[00:00:04]
I'M ON CALL TO ORDER THE, UH, WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE PRESENT VIRTUALLY, UH, B AND SO WE HAVE, UH, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A QUORUM.
IT'S NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
WE ARE MEETING IN THIS WORK SESSION IN THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AND THAT'S AT AUSTIN CITY HALL, 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UM, MEMBERS, THE, THE ORDER THAT I ANTICIPATE WILL GO IN IS WE WILL GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE CLOSED SESSION, UH, AS SOON AS I'VE TALKED MY WAY THROUGH THIS, UH, ORDER THAT WE'RE GOING IN, UH, THE NEXT THING WE WILL DO IS BRING UP THE PROJECT CONNECT BRIEFING AND ANY DISCUSSION RELATED TO POOLED ITEM NUMBER 72.
WE WILL THEN HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE RESILIENCE OFFICER'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND STRATEGY.
WE WILL THEN HAVE A DISCUSSION OR BRIEFING ON ITEMS 36, THEN 45, AND THEN 71.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? ALL RIGHT.
[E. Executive Session]
WILL NOW GO INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP ONE ITEM PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 51 0.07, ONE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.THE CITY COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO E ONE PROJECT CONNECT.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE ITEM THAT WAS ANNOUNCED? HEARING NONE, THE COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
UH, I DON'T ANTICIPATE THIS TAKING A FULL HOUR, BUT ANTICIPATE THAT WHAT WE WILL DO IS TAKE UP THE PROJECT CONNECT BRIEFING AT 10 O'CLOCK OR EARLIER, BUT WE WILL, WE WILL DO EVERYTHING.
IF, IF WE'RE NOT DONE BY 10 O'CLOCK, WE WILL COME OUT AND WE'LL START THE BRIEFING AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
WELL, I'M GONNA CALL BACK TO ORDER THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
UH, IT IS 10:12 AM UH, WE ARE OUT OF OUR EXECUTIVE.
WE'RE CLOSED SESSION, UH, MEMBERS
[B1. Project Connect Briefing]
BEFORE WE GET TO DISCUSSING, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND, AND HEARING THIS BRIEFING, UH, LET'S JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT, UH, THAT AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, UH, DID SURVIVE THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, LEGISLATION WAS FILED DURING THIS SESSION.
UH, THE SESSION ENDED YESTERDAY, AND THE LEGISLATION WAS FILED WAS EXPRESSLY INTENDED TO OVERTURN THE WILL OF AUSTIN VOTERS AND KILL PROJECT CONNECT.
THERE WERE MULTIPLE REASONS GIVEN, UH, THEY SHIFTED FROM THE FILING OF THE LEGISLATION ALL THE WAY UP TO LAST WEEK.
BUT THE GOAL WAS ALWAYS TO PREVENT PROJECT COM CONNECT.
UH, IT WAS ADMITTED TO US, AND IT WAS EVIDENCED BY HOW THE BILL PROGRESSED THROUGHOUT THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
WE NEGOTIATED IN GOOD FAITH WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF PROTECTING THIS LONG SOUGHT COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
UH, IF THE DEAL THAT WAS MADE IN THE HOUSE HAD BEEN HONORED, THERE WOULD BE LEGISLATION TODAY, BUT AS I SAID, UH, THAT DIDN'T GO ALONG WITH WHAT EVERYBODY WAS ATTEMPTING TO DO, UH, WHICH WAS, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T GO FORWARD WITH PROJECT CONNECT.
UH, THERE WAS A HAZEL, UH, UH, HASTILY DRAFTED ATTORNEY GENERAL ADVISORY OPINION, UH, THAT WHILE THAT ISN'T LAW, IT WAS TO TRY TO, IT WAS USED TO JUSTIFY A PROPOSED AMENDMENT THAT ESSENTIALLY REWROTE THE HOUSE VERSION OF THE BILL AND WOULD'VE PROHIBITED THE LAWFUL FINANCING OF AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL.
WE WORKED WITH REPRESENTATIVE BUSEY AND THE HOUSE DELEGATION, AND WE WERE ABLE TO STOP THAT AMENDED VERSION OF THE BILL.
AND, AND NOW MAYBE IRONICALLY, WE HAVE A CLEAR PATH FORWARD.
THANKS TO THAT SAME ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINION AND ADVICE, UM, THE GOVERNOR HAS CALLED A SPECIAL SESSION.
THIS ISSUE IS NOT ON THE GOVERNOR'S CALL, HOWEVER, WE WILL BE VIGILANT.
UH, WE COULD ALSO, AND WE ANTICIPATE, SEE LITIGATION, UH, PARTICULARLY FROM THOSE WHO, UH, LOST THE ELECTION IN 2020 AND ATTEMPTED TO USE THE LEGISLATURE TO UNDERMINE THE WILL OF THE VOTERS.
BUT FOR NOW, UH, WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, UH, TAKE MATURE, THOUGHTFUL ACTION TO MOVE THE VOTER'S VISION FORWARD PROMPTLY, AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN LIGHT RAIL IS UP AND RUNNING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
THE AUSTIN RIGHT LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY IS THE JOINT RECOMMENDATION, THE JOINT RECOMMENDATION OF THE STAFF FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CAPITAL
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METRO AND ATP.TODAY, WE'LL HAVE AT THE TABLE TABLE BRIEFING US ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS OF PLANNING AND OR ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE AND WORKING ON BIG COMPLEX TRANSIT PROJECTS.
UH, OF COURSE YOU CAN ADD TO THAT THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDRED MORE YEARS OF STAFF AND CONSULTANT EXPERTISE THAT'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS.
THIS RECOMMENDATION THAT WE'RE HEARING IS BASED ON THEIR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, AS WELL AS THE EXTENSIVE PUBLIC FEEDBACK THAT WAS RECEIVED DURING THE SIX WEEK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
ON MARCH 21ST, WE STARTED WITH FIVE ALIGNMENT OPTIONS, PLUS TWO WAYS TO CROSS THE LAKE, AND A KEY DECISION ABOUT WHETHER LIGHT RAIL WOULD BE ELEVATED THROUGH DOWNTOWN OR RUN ALONG THE STREETS.
MORE THAN 7,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WEIGHED IN ON THESE OPTIONS OVER THE COURSE OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, AND WITH ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS, THIS OPTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT EMERGES THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR THE JOINT STAFFS.
IN ADDITION, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS ALSO ENDORSED THIS OPTION, AND AFTER THE STAFF PRESENTATION WILL CALL UP THE CHAIR OF THE CAC TO DISCUSS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CAC.
UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, STAFF HAS DONE ALL THREE STAFFS.
EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS HAS DONE A STELLAR JOB OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS TO DEVELOP THE OPTIONS FOR LIGHT RAIL AND TO ENGAGE IN THE COMMUNITY ON WHAT OPTION WILL WORK BEST.
AND I WANT TO THANK THEM BEFORE WE EVEN GET STARTED FOR THEIR GREAT WORK DONE UNDER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TAKEN ON AN ENDEAVOR AS BIG AND COMPLEX AS DELIVERING A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
WE HAVE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE.
THIS IS AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE, AND WE ALL NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE.
WE NEED TO BE NIMBLE, AND WE NEED TO BE OPEN TO NEW INFORMATION SO THAT WE DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF DELIVERING, UH, LIGHT RAIL TO OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT, UH, IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO BE AT THIS POINT.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER, UH, TO THE PANEL TO GIVE US THE BRIEFING.
UH, ANIQUE BOK WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE.
UM, MAYOR AND COUNSEL, WE'RE PLEASED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING.
UM, AS THE MAYOR POINTED OUT, UH, THE TRI-PARTY STAFF, WE HAVE ANDY S SCHABOWSKI FROM CAPITAL METRO, JENNIFER PINE AND LINDSEY WOOD FROM AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, AND MYSELF, UM, FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN HERE TO PRESENT, UM, THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
TO YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION ALSO HERE, UM, IS COURTNEY CHAVEZ, WHO LED OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OVER THE LAST, UM, LAST TWO MONTHS, REALLY, AS WELL AS PETER MULLEN, CHIEF OF ARCHITECTURE FOR ATP AND ANNA MARTIN FROM TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORK.
SHOULD THERE BE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON THOSE ITEMS? AND I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO LINDSEY TO GET US STARTED.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
WE ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF AUSTIN'S LIGHT RAIL.
WE'RE GOING TO START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THIS RECOMMENDATION AND THEN TALK ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE AND THE RATIONALE BEHIND IT.
SO THIS, THIS FIRST PHASE, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL IS WITHIN A DEDICATED TRANSIT WAY IN, IN THE ENTIRE LIMITS OF THIS, FROM 38TH STREET ALONG GUADALUPE CONTINUING SOUTH AND TURNING ON THIRD STREET TO THEN CONNECT AT TRINITY AND CROSS LADY BIRD LAKE AND CONTINUE SOUTH TO OLTORF ON SOUTH CONGRESS AND TO THE EAST TO YELLOW JACKET ALONG EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE.
THIS OPTION HAS COVERAGE TO THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, AND THE EAST, LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE EXTENSIONS AND INCLUDES CONNECTIONS TO KEY DESTINATIONS AND ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE WAY, INCLUDING HEALTHCARE AT THE MEDICAL DISTRICT ALONG, UH, NEAR 38TH EDUCATION, BOTH AT UT AND ACC RIVERSIDE EMPLOYMENT AT KEY EMPLOYMENT CENTERS IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ALONG THE CORRIDORS AND HOUSING, UH, INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS OPTION IS ON STREET, AS YOU CAN SEE IN SOME OF THESE PICTURES HERE, CREATING A VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM THAT PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO REALLY SEE HOW THEY CAN CONNECT TO.
AND ALSO, AS I MENTIONED, THE CROSSING AT TRINITY STREET ACROSS LADYBIRD LAKE.
SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE.
UH, WE STARTED THIS PROCESS WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS.
[00:10:01]
WAS BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF COLLABORATION ACROSS THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE OF THE ATP CAT, METRO AND CITY STAFF.AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, WAS INFORMED BY COMMUNITY INPUT AND REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT PROCESS OF HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, IN THAT SIX WEEK ENGAGEMENT PERIOD, WHICH WE KICKED OFF ON MARCH 21ST, WE PRESENTED FIVE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF AUSTIN'S LIGHT RAIL.
WE CONDUCTED MORE THAN 90, UH, MEETINGS DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, AND INTERACTIONS WITH MORE THAN 8,000 PEOPLE, AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE WHAT WAS VIRTUAL AND ON OUR WEBSITE WITH NEARLY 20,000 VIEWS.
AND WE ULTIMATELY RECEIVED, UH, MORE THAN 5,000 FORMAL COMMENTS.
WE, UH, USED MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND ONE OF, UM, AT LEAST MY GREATEST SORTS, UH, SOURCES OF PRIDE DURING THIS PROCESS WAS THE REPEATED CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD WITH PEOPLE.
WE DIDN'T TALK TO PEOPLE JUST ONCE, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THOSE COMMUNITIES AND, AND AREAS, UH, WHERE THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, DEEP CONCERNS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS, WE CAME BACK TIME AND TIME AGAIN AND CONTINUED TO LISTEN TO THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT.
IN SOME CASES, IN MANY CASES, THINK ABOUT THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND CAME BACK TO THOSE CITIZENS WITH AS MANY ANSWERS AS WE COULD POSSIBLY PROVIDE.
AND THAT LED US TO A PLACE OF HAVING ALIGNMENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS THIS RECOMMENDATION.
AND AS HIGHLIGHTED HERE, WE HEARD FROM SEVERAL GROUPS THAT ACTUALLY REACHED THE SAME CONCLUSION THAT WE DID.
WE DID NOT ASK ANY OF THESE GROUPS TO SUBMIT A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION.
AND WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME THAT THEY INVESTED IN THEIR OWN ANALYSIS OF CONSIDERING THE DATA AND, AND ALL OF THE OPTIONS IN FRONT OF THEM, AND, AND HOW THEY REALLY ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES, UH, AND, AND WORKED WITH US AND ASKED US SOME REALLY HARD QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY THAT HELPED US COME TO THE RIGHT OUTCOME FOR OUR COMMUNITY, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HIGHLIGHT OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THAT THAT CHALLENGED US AND PULLED US FORWARD AND, AND HELPED US REACH AN OPTION THAT WE FEEL BEST SERVES THIS COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, JEN, UH, IS GOING TO TALK US THROUGH SOME OF THE RATIONALE AND THE PLANNING DATA BEHIND THIS RECOMMENDATION.
UH, SO ONE OF THE KEY MISSIONS OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOBS, FOR EDUCATION, FOR HEALTHCARE.
UM, SO TO THINK ABOUT THAT WE CONSIDERED OVERALL RIDERSHIP, BUT WE ALSO CONSIDERED THE COMPOSITION OF THAT RIDERSHIP AND WHO AND WHERE WE WOULD BE SERVING ALONG THE LINE.
SO WITH THE RECOMMENDED PROJECT, ONE OF OUR GOALS WAS TO SERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY AND TO SERVE AREAS WITH, UH, POPULATIONS WITH LOWER INCOMES TO SERVE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ONLY USING TRANSIT NOW, BUT WHO WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM TRANSIT, UM, THAT IS CONVENIENT AND WILL CONNECT THEM TO JOBS AND OTHER DESTINATIONS ACROSS AUSTIN.
UM, SO TO, TO DO THAT WORK, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY, UM, WITH OUR, OUR, UH, TRI-PARTY TEAM, BUT ALSO WITH THE CITY'S DEPARTMENTS OF PLANNING AND HOUSING, UM, TO CONSIDER THESE TOPICS.
SO THE, THE PRINCIPLE OF, UM, PROVIDING SERVICE TO AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY, UH, UNDERINVESTED IN WAS ONE WE WERE THOUGHTFUL OF THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, THAT IS A CONSIDERATION THAT IS IN OUR JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT THAT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS OUTCOMES FOR THOSE PRIORITY POPULATIONS.
BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD VERY CLEARLY.
UM, IN THE PUBLIC INPUT, WE HEARD THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, PRINCIPLE TO BE SERVED.
SO OVERALL, UH, TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, POPULATION DENSITY IN JOBS BOTH NOW AND IN THE FUTURE, UM, A KEY GOAL FOR US WITH THIS, UH, PROJECT WAS TO CONNECT AREAS OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITY WITH JOBS AND WITH, UM, HISTORICALLY UNDERINVESTED AREAS, AND TO KNIT THEM TOGETHER IN CENTRAL AUSTIN.
ANOTHER KEY PRINCIPLE FOR US WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW THE LIGHT RAIL WOULD FIT INTO THE EXISTING AND THE FUTURE TRANSIT NETWORK.
OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A REALLY WELL WORKING INTERCONNECTED TRANSIT NETWORK, UM, WITH LIGHT RAIL AS A PART THAT IS FEEDING THE BUS NETWORK AND THE BUS NETWORK IN TURN FEEDS IT.
UM, SO THIS IS A KEY PART REALLY, OF TRYING TO MEET THE GOAL, THE MODE SHIFT GOALS THAT ARE LAID OUT IN THE AS P, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE SERVICE THAT'S VERY CONVENIENT TO AS
[00:15:01]
MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, UH, THAT'S GOING TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO CHOOSE TRANSIT.UH, IN PARTICULAR, THIS, UM, THE, THE RECOMMENDED PROJECT MAKES SOME KEY CONNECTIONS THAT WE THINK ARE IMPORTANT.
UH, ONE IS WITH, UH, THE METRO RAPID SERVICE, UM, SOME OF WHICH EXISTS, BUT ALSO, UH, CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, PARTICULARLY AT PLEASANT VALLEY AND RIVERSIDE.
UH, ALSO WITH THE TRINITY CROSSING, THAT ALLOWS US TO, UH, CLOSELY CONNECT WITH THE RED LINE AND THE FUTURE GREEN LINE COMMUTER SERVICE AT DOWNTOWN STATION.
UH, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO ANDY.
UM, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL, UH, SPECIFIC TO THE CORINGS AT TRINITY AND FIRST STREET.
UM, THE TRINITY COSING, AS SAID, GIVES US GOOD CONNECTIVITY BOTH TO THE RED LINE AND THE FUTURE GREEN LINE, AS WELL AS ALSO TO THE GO LINE.
IT PROVIDES FOR MORE STATIONS, WHICH WILL ALLOW US SOME BETTER CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN OUR EXISTING BUS NETWORK, UM, AND THE NEW LIGHT RAIL LINE.
AND AS WE MOVE OVER TO FIRST STREET, UH, FIRST STREET CROSSING, UH, AS WE TOOK A LOOK AT IT, IT'S ALREADY A VERY COMPLEX, UM, UH, COURSING.
THERE'S A LOT OF BUS TRAFFIC ALREADY, OR BUS MOVEMENTS ALREADY ON THAT ALIGNMENT.
UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF VEHICLE USE OTHER MODES, USES, USES THERE AS YOU COURSE CAESAR CHAVEZ.
CAESAR CHAVEZ IS TODAY A PINCH POINT IN THE CITY, AND WE THOUGHT AS WE LOOKED INTO IT AND WE ADDED LIGHT RAIL TO THAT, THAT'LL BE VERY IMPACTFUL TO THAT, THAT THAT INTERSECTION ON BOTH THE NORTH SHORE AT THE CAESAR CHAVES SIDE, AS WELL AS ON THE SOUTH SIDE WHERE IN THE ALIGNMENTS WE WERE LOOKING AT, WE ACTUALLY GET SOME CONFLICTING MOVEMENTS BETWEEN LIGHT RAIL, BUSES AND VEHICLES.
AND AS THE OPERATING ENTITY OF THE, OF THE TRIBE PARTY, IT, IT, IT BRUNG US PAUSE AND THE, AND THE AMOUNT OF IMPACT THAT WE WOULD CAUSE, NOT ONLY TO THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM AND ITS RELIABILITY, BUT ALSO IN CASES WHERE SOMETHING MIGHT ACC HAVE GONE WRONG, EITHER WITH A VEHICLE SIDE OR ON A, ON A LIGHT RAIL SIDE, THE GENERAL IMPACT TO THE CITY ITSELF.
WE FELT THAT THE, OF THE TWO CROSSINGS OF TRINITY WAS MUCH LESS IMPACTFUL THAN THAT AT FIRST STREET.
WITH THAT, TURN IT BACK TO JEN.
SO AS YOU SEE HERE WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A, A FEW OF THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS FIRST PHASE, AND THEN ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT AND WHAT, UM, WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED AS PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.
SO IN THIS FIRST PHASE, LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR EXPANSION IN ALL THREE DIRECTIONS, NORTH, SOUTH, AND EAST.
AND AS PART OF THAT, GETTING AS CLOSE AS WE CAN TO THE AIRPORT TO FACILITATE A CONNECTION THERE.
AND THAT IS ONE THING THAT WE HEARD, UH, ALMOST UNIVERSALLY, UH, ACROSS, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE, UM, GROUPS IN THE, THE COMMUNITY.
WHEN ASKED THAT QUESTION OF, UM, PRIORITIZING AIRPORT CONNECTIVITY, MANY DIDN'T PRIORITIZE IT NECESSARILY AS THE FIRST PHASE, BUT THEY ALL THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT AND WANTED TO KIND OF HAVE A PATHWAY TO MAKING THAT CONNECTION.
UH, AND, AND THIS OPTION BUILDS NEW INFRASTRUCTURE TO SERVE HISTORICALLY UNDERINVESTED AREAS AND CONNECT PEOPLE WITH JOBS AS WELL AS CREATING NEW ONES.
SO THE EXTENSIONS THAT YOU SEE HIGHLIGHTED HERE, THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS INCLUDE A SEGMENT FROM 38TH TO CRESTVIEW, AS WELL AS FROM YELLOW JACKET TO THE AIRPORT.
THESE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS WERE BASED ON RECURRING THEMES FROM COMMUNITY INPUT AND PRIORITIES, AND WHAT WE HEARD WAS IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
UH, THEY ALSO ARE IDENTIFIED BASED ON OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE WITH OTHER PLANNED REGIONAL PROJECTS, SUCH AS THE RED LINE GRADE SEPARATION AT CRESTVIEW, AND, AND LOWERING THAT, UM, THAT CAP METRO IS ACTIVELY SEEKING FUNDING TO CONSTRUCT IN THE FUTURE AND THE AIRPORT EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, AND FINDING A WAY TO CREATE AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR MULTIMODAL CUSTOMERS.
UH, THE, THE OTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT THESE EXTENSIONS CAN PRESENT IS TO LEVERAGE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE THESE EXTENSIONS POTENTIALLY INTO THE FIRST PHASE.
UH, SO THAT LEAVES US WITH OUR, OUR NEXT STEPS AS HIGHLIGHTED HERE.
UM, WE, UH, HAVE THE COUNCIL MEETING THIS WEEK ON THE FIRST, THE CAT METRO BOARD WORK SESSION, WHERE WE WILL PRESENT THIS RECOMMENDATION TO THE CAT METRO BOARD THIS FRIDAY, AND THEN OUR JOINT PARTNERSHIP MEETING ON JUNE 6TH.
AND WITH THAT, WE STAND, UH, READY AND AVAILABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER, CADRE? GREAT.
WELL, YOU KNOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'M
[00:20:01]
SO EXCITED THEY'RE, WE'RE AT THIS POINT, UH, AND I'M, I'M VERY GRATEFUL, UH, TO Y'ALL, UH, TO ATP TO CAP METRO FOR EVERYONE WHO'S PLAYED THEIR PART, UH, IN, IN MAKING THIS, UH, LIGHT RAIL DREAM, YOU KNOW, THAT MUCH CLOSER OF, OF BEING A REALITY IN THE CITY.UH, I THINK THE PROPOSED ALIGNMENT GETS US MORE TO MORE PARTS OF TOWN.
LAYS LAYS THE FOUNDATION TO BUILD OUT A BIGGER NETWORK AND CREATE BETTER CONNECTIONS AND ACCESS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE OF THE CITY.
AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTING DISTRICT NINE, UH, REPRESENTING THE DOWNTOWN, UH, PROBABLY THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, PIECE OF OUR RIGHT OF OUR LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM IS THE DOWNTOWN SECTION.
UH, I THINK EVERYTHING HINGES IN HOW WE GET PEOPLE INTO AND OUT OF AND AROUND OVER DOWNTOWN.
UH, YOU KNOW, FOR DECADES WE'VE PRIORITIZED DRIVING OVER ALL OTHER MODES, AND I THINK THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO REALLY FLIP THE SCRIPT.
SO I, I REALLY WANT ONCE AGAIN, WANNA SAY THANK YOU, UH, FOR ALL Y'ALL Y'ALL'S HARD WORK.
I THINK BOTH OF THE PROPOSED ALIGNMENTS IN DOWNTOWN WILL BE FAR BETTER, UH, THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
UH, BUT, BUT I HAVE, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM HAVE TO DO WITH THE DECISION TO CROSS ALONG TRINITY, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW THE, HOW THE DECISION TO CROSS ALONG TRINITY WAS MADE AND WHY IT WAS MADE, UH, NOW RATHER THAN LATER.
UH, BUT I I, FOR REALLY QUICK QUESTIONS, OR THEY MIGHT BE LONG QUESTIONS, THEY MIGHT NOT BE THAT QUICK.
UH, QUESTION NUMBER ONE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT STILL REMAINS UNCLEAR TO ME HOW Y'ALL ADDRESS THE LAKE CROSSINGS IN THE, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
SO IF Y'ALL CAN KIND OF TALK ON THAT.
WE STARTED THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UH, NOT INTENDING TO NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE LOCATION OF THE LAKE CROSSINGS, UM, THINKING THAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW MORE.
AND THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THAT SITUATION EVOLVED.
UH, WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY, WE WERE ASKED A LOT OF HARD QUESTIONS THAT REQUIRED US TO DO MORE ANALYSIS AND TO DIVE INTO A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES.
AND BY THE COMPLETION OF THIS ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, WE, UH, HEARD FEEDBACK FROM MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS, AND ALSO THROUGH OUR OWN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS TO HELP ANSWER MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED.
WE HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT, UH, THE, THERE ARE SOME STARK DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNITY OUTCOMES AND ULTIMATELY IN OUR, OUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE BELIEVE THAT THE TRINITY CROSSING BEST SERVES THOSE COMMUNITY OUTCOMES WITH A, A CLOSER CONNECTION TO THE RED LINE WITH, UH, CLOSER ACCESS TO BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND EMPLOYMENT DENSITIES AND PROJECTED GROWTH ON THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
AND ALSO AVOIDING THOSE BUS AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONAL IMPACTS THAT ANDY MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EARLIER AT THE SOUTH FIRST CROSSING OPTION THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN DO YOU GUYS HAVE A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE CO OF THE COST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CROSSING OPTIONS? SO OUR, OUR DRAFT COST ESTIMATES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN A RANGE THAT CAN ACCOUNT FOR, UM, WELL MANY UNKNOWNS AT THIS EARLY LEVEL OF DESIGN AND CAN ACCOUNT FOR EITHER RIVER CROSSING OPTION.
THE TRINITY CROSSING IS ROUGHLY A QUARTER OF A MILE LONGER OVERALL IF YOU TRULY COMPARE THEM APPLES TO APPLES AND USE ALL COMMON END POINTS.
SO IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER, BUT NOT MATERIALLY SO TO IMPACT OUR ABILITY, UH, TO ACCOMPLISH OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT OUTSIDE OF, OF THIS DOWNTOWN SEGMENT.
SO THEY ARE ALL WITHIN THAT COST RANGE FOR EITHER CROSSING LOCATION.
UM, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO GET OUR OFFICES THE, THE ANALYSIS OF THE COST DIFFERENCES? UH, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND YES.
ANSWER GREAT QUESTIONS ON THOSE DIFFERENCES.
UM, HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THESE 90 DEGREE TURNS WITHOUT DRASTICALLY SLOWING DOWN SERVICES? IS THAT IS A WORRY AND A QUESTION OF MINE ACTUALLY.
ANDY, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT FROM AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE? I THINK FIRST OFF, I THINK FIRST OFF, ONE THING IS TO, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS OF MITIGATING THOSE CURVES AS BEST WE CAN MM-HMM.
UM, THE USE OF, UM, LEADING INTO TECHNOLOGY, UTILIZING GOOD OF SIGNAL SYSTEM AND A RAIL SIDE THAT INTER, INTER, UM, INTER WORKS WELL WITH THE EXISTING INTERSECTION NETWORK AND, UH, CIVILIZATION WITHIN OUR CITY.
UM, LEARNING FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S MISTAKES, OTHER AGENCIES THAT RUN AT GRADE AND LEARNING FROM WHAT THEY DID RIGHT.
AND TAKING THOSE EXPERIENCES OF THE TRI PARTY AND EVERY, ALL WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD TO, TO MAKE SURE IN THE DESIGN PHASE WE'D LOOK AND TAKE CARE OF THOSE THINGS.
[00:25:01]
UM, IT, IT, A LOT HAS TO DO WITH NOW IN THE DESIGN PROCESS REALLY DIGGING IN AND FULLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE GOTTA DO AND HOW WE HANDLE THE CURVES AND HOW WE BEST, UM, USE TECHNOLOGY ON THE TRAIN TO SPEAK TO TECHNOLOGY ON THE TR ON THE INTERSECTION SIDE TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THOSE TWO CURVES.I HOPE I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.
UH, AND THEN, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION ARE, ARE THE PROPOSED STATION LOCATIONS, ARE THEY SET IN STONE OR IS THERE, YOU KNOW, IS THERE MORE FLUIDITY IN THAT AND THEY'RE SUBJECT TO CHANGE? IF, IF, IF POSSIBLE? UH, I'LL RESPOND TO THAT ONE.
UM, THERE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED GENERALIZED STATION LOCATIONS, BUT WE ARE AT A VERY EARLY STAGE OF DESIGN, AND SO WE ANTICIPATE DOING QUITE A BIT OF REFINEMENT OF EXACTLY WHERE THE ST UH, STATIONS FIT IN AND, UH, THE ALIGNMENT AS DESIGN PROGRESSES.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON AL ALTER.
GOOD MORNING AND APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT HAS GONE TO GET US HERE TODAY AND, AND THIS EVOLUTION.
I DID WANNA ASK, UM, ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN AREA, UM, AND THE LACK OF A STOP BETWEEN CONGRESS AND 15TH STREET, WHICH SEEMS TO BE SOMEWHAT LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE, AT LEAST IN BLOCKS, IT MAY NOT BE GEOGRAPHICALLY.
UM, AND, AND, AND IS IT STILL POSSIBLE TO ADD A STATION BETWEEN THOSE AND WHAT WAS THE LOGIC OF NOT HAVING ONE? UH, SO YES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOOK AT THAT.
WE, WE CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH IT.
UM, THERE ARE TOPOGRAPHY CHALLENGES, THERE ARE DIFFICULT SLOPES TO MANAGE IN THAT AREA THAT, UM, MAY BE CHALLENGING TO GET A RELATIVELY FLAT STATION, UM, LOCATED IN THERE.
AND, AND THAT'S THE PRIMARY REASON WHY THERE WASN'T ONE IDENTIFIED IN THE EARLY PLAN.
BUT WE DID HEAR THAT QUESTION IN FEEDBACK FROM SOME OTHER GROUPS AS WELL, AND WE DO AGREE TO LOOK INTO IT AND, AND, AND FULLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION AND UNDERSTAND THE VIABILITY OF ANY ADDITIONAL STATIONS IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN, UM, CAN SOMEONE SPEAK TO SORT OF, TODAY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LIGHT RAIL ASPECT OF PROJECT CONNECT AND THERE'S THE METRO RAPIDS, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO THE PARK AND RIDES AND THE OTHER ASPECTS, UM, OF IT THAT ARE NOT PART OF WHAT WOULD BE MOVING FORWARD WITH OVER THE NEXT WEEK.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THAT PROCESS IS GOING TO WORK MOVING FORWARD, PLEASE? SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE, SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE PB EXPO IN CONSTRUCTION AND WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS COMPLETING THAT.
UM, WE ARE ALSO AS AN AGENCY LOOKING AT A FIVE YEAR SERVICE.
CAN YOU USE THAT IN, I ASSUME THAT WAS PLEASANT VALLEY, BUT YES, PLEASANT PV AND EXPO, I'M SORRY, PLEASANT VALLEY AND EXPO.
UM, WE ALSO ARE ENGAGING IN A, IN A DEVELOPMENT OF A FIVE YEAR SERVICE PLAN, WHICH INCLUSIVE OF DOING, UM, UH, UH, DESTINATION ON ORIGIN STUDIES AND REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT OUR NETWORK NOW LOOKS LIKE AS WE COME OUT OF COVID INSTEAD OF SAYING PRE COVID FOR POST COVID, REALLY WHAT IS THE DEMOGRAPHIC LOOKS.
AND THEN AS WE LOOK THROUGH THAT SERVICE PLAN BUILD IN, WHEN WE DO GOLD, WHEN WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OTHER, UM, OTHER, UM, UH, PROJECT CONNECT PIECES AS THEY FOLD INTO AN OVERALL SERVICE PLAN FOR THE AGENCY.
CAN YOU SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THE FUTURE PLANS FOR CONNECTING AREAS, SAY TO THE WEST OR FOLKS WHO ARE NOT ON THAT SPINE, HOW THEY CONNECT IN? UH, I, I CAN'T SPECIFICALLY SPEAK EXACTLY TO THAT AS IT'S ALL PART OF A NEW SERVICE PLAN, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE, WE CAN SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND GO THROUGH THAT WITH SOME OF THE PLANNING FOLKS OVER ON CAP METRO SIDE.
I'M A LITTLE BIT ON THE OPERATING SIDE, IT'S KIND OF MY WHEELHOUSE, I APOLOGIZE.
BUT IF YOU'D LIKE, WE CAN MOST DEFINITELY SIT WITH STAFF AND GO THROUGH THAT WITH YOU.
I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY SINCE UM, MY COLLEAGUE BROUGHT UP THE MORE ROBUST KIND OF BUS SYSTEM DISCUSSION, UM, AND JUST OFFER A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION MAINLY FOR THE PUBLIC.
SO I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION RIGHT NOW FOR THIS PANEL.
WELL, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT APPROVALS FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF THE LIGHT RAIL AND THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, EXPANDED BUS SERVICE TO FILL IN THE GAPS BOTH DURING THE, THE BUILD OUT OF LIGHT RAIL.
UM, AND PROBABLY INTO THE FUTURE AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN MOVES MORE, UH, ROBUSTLY TOWARD TRANSIT, WE NEED TO MAKE THE SYSTEM MORE ROBUST TO MEET THAT NEED.
UM, AND SPECIFICALLY THE, UH, CONNECTING DURING THE INITIAL PHASE HAS BEEN, UH, BROUGHT UP A NUMBER OF TIMES BOTH ON THE DIAS IN WORK SESSION AND AS A CAPITAL CAP METRO BOARD MEMBER, UM, ON THAT BODY.
[00:30:01]
TWO COLLEAGUES HERE, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA AND THE MAYOR PRO TAM.SO I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD LET EVERYBODY KNOW I'M WORKING WITH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AND STAFF AND PROJECT CONNECT COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND I SEE THE CHAIRS SITTING OUT, UH, AVE.
UH, HE'S THE CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WE'RE EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH CAP METRO TO ALIGN EXISTING TRANSIT SERVICES WITH THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO FILL IN THE GAPS FOR THE PRIORITY EXTENSION, UM, AND THE FUTURE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL ROUTE.
SO I'LL BE WORKING ON THIS WITH THE MAYOR, MY FELLOW CAP METRO BOARD MEMBERS ON THE DIAS AND COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTEZ, WHO HAS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN THE ISSUE.
UM, I INTEND FOR US TO CRAFT A PATH FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT HERE AT THE CITY AND AT CAP METRO IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH WAS PULLED TOGETHER AS PART OF THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE TO THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
AND THIS IS ALL IN AID OF ENHANCING EXISTING TRANSIT SERVICES AND TO SERVE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR TRANSIT.
I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL MY COLLEAGUES ON THIS.
AND, UM, I THINK THIS IS A NECESSARY CHAPTER IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT WE WILL BE DOING WITH LIGHT RAIL.
AND FOR THOSE WATCHING, UM, AND MAY NOT KNOW THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, WHICH IS REPRESENTED, UM, AT THE TABLE IN GIVING, UH, GIVING US, UH, PART OF THIS BRIEFING, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP IS A PARTNERSHIP OF, UH, CAPITAL METRO, WHICH HAS THREE AS AS HAD BEEN POINTED OUT BY CUSTOMER POOL.
THREE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, COUNCILMAN COUNCILMAN VELA, AND THE MAYOR PRO TIM THAT ALSO SIT ON CAPITOL METRO AND, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, REPRESENTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE, AND THAT'S ME ON THE ATP BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THOSE THAT WONDER HOW THIS, UH, UH, ALPHABET SOUP ENDS UP ACTUALLY WORKING.
UH, I'LL CALL ON THE MAYOR PRO TIM AND THEN COUNCILMAN OF PUENTES.
MAYBE FOR THAT JUNE 6TH MEETING.
WE NEED A FLOW CHART OF EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW THE BOARD MAKEUP WORKS AND, AND HOW THE RESPONSIBILITIES WORK.
I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS HELPFUL TO REVISIT IN THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, I'M VERY EXCEED, EXCITED TO SEE A RECOMMENDATION COMING FORWARD.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO SEE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO SERVE, UT IS GOING TO SERVE EAST RIVERSIDE IS COMING DOWN INTO SOUTH AUSTIN.
UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS GONNA BE, UM, WHAT DISCUSSIONS ARE HAPPENING ABOUT POTENTIAL SMALLER PARK AND RIDES, FOR INSTANCE, WITH THE OLTORF STOP, ARE THERE CONVERSATIONS WITH ADJACENT, UM, PARKING LOT LANDOWNERS FOR FOLKS WHO LIVE SOUTH AND REALLY WANNA UTILIZE TRANSIT ONCE IT'S BUILT, BUT HAVE TO DRIVE THERE ESSENTIALLY TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THIS SYSTEM? YES, WE WILL, AS PART OF THIS PROCESS AND NEXT PHASE OF MOVING THE PROJECT FORWARD, WE WILL ANALYZE, PARK AND RIDE OPPORTUNITIES AT EACH OF THE FIRST PHASE ENDPOINT.
SO IN THE, THE MAP OF THE OPTION, YOU SEE ONE AT YELLOW JACKET, THE REASON THAT ONE'S ALREADY IDENTIFIED IS BECAUSE IT WAS PART OF THE PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS.
BUT AS WE MOVE, UM, THIS RECOMMENDATION FORWARD, WE WILL DO SIMILAR PLANNING AT EACH OF THE OTHER ENDPOINTS.
AND THAT TIES BACK, THAT TIES BACK INTO AS CAT METRO'S DOING NEAR THE OVERALL SERVICE PLAN, TAKING A LOOK AT, UM, ORIGIN AND DESTINATIONS, HOW WE FIT OUR EXISTING NETWORK TO THE CHANGES THAT ARE, UM, TO THE NEW, UM, ALIGNMENT AND JUST MAKE IT ALL AS IN, IN AS INTERCONNECTED AS WE CAN POSSIBLY MAKE IT.
AND I KNOW IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUS ITERATIONS THERE WAS A FLEX SEGMENT, UM, SOUTH OF OLTORF AND NOW WE SEE THERE'S TWO FLEX SEGMENTS NORTH OF 38TH STREET.
CAN YOU TELL ME FINANCIALLY WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WE CAN GET TO 45TH OR EVEN FURTHER? I KNOW I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT, BUT WE'VE GOTTA TRUST THE FINANCE FOLKS WHO ARE CRUNCHING THOSE NUMBERS AND REALLY TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE GET AS CLOSE TO CRESTVIEW AS POSSIBLE TO, TO BEEF UP THE RIDERSHIP ACCESS.
IT'S, IT'S HARD TO GIVE A, A LIKELIHOOD BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE OBJECTIVE OF THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PROJECT TO ADVANCE DESIGN CONCEPTS AND HAVE GREATER CERTAINTY IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DESIGN ELEMENTS AND, AND SOME OF THOSE UNKNOWNS BECOMING KNOWNS.
UH, BUT THAT IS, IS PART OF THESE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS AND, UH, IF WE HAVE THE FUNDING AVAILABLE BASED ON THE DESIGNS AS THEY MOVE FORWARD AND, UM, CERTAIN RISKS BECOMING KNOWN, THEN WE CAN LOOK AT INCORPORATING THOSE INTO THE FIRST PHASE AND, AND ALSO LEVERAGING ANY ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS COORDINATION WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER, UM, PROJECTS THAT WE CAN INTEGRATE WITH.
SO IS THERE ANY LIKELIHOOD WE CAN GET MORE YELLOW AND MORE GOLD COLOR ON THE MAP AT THIS POINT IN TIME?
[00:35:01]
WE ALL SHARE THAT DESIRE TO SERVE AS, AS MUCH AS WE CAN SERVE AND, UM, MUST MAINTAIN A PROJECT THAT WE KNOW WE CAN DELIVER AND FULFILL ON THOSE COMMITMENTS.BUT WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN AS WE ADVANCE THE PROJECT.
I KNOW I WAS PUSHING, CAUSE I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
UM, I APPRECIATED COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE'S QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RIVER CROSSINGS.
UM, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE JUST ABOUT HOW THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AND HOW THE OPERATIONS FOR CAP METRO WOULD WORK.
UM, IS THERE STILL OPPORTUNITY TO CARRY BOTH FORWARD THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS JUST TO MAKE SURE, UH, FOLKS, I KNOW THAT'S A REALLY TIGHT AREA AND I WANNA MAKE SURE FOLKS FEEL LIKE THEIR VOICES ARE BEING HEARD IN THAT PUBLIC OUTREACH, WHICH I KNOW THAT Y'ALL DID, UH, PRETTY THOROUGHLY.
BUT JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT MAKING DECISIONS AT THIS POINT IN TIME THAT WILL EXCLUDE THE ABILITY TO SWITCH GEARS FOR THAT REALLY TIGHT SPACE IN THE FUTURE.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT POTENTIALLY TO MOVE FORWARD SIDE BY SIDE? WELL, I CAN TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR RECOMMENDATION WAS TO ADVANCE AND IS TO ADVANCE THE TRINITY CROSSING, UM, AND TO TAKE THAT THROUGH NEPA AND THAT WAS JUST BASED ON, UM, AS WE SAID, SOME OF OUR, ALL OF OUR ANALYSIS AND EXPERTISE AND WORK IN OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY, UM, ON ON WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE MOST ROBUST, UM, OPTION FROM A RIDERSHIP AND, AND OTHER PERSPECTIVES AS WELL.
UH, SO THE, THE REASON THAT WE DID NOT RECOMMEND TAKING BOTH THROUGH TO NPA REALLY HAS TO DO WITH A LOT OF THE SCHEDULE RISK AND CONSIDERATIONS THAT THAT WOULD REQUIRE.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT OF THE DESIGN WORK ON FIRST STREET WOULD HAVE TO BE ADVANCED TO A PLACE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO TAKE IT THROUGH NPA AND THAT COULD ADD ANOTHER SIX MONTHS TO OUR SCHEDULE.
UM, AND SO, BUT THE MAIN CONCERN THERE IS NOT JUST DOING THAT SO MUCH AS, UM, WE WOULDN'T RECOMMEND DOING THAT, UM, AND INCURRING THOSE KIND OF COSTS AND, AND SCHEDULE IMPLICATIONS FOR AN OPTION THAT IS NOT ADVANTAGEOUS FROM A RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL OR AN ENVIRONMENTAL POTENTIAL OR AN OPERATIONAL POTENTIAL.
I, I APPRECIATE KNOWING MORE ABOUT THAT.
CAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE TIGHT 90 DEGREE ANGLES.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A CONVERSATION ABOUT GETTING FOLKS TO AND FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER BECAUSE THAT'S A PLACE WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WILL TRAVEL HERE ARE, ARE GOING TO GO TO AS A DESTINATION.
UM, AND ALSO JUST LOOKING AT THE RIVER CROSSING AREAS IF IT WERE TO COME UP SOUTH FIRST AND, AND LOOK AT THAT.
SO I'M, I'M GONNA LOOK MORE INTO IT AND I APPRECIATE, UM, Y'ALL'S WORK ON THAT.
AND I THINK THE LAST N UH, THE LAST QUESTION THAT I'LL ASK IS, UM, ABOUT THE NUMBER OF LOCATIONS THAT ARE YET TO BE DETERMINED IS, IS THERE ANY WAY FOR Y'ALL TO IDENTIFY, ARE, ARE THERE CERTAIN STATION LOCATIONS ON THE MAP AND WILL ANYMORE BE ADDED OR HOW THAT WILL PLAY OUT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLANNING? AND BY LOCATIONS YOU MEAN STATION LOCATIONS? YES.
SO THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER MENTIONED A A DESIRE TO LOOK INTO ADDITIONAL STATIONS DOWNTOWN, GIVEN THE SPACING BETWEEN THE CONGRESS STATION AND THE 15TH STREET STATION.
AND WE WILL BE LOOKING INTO THE VIABILITY OF THAT.
WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL STATION LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR ANALYSIS, BUT PART OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS IS TO LOOK AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AROUND EVERY STATION.
AND, AND THAT CAN SOMETIMES RESULT IN CHANGES TO STATION LOCATIONS.
IF, IF SOME IMPACT, UM, WE BECOME AWARE OF, WE MAY NEED TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES AND THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS.
UM, I ALSO WANNA ECHO MY COLLEAGUE SENTIMENTS AND TO SHARE MY APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE, UH, AND MARK MY EXCITEMENT THAT WE ARE NOW AT THE STAGE WHERE WE GET TO VOTE ON THE FIRST PHASE OF IMPLEMENTING PROJECT CONNECT.
UH, I KNOW AUSTIN KNIGHT, UH, SPOKE VERY LOUDLY AND CLEARLY WHEN AUSTIN KNIGHTS VOTED FOR THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM.
SO IT'S EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO SHARE AND TO SHOW HOW WE INTEND TO DELIVER IT.
UH, I ALSO WANNA APPRECIATE THE OVER 5,000 AUSTINITES WHO PROVIDED COMMENTS THAT HELPED INFORM THIS RECOMMENDED, UH, FIRST PHASE OF, OF PROJECT CONNECT.
UH, I CAN TELL THAT YOU ALL REALLY INCORPORATED THE COMMENTS THAT WERE PROVIDED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE VERY, THE SCENARIOS THAT WERE, THE FIVE SCENARIOS THAT ARE INITIALLY RELEASED DID NOT INCLUDE, UM, THE SEGMENT FROM OLTORF TO STASSNEY.
AND SO SEEING THAT ON THE MAP AND KNOWING THAT IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, PART OF, UH, THE CONSIDERATION FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION, I THINK REALLY WILL GO A LONG WAY.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT WANTING TO BRING FORWARD AN I F C, UM, NEXT MONTH, THAT TALK THAT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION, YOU KNOW, HOW ELSE ARE WE GONNA CONNECT THE REST OF OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM
[00:40:01]
TO THE SPINE OF AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL? I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE BEEN HAVING, UH, AND, AND, AND ASKING STAFF THROUGH THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ME AND MY TEAM HAVE HAD, HAVE BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET, UH, UM, AN ENHANCED METRO RAPID, UH, FOR THE 8 0 1 DOWN SOUTH AND TAKING IT FROM ALT TURF ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, TO SLAUGHTER, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN WE PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY? AND SOME OF THE, UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU COUNCIL MEMBER POOL BECAUSE SOME OF THE DIRECTION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE, UM, IS FOR CITY STAFF TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN WE PROVIDE ENHANCED SERVICE, WHETHER THAT INCLUDES, UH, SIGNAL PRIORITIZATION, UM, BUS PULLOUTS, UH, MARKED LANES, DEDICATED LANES, LIKE WHAT ARE ALL OF THE OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP ENSURE THAT WE HAVE AN EFFICIENT, UH, AND COMPREHENSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR EVERYONE IN AUSTIN, REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU LIVE IN OUR CITY.UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ON THAT.
UM, I DO WANNA FOCUS IN ON A COUPLE SEGMENTS FROM YELLOW JACKET TO THE AIRPORT, BECAUSE AS Y'ALL MENTIONED, THAT, UH, WAS ONE OF THE MORE COMMON THEMES THAT CAME OUT FROM THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS WANTING THAT CONNECTIVITY TO THE AIRPORT.
UM, AIRPORT IS LOCATED IN DISTRICT TWO, SO I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UM, WHAT DO YOU ALL ENVISION AS THOSE POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE SHOULD, THAT THE CITY SHOULD BE TAKING A LOOK AT TO HELP WITH THAT, UH, SEGMENT, THAT CONNECTING THAT SEGMENT? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE PARTNERSHIP, UM, AS LINDSAY POINTED OUT, WE DID HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE AIRPORT, UM, DURING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, AND SO MUCH SO THAT IT IS PART OF OUR PRIORITY EXTENSION RECOMMENDATION.
UM, I THINK WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE.
MY, WE DON'T HAVE A FULL ANALYSIS ON FUNDING SOURCES AT THIS POINT, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE, UM, ONCE WE'VE DONE SOME MORE RESEARCH ON WHAT MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT.
WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE, UM, A LOT OF SOURCES OUT THERE AND WE HAVE TO GET CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE.
UM, WE NEED TO INVOLVE, UM, INTERIM DIRECTOR SMITH ON THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL CONSIDERED THE AIRPORT EXPANSION, UM, PROGRAM.
SO WE WILL DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE ON THAT QUESTION.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, YOU HAVE IT MARKED AS, UM, PERHAPS SOME SHUTTLE SERVICES FROM YELLOW JACKET TO THE AIRPORT.
CAN YOU GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE? JUST, UM, LOOKING AT WHAT ELSE WE CAN PUT OUT THERE, WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SERVICES WE CAN JUST TO, TO BEEF UP SOME OF, OF THE, UM, THE HEADWAYS WHERE WE GET MORE, UM, RELIABILITY AND MORE, MORE SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES TO GO THROUGH THAT QUARTER.
SO NOTHING DEFINITIVE RIGHT THIS POINT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT DEVELOPING TO SEE WHAT WE CAN ADD INTO THE NETWORK.
SO MORE SO THAT WHEN WE DO, UH, UNVEIL THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF, UM, SHUTTLE SERVICE OR OTHER ENHANCED SERVICE GOING FROM YELLOW JACKET TO THE AIRPORT.
IT'S BE SOMETHING THAT WERE PART OF OUR SERVICE PLANNING AS WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
MAKING SURE WE DO CONNECTIONS FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT ENDPOINTS AS BEST WE CAN TO LEVERAGE OUR EXISTING NETWORK TO MAKE CONNECTIVITY TO THE WIDE RAIL SYSTEM.
AND YOU MENTIONED THE FIVE YEAR SERVICE PLAN.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHEN THAT THAT IS UP FOR AN UPDATE? UM, THAT'S ACTUALLY THE PROCESS WE'RE GOING THROUGH NOW.
THE FIRST PORTION OF IT IS DOING A, UM, ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEY THAT TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND ON THE PLANNING GROUP IN CAT METRO IS ACTUALLY GONNA WORK THROUGH THAT OVER THE, OVER THE COMING MONTHS NOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, AN ALIGNMENT THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT KEY ELEMENT TO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY USING IT AS A SP UM, SPINE THAT YET SAID TO REALLY BUILD INTO IT, GET THE CONNECTIONS, UM, AND, AND BEST LEVERAGE BOTH FLIGHT RAIL AND, AND OUR BUS NETWORK AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT'LL BE OVER THE NEXT SIX TO NINE MONTHS IN WHICH WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT.
I WANNA PICK UP A LITTLE BIT ON THE DISCUSSION OF THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS AND JUST HOW THE DECISION IS MADE.
LET'S SAY WE END UP HAVING THE MONEY TO EITHER GET TO THE AIRPORT OR GO TO 45TH OR CANA GLA.
HOW IS THAT DECISION MADE OF WHICH ONE WE CHOOSE? UH, THAT MAY BE GREATLY INFORMED BY THE TYPE OF FUNDING SOURCE AND WHAT THAT FUNDING SOURCE MAY BE USED FOR.
UM, IF, FOR EXAMPLE, IF, IF WE FIND, UH, FUNDING THAT COULD HELP US INTEGRATE WITH THE AIRPORT EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, THEN UH, THAT INTUITIVELY IS WHERE THAT WOULD BE SPENT.
SO I THINK LARGELY THAT ANSWER WILL COME FROM WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM AND WHAT IF THE MONEY COMES FROM OUR CONTINGENCY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, SURE WE GOT IT RIGHT.
AND SO WE HAVE JUST OUR OWN MONEY, NOT AIRPORT MONEY, NOT OTHER.
HOW DO WE NEED TO GIVE DIRECTION ON WHICH ONE WE PREFER OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT DECISION? I THINK THAT WOULD DEPEND.
SO LET'S SAY THERE ARE ADDITIONAL FUNDS,
[00:45:01]
UH, UNSPENT THAT WE COULD BUILD MORE AS PART OF THE FIRST PHASE WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCE WOULD REALLY DEPEND ON THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING.FOR EXAMPLE, IF IT WERE A, UM, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY SMALLER AMOUNT, IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T GET US ALL THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT.
IT MIGHT GET US TO ONE ADDITIONAL STATION, WHICH, YOU KNOW, COULD BE 45TH FOR EXAMPLE MM-HMM.
SO I THINK IT, IT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT THAT AMOUNT OF OF FUNDING IS.
THANK YOU CUSTOMER VELA FIRST ALL, I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK Y'ALL.
UH, ULTIMATELY I THINK WE HAVE A, UH, A GOOD PLAN THAT HAS WIDESPREAD SUPPORT.
UH, IT'S BEEN A LONG, DIFFICULT ROUTE GETTING HERE THROUGH A PANDEMIC AND COST CONCERNS AND, AND LEGISLATIVE CONCERNS AND WHATNOT.
UH, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S EXCITING TO SEE US AT THE STAGE WHERE WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF, UH, DECIDING ON A FIRST STAGE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
AND IT'S ALSO REALLY VERY HEARTENING AND, UH, UH, AND EXCITING TO SEE SO MANY COMMUNITY GROUPS, YOU KNOW, LINING UP IN SUPPORT OF WHETHER BEFOREHAND, YOU KNOW, WHETHER, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU SAW THE, UH, A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN PARTICULAR, MAKING THAT RECOMMENDATION AS SO MANY PEOPLE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE, THE PRIORITY EXTENSION TO CRESTVIEW AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AT, UM, AT CRESTVIEW.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT LISTED IN THE, UH, PRIORITY EXTENSION, UH, AS WELL.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO, TO Y'ALL AND YOUR TEAMS FOR, UH, A LOT OF WORK AND ANALYSIS TO GET TO THIS POINT.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT LEFT TO DO IN TERMS OF WORK AND ANALYSIS, BUT JUST TO GET TO THIS KIND OF, UH, A PRETTY CLOSE TO A, A CONSENSUS, UH, UH, FIRST STAGE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION, UH, IS, UH, IS IS A BIG STEP FOR AUSTIN.
UH, AND I, I MEAN, I KNOW THE MAYOR TRIED TO DO THIS BACK IN 2000
UH, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SO AGAIN, IT'S JUST SO EXCITING TO TO BE ON THE VERGE OF ACTUALLY GETTING, UH, A LIGHT RAIL, YOU KNOW, FUNDED AND, AND, AND PASSED AND, AND READY TO GO IN AUSTIN.
UM, THAT SAID, I DID, UH, WANT TO ASK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CRESTVIEW IN PARTICULAR.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING, UH, BASED ON, UH, COMMUNICATIONS FROM ATP IS THAT THE EXTENSION FROM 38TH STREET TO CRESTVIEW IS GOING TO BE ABOUT 600 MILLION.
UH, AND THAT WOULD BE NOT INCLUDING, UH, ANY KIND OF, UM, GRADE SEPARATION OF, UH, UH, OF THE RED LINE.
UH, I IS THAT, IS THAT, UH, WHAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
AND, AND ANY SENSE OF HOW MUCH THE GRADE SEPARATION ON, UH, OF THE RED LINE, ASSUMING THAT WE WERE GONNA BURY IT THERE, ANY SENSE OF HOW MUCH THAT'S GONNA BE? UH, 250 TO $300 MILLION DEPENDING UPON FINAL DESIGN.
UM, WHAT, AND, AND AGAIN, I I KNOW THE AIRPORT IS, IS A PRIORITY EXTENSION AS WELL AS, UH, AS CRESTVIEW, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF, OF, OF THE PLAN, UH, OF ANY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, FUNDING OR FINANCING FOR IT? AGAIN, SPECIFICALLY I'M LOOKING AT, AT, AT THE CRESTVIEW EXTENSION.
I THINK THAT WILL JUST REALLY, REALLY HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE IN, UH, THE NORTH AUSTIN, UH, IN NORTH LAMAR.
IT WOULD, UH, UH, ALLOW THEM TO TAKE THE, THE 8 0 1 OR WHATEVER ITS SUCCESSOR LINE IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE, WHEN THE LIGHT RAIL IS OPEN AND, AND TRANSFER TO, UH, LIGHT RAIL AT, UH, CRESTVIEW STATION.
AND I JUST THINK THAT WOULD, UH, GENERALLY SPEAKING REALLY HELP, UH, MOBILITY FOR, UH, A LOT OF THE, THE, YOU KNOW, PORN WORKING CLASS FOLKS IN THE, THE NORTH LAMAR, UM, UH, AREA.
SO WHAT, WHAT IS THE, THE, THE KIND OF THE, THE POSSIBILITY, UH, OR, OR WHAT IS KIND OF THE, THE THINKING ON, UH, THE, THE PRIORITY LIGHT RAIL EXTENSIONS? SO WE WILL BE EVALUATING, INVESTIGATING, DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO IDENTIFY, UM, ANY POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES.
AND, AND BY THAT I MEAN GRANTS, FUNDING, PARTNERSHIPS, OTHER PLACES THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS TO POTENTIALLY ACCELERATE THOSE EXTENSIONS INTO A FIRST PHASE.
IF, IF WE DON'T IDENTIFY THOSE FUNDING, THEN THEY BECOME A PRIORITY EXTENSION IN THE NEXT MM-HMM.
SO AS, AS OF THIS MOMENT, THEN THE, THE BUDGET HAS SHOWN THE, THE ACTUAL FIRST, UH, STAGE LIGHT RAIL IS, IS, IN OTHER WORDS, WE'VE GOT THE MONEY TO BUILD THAT OUT.
UH, AND WE'RE, WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH MAKING THAT STATEMENT, THE, THE PRIORITY LIGHT RAIL EXTENSIONS THEN ARE NOT ACTUALLY
[00:50:01]
FUNDED AT THIS MOMENT.THE EXTENSIONS ARE NOT FUNDED AS PART OF THE FIRST PHASE WITHOUT, UH, FINDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES TO ACCELERATE THEM.
AND WILL THOSE, UH, PRIORITY, UH, EXTENSIONS BE GOING INTO THE NEPA PROCESS? DO YOU WANNA, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO WORK THROUGH WITH, UH, FTA OR THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.
CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, THE NEPA PROCESS IN THAT DOCUMENT ARE, ARE THEIRS.
UH, SO WE, UH, ACTUALLY THEY'RE, WE'RE MEETING WITH THEM THIS WEEK AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO TO, TO WORK THROUGH THAT, THAT ITEM.
I THINK WE HAVE A FEW OPTIONS THAT WAY, AND IT, PART OF IT, UH, DEPENDS ON WHEN FUNDING'S IDENTIFIED AND WE'RE READY TO, TO GO.
UM, SO AGAIN, WE'LL BE THINKING ABOUT THAT AND ALWAYS TRYING TO THINK AHEAD SO THAT WE'RE READY, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA BE READY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAVE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.
SO YEAH, AND THAT WOULD, I WOULD JUST URGE REALLY, AGAIN, NOT KNOWING, UH, A WHOLE LOT ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT THE NPA PROCESS ENTAILS.
YOU KNOW, THE MORE OF THE, THE, THE PROCESS WE CAN GET INTO THIS, UH, CURRENT NEPA PROCESS, UH, I I FEEL THAT WOULD REALLY FACILITATE THEM TO REALLY BE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS WHERE EVERYTHING IS.
AND IF EVERYTHING IS READY TO GO EXCEPT FOR THE MONEY, UH, THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT THAT PIECE.
BUT, UH, IF, IF WE DON'T HAVE THOSE KIND OF PRE-APPROVALS, THEN, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT A LONGER ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS, UH, TO, UH, TO, TO WORK THROUGH.
SO, UH, THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS I WOULD URGE THOSE BOTH PROJECTS, UH, WHICH HAVE, AS Y'ALL MENTIONED, SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC SUPPORT, UH, TO BE INCLUDED, UH, TO BE KIND OF PRE-APPROVED IF, UH, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
UM, AND, UM, AND WITH THAT, LIKE I SAID, I, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE, THE ONE OTHER THING THAT, AND JUST IN, IN SPEAKING TO FOLKS ABOUT THE, THE, THE DIFFERENT, UH, CROSSINGS, UH, AND, AND I I HAVE SPOKEN TO, UH, TO CAP METRO ABOUT THIS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, EXTENSIVELY WAS THE, UM, POTENTIAL TRAFFIC IMPACTS IN TERMS OF, UH, NOT JUST VEHICLE TRAFFIC, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, BUS TRAFFIC, UH, UH, AT THE SOUTH FIRST CROSSING.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, UH, WILL, WILL, UH, CATCH THE BUS FREQUENTLY AT EITHER, YOU KNOW, REPUBLIC SQUARE OR THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FOURTH IN, IN LAVACA.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROBABLY A BUS COMING EVERY TWO MINUTES OR SO.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S THE 10 OR THE 20 OR THE 8 0 1 OR WHICHEVER ONE, UH, IS, IS COMING THROUGH THERE.
WHAT WERE THE CONCERNS WITH POTENTIAL TRAFFIC IMPACT OF A SURFACE, UH, CROSSING AT, UH, SOUTH FIRST AND, AND SAF CHAVEZ? WELL, YOU, YOU'RE GONNA ADD TO THAT NOW, EVERY TWO AND A HALF MINUTES OR SO, A LIGHT RAIL VEHICLE GOING THROUGH THERE, IT'S A LITTLE LONGER THAN A BUS.
AND SO IT'S A REASONABLY COMPLEX INTERSECTION ITSELF.
NOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE ASKING EVERY, EVERY ONE OF THOSE MODES NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF, OF INTERSECTION TIME.
AND WITH THE VOLUMES THAT GO THROUGH THAT, THAT POINT, THIS IS JUST ENOUGH TIME, TIME AND THE CLOCK FACE TO GIVE EVERYTHING EQUALLY.
SO YOU END UP SLOWING THE HOLE INTO SECTION DOWN MM-HMM.
SO IT'LL, IT'LL BE A REAL, IT'S ALREADY A PINCH POINT VEHICULAR, YOU ADD LIGHT, LIGHT RAIL, BUT IT'LL BECOME A PINCH POINT OF THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM AS WELL.
SO THE, YES, WE, WE ALL, UM, WE ALL AGREE, YES.
THE VOLUMES ARE LOWER AT THE TRINITY CROSSING AND, AND ACTUALLY WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME INTERESTING DATA THAT SHOWS WHERE PEOPLE GO DOWNTOWN, UM, IN REFERENCE TO WHERE THEY ENTER DOWNTOWN MM-HMM.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GOING ALL THE WAY ACROSS DOWNTOWN.
AND SO THE, THE TRINITY CROSSING AS, AS YOU NOTE, UM, SORT OF INTUITIVELY DOESN'T HAVE AS MUCH TRAFFIC COMING FROM, SAY, MOPAC AND, AND THE IS ENTERING DOWNTOWN FROM THE WEST, IT HAS MORE COMING FROM I 35, UH, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY ACTUALLY TO LEVERAGE SOME OF THE PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE I 35 EXPANSION THAT WILL REDISTRIBUTE SOME OF THAT EAST-WEST TRAFFIC ON THE EAST SIDE OF CAESAR CHAVEZ TO FIFTH, SIXTH,
[00:55:01]
SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH.SO NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE LOWER VOLUMES AT TRINITY, BUT THOSE VOLUMES MAY EVEN BE, UH, WE HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT THERE BY LEVERAGING THE PLANS OF I 35 ON THE EAST SIDE.
WELL, AGAIN, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR, UM, FOR YOUR, YOUR WORK, YOUR EFFORTS.
IT'S, UH, I THINK WE'VE GOT A GOOD, UH, PRODUCT AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, MOVING IT THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, MEMBERS, AS I'VE INDICATED EARLIER, WE WERE GONNA BRING UP THE, UH, CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
Y'ALL JUST STAY THERE IN CASE SOMEBODY HAS SOMETHING.
UM, UH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I APOLOGIZE, BUT IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND, AND ALVEAR HAS, AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT PREVIOUSLY, IS THE CHAIR OF THE, THE CAC.
AND AS, UH, YOU ALL KNOW, BUT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO ALSO UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, IS FOUNDATIONAL TO THE CREATION OF THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND, UH, HAS DONE A, A LOT OF WORK, UH, THROUGH THIS YEAR IN GETTING US TO WHERE WE ARE.
SO, UM, WE'RE PLEASED THAT YOU'RE HERE TO ADDRESS US AND, AND TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PLAN.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, AS MAYOR MENTIONED, MY NAME IS AVESTA HAR, I SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
UM, AND THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS ABLE TO REALLY ENGAGE IN THIS CONVERSATION AROUND THE FIRST PHASE OF AUSTIN LIGHT TRAIL AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
AND THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE MADE IS VERY MUCH ALIGNED WITH, UH, WHAT STAFF HAS PRESENTED AS ITS OPTION.
AND I'LL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THAT, BUT I ALSO WANNA SAY A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE THINKING ABOUT AND ENCOURAGING OUR DECISION MAKERS TO DE UH, YOU KNOW, DELVE INTO, I'M SEEING THAT ON THE DIAS TODAY.
SO BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
UM, SO WE WERE ABLE TO PASS A UNANIMOUS RECOMMENDATION THAT LOOKED AT TWO SEPARATE OPTIONS.
ONE OF THEM IS VERY MUCH UNDER CONSIDERATION TODAY, AND OUR FIRST PIECE WAS REALLY COMMITTING TO THE OVERALL VISION FOR LIGHT RAIL THAT WE HAD SET IN 2020.
AND WE DO SEE THAT IN THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF, UH, VERY CLEARLY.
AND FROM THE CONVERSATION TODAY AS WELL, WE WERE VERY CLEAR THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO MOVE AHEAD WITH AN ON STREET OPTION.
UM, THE BIGGEST REASON BEING REALLY THAT IT SUPPORTS THE MOST AMOUNT OF RIDERS, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON.
BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS MORE SEAMLESS CONNECTIONS WITH OUR OTHER TRANSIT MODES, INCLUDING ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.
IT ENHANCES ACCESSIBILITY FOR, UM, AND MINIMIZES IMPACT ON FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO MIGHT BE USING A STROLLER.
AND IT ALSO LEADS TO A MUCH MORE VIBRANT STREET LEVEL URBAN SCAPE THAT WE CAN ENGAGE WITH.
UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE THE CSE WAS FORWARDING TWO OPTIONS, WE WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE 38TH TO ALTOR, UM, AND THEN DO YELLOW JACKET OPTION BECAUSE THIS OPTION BY THE DATA THAT WE HAD BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT SERVES THE MOST AMOUNT OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO IN SOME WAYS THIS IS PERHAPS A STRONG LEAN INTO AN EQUITABLE LENS OF, IN INCLUDING FOLKS IN EAST AUSTIN WHO HISTORICALLY NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UH, BE SERVICED BY A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AMENITIES.
ONE OF COURSE, UH, OPTION THAT COMES WITH IT IS LOOKING AT A MAINTENANCE FACILITY IN EAST AUSTIN.
AND SO THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE MEMO THAT WE HAD SHARED WITH Y'ALL AND OTHER DECISION MAKERS REALLY FOCUSES ON LOOKING AT HOW DO WE MITIGATE ANY IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH A MAINTENANCE FACILITY, BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDE SOME ACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY THERE.
AND I THINK WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION AMONGST OUR CSC, INCLUDING, WE HAVE TWO FOLKS, UH, WHO ARE FROM THEAS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND,