBLIC MEETINGS, MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS AND EVERY PERSON I SPOKE TO IN ANDERSON MILL IN BALCONY'S WOODS IN ALL THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND HERE SAY, THIS IS THE GREATEST TRANSPORTATION PROJECT THAT THEY HAVE EVER SEEN.
BIKE WAYS, TURN LANES, MEDIANS.
IF YOU LIVE IN THIS PART OF TOWN AND YOU SAY THE INTERSECTION WITH THE STARBUCKS, THEY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S HAD AN ACCIDENT THERE THAT WILL NOW END.
SO ALL THINGS IN THE WORLD TO THIS AMAZING COMMUNITY WHO REALLY MADE THIS HAPPEN SO MANY YEARS AGO TO MAYOR ADLER IN THE COUNCIL WHO PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT IN 2016 FOR A PART OF TOWN THAT RARELY EVER VOTES FOR BONDS VOTING FOR THE 2016 BOND AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT.
AND SO MANY OTHERS, AND TWO, THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF WHO WORKS SO CLOSELY WITH ME AND MY, AND MY, UH, UH, THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT SIX, TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PROJECT HAD OPENED TODAY.
AND THIS IS JUST AN AMAZING DAY FOR DISTRICT SIX AND FOR AUSTIN.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU ALL FOR SHOWING UP MY NAME'S ROBERT SPILLER.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND CHAR COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR HELPING US GET THE FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT.
YOU CAN SEE THE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITY OUT HERE.
WE'VE ALREADY HAD JOGGERS GO BY.
WE SEEN A BUS GO BY EARLIER TODAY AND OF COURSE THE VEHICLES USE THIS IMPORTANT CORRIDOR.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT CORRIDOR FOR US.
AND IT HAS BEEN FOR A LONG TIME, AS THE MAYOR SAID, YOU KNOW, FOR A LONG TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE FUNDING.
AND IN 2016, WE STARTED A PROCESS TO REALLY MORE MONEY INTO MOBILITY THAN WE PUT TOGETHER IN AUSTIN OR INVESTED IN AUSTIN FOR 20 YEARS.
UH, THAT HOPEFULLY IS A SIGN OF WHERE WE HAD OUR, WHERE WE'RE GOING.
AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE'VE NOW HAVE 10 BILLION WITH A B DOLLARS WORTH OF INVESTMENT IN MOBILITY GOING ON JUST FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE.
UH, IF YOU COUNT, UH, THERE'S PROBABLY ANOTHER 10 BILLION OF REGIONAL STATE AND FEDERAL MONIES ALSO INVESTED.
AUSTIN HAS NEVER HAD SO MUCH MOBILITY INVESTMENTS GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME IN THE COMING YEARS, THAT WILL BECOME THE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IS HOW DO WE MANAGE ALL THOSE PROJECTS AT THE SAME TIME, WHAT A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE FOR A CHANGE.
AND SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND ALSO TO THE CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN THAT HAD THE TRUST IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, UH, TO ALLOW US TO DO THIS ON YOUR BEHALF, THANK YOU TO MY STAFF AND THE STAFF OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL THE REALLY HARD WORK.
UH, IT'S A PROCESS FOLKS, AND IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE TOMORROW.
YOU'LL FIND SOMETHING ELSE OUT HERE ON THIS CORRIDOR THAT NEEDS
[00:10:01]
TO BE ADDRESSED.DON'T BE AFRAID TO CALL 3, 1, 1, AND LET US KNOW ABOUT IT.
UH, WE WILL START TO PRIORITIZE THE NEXT SET OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THESE CORRIDORS.
IT IS SORT OF THE NATURE OF THE BEAST, UH, WITH THAT.
I WANT TO BRING UP ERIC, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
LET HIM INTRODUCE HIMSELF, BUT AS YOU CAN TELL, I THINK WE'RE PRETTY GOOD ROADWAY ENGINEERS.
SORRY ABOUT THE LOSS OF THE SPEAKER TODAY.
I NOTICED EVERYBODY LEANING IN EARLIER.
HEY, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SHELL FOR SHOWING UP TODAY.
I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS OVER AT CAPITAL PROJECT DELIVERY.
AND ON THE BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE WORKED TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS IN ONSET TRANSPORTATION, AS WELL AS WATER SET PROTECTION TO DELIVER THIS PROJECT, MANAGING THE DESIGN CONSTRUCTION AND INSPECTION OF THIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MOBILITY PROJECT.
IT BRINGS MUCH NEEDED, UM, SAFETY AND MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS TO A CRITICAL CORRIDOR IN AUSTIN ENHANCING TRAFFIC EFFICIENCY, BOTH FOR VEHICLES AS WELL AS PEDESTRIANS AND PROVIDING CONTINUOUS PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING PATHS ALONG ANDERSON MILL ROAD.
DESIGNED FOR THIS PROJECT STARTED, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO WITH CONSTRUCTION STARTING SHORTLY AFTER THE PANDEMIC HIT, WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT ITS OWN UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES.
A REDUCTION IN TRAFFIC MADE SOME THINGS EASIER.
HOWEVER, ADAPTING TO COVID PROTOCOLS AND WORKING UNDER NEW RESTRICTIONS WERE A CHALLENGE FOR EVERYONE.
AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND WATERSHED ALL WORK SEAMLESSLY TO DELIVER THIS PROJECT ONE MONTH AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND WITHIN THE PROJECT BUDGET TO HELP MOVE THINGS ALONG THE CONSTRUCTION CREWS PAVED AT NIGHT, WHICH SAVED ABOUT THREE WEEKS ON THE SCHEDULE.
AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR OUR CONTRACTORS FLEXIBILITY AND, UM, EFFORTS TO HELP US COMPLETE THIS MULTI-PHASE PROJECT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
AGAIN, WE PARTNERED WITH WATERSHED TO INSTALL THE RAIN GARDENS THAT YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE, UM, WHICH PROVIDES, UH, DETENTION PONDS TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF POLLUTANTS AND ENHANCE THE WATER QUALITY GOING INTO AUSTIN'S CREEKS.
THESE FEATURES MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT BY MINIMIZING FLOODING IMPACTS IN OUR WATERWAYS AND STORM DRAIN SYSTEMS. THE RAIN GARDENS ARE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY BY REMOVING SUSPENDED, SOLIDS BACTERIA, NUTRIENTS, AND METALS FROM THE WATERWAYS.
ADDITIONALLY, MORE THAN A HUNDRED TREES AND 3000 PLANTS WERE PLANTED WHILE PRESERVING THE EXISTING TREES ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
WE'RE PROUD TO INCLUDE THESE SUSTAINABLE COMPONENTS ALONG WITH THE SAFETY MOBILITY TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE REALLY THE KEY, UH, ASPECTS OF THIS PROJECT.
IN ADDITION TO THE RAISED MEDIANS AND TURN LANES THAT YOU CAN SEE IN THE STREET RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, WE'VE INSTALLED TWO MILES OF SHARED USE SIDEWALK AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS, AS WELL AS A PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACON TO FACILITATE THE CROSSING OF ANDERSON MILL ROAD.
AGAIN, I WANT TO JUST GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, AS WELL AS WATERSHED PROTECTION TEAMS THAT ALL PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE AGAIN, IN DELIVERING THIS VERY EXCITING AND VERY NEEDED PROJECT ON BUDGET AND AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK ROB AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND MAYOR'S OFFICES FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING THIS PROJECT, ENSURING THE FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE AND, AND HELPING US TO DELIVER THIS MUCH NEEDED IMPROVEMENT TO THE CITY.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.