Austin officials reassure public on light rail project
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Five years ago, Austin voters said yes to a bond package that would fund the construction of a light rail line through the city, but Project Connect has yet to break ground.
Austin transit leaders met this week and want to reassure the public that it is happening.
The Austin Transit Partnership, the group in charge of bringing light rail to Austin, held a luncheon this week to provide an update on its efforts.
"The Austin Transit Partnership released their draft environmental impact statement, which is a huge milestone for us to continue forward with Project Connect and Austin Light Rail," said Ashika Ganguly, the executive director of Transit Forward.
"However, we're still seeing a lot of ongoing outside threats to the project into Austin light rail, specifically legislation attacking Austin local control and our ability to build light rail here in the city and ongoing lawsuits and the threat of federal funding being taken away," Ganguly said.
ATP said they're hitting milestones consistently, that work is happening, and that they're still on track to start construction in 2027.
"One of the comments we get in that effort... all the time is, get moving, but let's get the project under construction. Somebody even said, let's have less meetings. And I said, 'Well, I hear you and amen to that. But at the same level, us going out and talking to the community is part of the process,'" Austin Transit Partnership CEO Greg Canally said.
CapMetro is also a key player in the future of Austin transit, working alongside ATP and the Texas Department of Transportation.
"Most people don't realize how much work there is to do between idea and actually like turning dirt and tearing up the streets," CapMetro CEO Dottie Watkins said.
"I need every single one of y'all to tell 10 people about what's going on with Project Connect and that things are going forward and that we continue moving forward," said Watkins.
Watkins said a key to fewer traffic headaches amid a series of construction projects, like the I-35 Capital Express, is to explore your options.
"We will be encouraging a lot of folks to use the bus. We'll be encouraging folks to work from home. We'll be encouraging folks to try Vanpool, to try the commuter rail, to try alternate routes, so there will be a lot of solutions coming out to that," said Watkins.
ATP also released new renderings of the light rail system and how it could look.
"I have a vision of Austin in 2035 with a fully functional light rail and continued service improvements to our buses, our bike share, and all of Cap Metro's other services, and I see that vision. I know everyone who's going to be in this room today sees that vision, and we are ready to make it a reality," Ganguly said.