Austin Transportation & Roadways

[wood 11,103]

3 minutes ago, Pasken said:

The closeness could make things more difficult depending how water drains from the road or how water drains from the apartments. My guess is putting up a wall would have required underground drainage work would would cost more money. That's just a guess along with guessing that TxDot doesn't take apartments as seriously as SF homes.

But there are SF homes there. Looks like TxDOT takes a park, a business complex, and a nature preserve more seriously than SF homes, too.

[Deej 76,481]

21 minutes ago, wood said:

Welp. That's fucked up, but typical. Like I added above, any housing south of Lacrosse is about 2x as far from Mopac than we are & has a lot less traffic passing by than we do. Thanks for the graphic. I mean, the fucking Wildflower Center is getting a fucking sound wall??? That's the one they're working on now. The first one they're putting up ... fml. And Alamo & that commercial complex with ZERO housing gets a wall? And Circle C Park? Unreal.

Delicate little flowers. 

[wood 11,103]

26 minutes ago, Deej said:

Delicate little flowers. 

Ha! Yep. 

This really shouldn't just be about who bitches the loudest or most often. How about just using a little fucking common sense and respect in the planning process?

Edited September 26, 2019 by wood

[Deej 76,481]

5 minutes ago, wood said:

Ha! Yep. 

This really shouldn't just be about who bitches the loudest or most often. How about just using a little fucking common sense and respect in the planning process?

New to Austin, I take ir?

[wood 11,103]

Just now, Deej said:

New to Austin, I take ir?

No, no. Been here since '77. It's just fucking maddening.

[Deej 76,481]

Yep. Born in '69 here and raised here. Never left. I just try to find my happy place every day. Gets harder and harder.

[Murfdogg21 4,412]

I went to a couple meetings at Brack on the Red River reroute a couple years ago, and in true Austin fashion, their arrogant attitude was that people will simply find alternate North-South routes instead of using Red River. Of course, nope! People either end up having to make a left turn whether they are going north or south, or in the worst safety scenario, are detouring through the Brack ER driveway so they don’t have to make a left anywhere. Dumbasses. 

[wood 11,103]

15 hours ago, Deej said:

Yep. Born in '69 here and raised here. Never left. I just try to find my happy place every day. Gets harder and harder.

That's the fucking truth. 

We have less than 5 years til my boys are out of HS. I think we're gonna get outta the city limits once that happens.

[Paper_jam 828]

Slight derail, but what other city or cities in the USA could be considered most comparable to Austin circa 1990 (or even 2000)?  As in, big enough to have some interesting shit to do, but not so big that it's choked with congestion or expensive to live in?  Oh, and reasonable climate.

 

 

[MAUFRAIS 6,571]

Shville

[clapclapclap 9,000]

2 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

Slight derail, but what other city or cities in the USA could be considered most comparable to Austin circa 1990 (or even 2000)?  As in, big enough to have some interesting shit to do, but not so big that it's choked with congestion or expensive to live in?  Oh, and reasonable climate.

Charleston, SC. 

Other perhaps:  Colorado Springs,  Reno/Tahoe, Greenville, SC/Asheville, NC, Chattanooga, TN, Raleigh/Chapel Hill, Richmond, VA, Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA, and.........San Antonio.  

[Pasken 1,309]

Looks like the wishbone proposal for the new Longhorn Dam bridge won the public vote.

City staff, recognizing that Alternative B (Wishbone) received the highest levels of public support, will conduct further technical analysis and evaluation of public feedback before bringing a recommended alternative to the public at a third and final community open house this fall. A refined package of interim improvements will also be presented at the community open house. Funding for the interim improvements is available from the 2016 Mobility Bond. 

I voted for the downstream option. I still think a bridge on the upstream side of a dam is a bad idea.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Pasken

[Pasken 1,309]

To those of you who drive from Austin to Houston a lot and don't like traffic lights:

TxDot will start construction next year on new frontage roads and overpasses on 71 at Ross Rd, Kellam Rd, Pope Bend and Tucker Hill. I think that just leaves FM 1209 as the last traffic light on 71 between Austin and I-10 but that project won't start until 2024. Txdot recently completed an overpass project near the Bucky's in Bastrop. 

This will be in conjunction with Travis county projects to improve Elroy Rd (from McAngus Rd to Kellam Rd) and Ross Rd (from Pearce Lane to Heine Farm Rd) just in time for COTA to go out of business. 

[atomheartbevo 89,354]

So with Car2Go bailing on Austin, will the City Council try and find some even-more expensive alternate, and lure them in with all kinds of incentives/tax breaks?

[wood 11,103]

8 hours ago, Pasken said:

To those of you who drive from Austin to Houston a lot and don't like traffic lights:

TxDot will start construction next year on new frontage roads and overpasses on 71 at Ross Rd, Kellam Rd, Pope Bend and Tucker Hill. I think that just leaves FM 1209 as the last traffic light on 71 between Austin and I-10 but that project won't start until 2024. Txdot recently completed an overpass project near the Bucky's in Bastrop. 

This will be in conjunction with Travis county projects to improve Elroy Rd (from McAngus Rd to Kellam Rd) and Ross Rd (from Pearce Lane to Heine Farm Rd) just in time for COTA to go out of business. 

I can hear Margaret Gomez already ... talking about how it's all being done for the families of SE Travis County, and it has nothing to do with COTA.

[Pasken 1,309]

You can participate in the Cap Metro Virtual Open House for the proposed 7 new Metro Rapid lines: https://www.capmetroengage.org/en/engagement-initiatives/project-connect-metrorapid-virtual-open-house

 

These lines would not have their own lanes but they would still be an improvement. They don't stop to get back on a set schedule and the bus stops show you how many minutes until the next one comes. The are currently 2 Rapid bus lines that run on S. Congress, S. Lamar, Guadalupe, N. Lamar and Burnet. 

 

What is MetroRapid?

MetroRapid is a faster, more reliable transit service that utilizes a combination of features such as:  

• Routes with buses operating mostly in mixed traffic
• Traffic Signal Priority
• Conveniently located station platforms 
• Off-board fare collection
• Accessible platforms designed for rapid boarding
• Greater frequency 
• Potential for seven upgraded corridors
• Dynamic customer information

 

[Paper_jam 828]

Wouldn't it be better if the orange and red lines, I dunno, connected to something like the purple or yellow lines? Maybe they just want those people to stay on Parmer & Cameron and never go downtown.

 

[Pasken 1,309]

8 minutes ago, Paper_jam said:

Wouldn't it be better if the orange and red lines, I dunno, connected to something like the purple or yellow lines? Maybe they just want those people to stay on Parmer & Cameron and never go downtown.

 

 

They would connect to the Orange/Blue BRT/LRT Transit Extensions. Until then, they'll likely have regular bus connections.

 

This map is the full vision that includes the Rapid Lines, High Capacity Transit Orange/Blue Lines, and commuter Red/Green lines.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Pasken

[Pasken 1,309]

Schematics and Virtual Open House for I-35 Capital South project are out. This is 35 from 71 to 45. Nothing really exciting here. I'm surprised they aren't doing any reconfiguring to the Slaughter underpass like elevated bypass lanes and a DDI intersection. My guess is that they are being as cheap as possible since there is no longer toll funding. They previously had that underpass as "under study" but there are no changes here.

https://capexsouth.mobility35openhouse.com

[Pasken 1,309]

Cap Metro is going all in on a downtown Subway with project connect. Hopefully board and council members don't walk them back and push them to do street level transit in downtown. 

The tunnels would run from Trinity from Lake to 11th, 4th from Trinity St. to Guadalupe, and Guadalupe from Cesar Chavez to 9th for $2.3-$2.5B.

Excluding the tunnel on Trinity St. from 4th to 11th would save about 500 million but then you have to wonder what happens when they shut down 6th on weekends or festivals.

 

I would rather have a bus rapid system that was underground or elevated than a street level light rail if it comes down to cost but I know how much white people love trains.

 

[Biff Tannen 45,473]

We will all be long dead before anything like this is even close to being done.

[blacklab 11,841]

If they wanted to get the most people out of cars they should run trains

along burnet from domain to 45th

lamar from parmer to brodie, south on brodie till slaughter 

south first from downtown to slaughter

and then run a shitload of busses east west along the major e/w roads

majority of Austin would be a 5-10 minute bus ride, 10-20 minute train ride and a 5-10 minute bus ride from a majority of the town

business and housing would boom along the corridors, making even more things a train ride away.

[Orange&White 5,516]

The city already built a tunnel. It runs along Waller Creek to Town Lake. They missed the budgetary estimate by about 15X the original and the time estimate by about two decades. And it was discovered nearly immediately after opening that it will never perform how it was "supposed to".

If you think that the same entity should be allowed to handle a plan that by original estimate is more that $2.5B you are fucking high.

The City and CapMetro should get together and prove to the citizens that they can effectively run fucking buses, and not build trains along a path simply because that's where they had tracks, and do both of those things within at least double what they originally estimate, before they start asking for $2.5B.

[Updawg 2,259]

If they wanted to get the most people out of cars they should run trains
along burnet from domain to 45th
lamar from parmer to brodie, south on brodie till slaughter 
south first from downtown to slaughter
and then run a shitload of busses east west along the major e/w roads
majority of Austin would be a 5-10 minute bus ride, 10-20 minute train ride and a 5-10 minute bus ride from a majority of the town
business and housing would boom along the corridors, making even more things a train ride away.

They should take over the existing rail for passenger rail and run east /west from it. Run the freight around the city.

[utee94 15,742]

The only acceptable solution is elevated train, preferably in the form of monorail.

 

[Guest Lobo]

1 minute ago, utee94 said:

The only acceptable solution is elevated train, preferably in the form of monorail.

 

Ah, the Moontower eclipse.  The great cosmic ballet goes on.

[MAUFRAIS 6,571]

Does anybody want to give me an orangebloods login?

[CooterBrown 17,869]

They should take over the existing rail for passenger rail and run east /west from it. Run the freight around the city.

The railroad gets to tell cities and the state what’s up with RR ROW. They’ve already said go fuck yourself.

[CooterBrown 17,869]

The only acceptable solution is elevated train, preferably in the form of monorail.
 

How about a roller coaster network? Smaller footprint than a train, people will flock to use it, and it’ll even attract tourist dollars. It’d pay for itself in a year.

[Deej 76,481]

I thought we were getting gondolas?

[JimmyJames 12,271]

Just got done picking up my son downtown. Ain’t no fucking way anything street level downtown will ever work.

[Armybrat 40,678]

Southbound Congress from 7th to Town Lake was a clusterfuck at 3 this afternoon.

[Deej 76,481]

Mike Pence was downtown today. 

[CooterBrown 17,869]

Mike Pence was downtown today. 

Yep. They had an event at Oil Can Harry’s.

[Updawg 2,259]

The railroad gets to tell cities and the state what’s up with RR ROW. They’ve already said go fuck yourself.

I thought they wanted to work with the city and Campo because they also would rather go around the city. But we did nothing and they eventually said fuck it.

[Deej 76,481]

4 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Yep. They had an event at Oil Can Harry’s.

They were set up just around the corner, actually.

[Pasken 1,309]

1 hour ago, Updawg said:

2 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

The railroad gets to tell cities and the state what’s up with RR ROW. They’ve already said go fuck yourself.

I thought they wanted to work with the city and Campo because they also would rather go around the city. But we did nothing and they eventually said fuck it.

Nope. 

[Updawg 2,259]

Really? I remember differently. Either way it seems like if we actually were serious about it we could get it to federal level to make something happen

[Pasken 1,309]

47 minutes ago, Updawg said:

Really? I remember differently. Either way it seems like if we actually were serious about it we could get it to federal level to make something happen

Have you seen the federal government?

 

therr was a regional org that I can’t remember the name of that governments from austin to San Antonio donated to to represent the region interests with the railroad company. It got to a point where the railroad company said fuck you we aren’t dealing with this shit anymore because we don’t have to and we don’t really want to either. There was nothing more that could have been done.

[Updawg 2,259]

Have you seen the federal government?
 
therr was a regional org that I can’t remember the name of that governments from austin to San Antonio donated to to represent the region interests with the railroad company. It got to a point where the railroad company said fuck you we aren’t dealing with this shit anymore because we don’t have to and we don’t really want to either. There was nothing more that could have been done.

That's what I'm thinking of then. They were talking but nothing happened and the clock basically ran out so they said fuck it. It will need state and congressional leadership to happen obviously.

[Pasken 1,309]

Just now, Updawg said:

10 minutes ago, Pasken said:

Have you seen the federal government?
 
therr was a regional org that I can’t remember the name of that governments from austin to San Antonio donated to to represent the region interests with the railroad company. It got to a point where the railroad company said fuck you we aren’t dealing with this shit anymore because we don’t have to and we don’t really want to either. There was nothing more that could have been done.

Read more  

That's what I'm thinking of then. They were talking but nothing happened and the clock basically ran out so they said fuck it. It will need state and congressional leadership to happen obviously.

The clock didn’t run out. The railroad company just didn’t give a shit.

[CooterBrown 17,869]

The clock didn’t run out. The railroad company just didn’t give a shit.

Exactly. By law they don’t have to play ball with anyone at any level.

I’m sure if you would pay for 100% of the line relocation costs plus give them a hefty payment on top of it, they’d consider for a minute and still tell you to fuck off.

[CooterBrown 17,869]

The clock didn’t run out. The railroad company just didn’t give a shit.

Exactly. By law they don’t have to play ball with anyone at any level.

I’m sure if you would pay for 100% of the line relocation costs plus give them a hefty payment on top of it, they’d consider for a minute and still tell you to fuck off.

[Updawg 2,259]

Of course they won't move for free but they also don't want to go through the city. They would rather relocate around it

[Updawg 2,259]

Of course they won't move for free but they also don't want to go through the city. They would rather relocate around it

[Pasken 1,309]

42 minutes ago, Updawg said:

Of course they won't move for free but they also don't want to go through the city. They would rather relocate around it

“The plan for LSTAR involved using UP’s freight line tracks to move passengers between San Antonio and Georgetown, with 19 stops along the way. The district has been studying routes for an alternate freight line east of I-35.

Even if the district built a new freight line, UP would still have to run some freight trains on the LSTAR tracks to serve existing customers, DeGraff said. 

 

“The idea of co-mingling freight and commuter rail on the same line is not a good idea, not something that’s feasible, and we didn’t feel the idea they came up with for realigning the tracks was something we could agree with,” he said.”

[Texas Jeff 1,932]

19 hours ago, blacklab said:

and then run a shitload of busses east west along the major e/w roads

CapMetro is trying this idea today, kind of.  They are running the 335 bus crosstown with the idea that people will transfer to another bus to move north south (or stay on the 335 and you can travel from Mueller to Tarrytown).

I asked them for the data showing how many people are boarding the bus each day west of Mopac.  The answer was about 100 people per day, although there was a spike for a few months in 2018 up to 200 people.  They are running about 66 busses per day along this route.  You could probably run the western part of this route with a Nissan Leaf on a loop.

It's just too easy to get in a car and go directly to your destination, while wishing that everyone else was on the bus.  Traffic will get worse once self-driving car services reduce the cost of travel by car.

[Pasken 1,309]

2 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

It's just too easy to get in a car and go directly to your destination, while wishing that everyone else was on the bus.  Traffic will get worse once self-driving car services reduce the cost of travel by car.

That's why I'm on board with the tunnels and elevated track for the orange/blue lines even if it's bus rapid. Getting a transit option away from traffic, lights and pedestrians will give people a bigger reason to want to use the transit system. 

[Paper_jam 828]

I want Star Trek transporter pads at all major retailers, employers, schools, and government institutions. (Seriously how close is that technology to reality? I mean we already have cell phones that are better than Trek communicators and data pads.)

There is the drawback that (IMHO) the transporter kills the original "you" and just creates a clone with your memories at the destination point.

 

 

[Redneck Mutha 7,923]

Divert Town Lake, Waller Creek, and Shoal Creek.