Get Austin Moving for $90 Million

Austin, TX - A $90 million mobility bond proposal is the focal point for a new push from city leader's to "Get Austin Moving".

The City Council approved the bond proposal on August 5 to be on the upcoming November election ballot and lists both short-term and long-term design and engineering projects that will help the City move forward with transportation projects.

At the top of the list of proposed projects would be spending more funds on relieving traffic issues on I-35. The city's transportation department agrees and suggests another $5 Million should be added to the package. More than $2 million of that would go towards adding ramps at I-35 and the 51st Street interchange.

Another project listed in the bond proposal is the Lady Bird Lake boardwalk. It's a plan that would extend the Hike and Bike Trail more than a mile from Congress Avenue all the way to Lakeshore Park. The city says this would provide pedestrian and bicycle connections to the east side, the Riverside Corridor and the Lakeshore Corridor which has some of the highest population of students in this region.

"Improving the local transportation network has been a priority since the day I came here to Austin," said City Manager Ott. "What the community will see here is a comprehensive step toward long-term solutions that includes a variety of investments in roads, sidewalks, bike paths, trails and transit infrastructure. I'm proud of the work our staff has done to this point, and I'm glad that we're now in a position to take this to the voters."

The goal of the package, if approved by voters, is that approximately 77 percent of the bond proposal could be immediately implemented and another 23 percent may be used for design and preliminary engineering to develop additional projects for future construction. Road reconstruction projects totaling an estimated $19.5 million and $10 million for Americans with Disabilities Act projects are included.

Proposed Mobility Bond Package Details
The array of proposed projects may include:

•  Interim improvements for the "Y" at Oak Hill.
• I-35 preliminary traffic engineering (with the Texas Department of Transportation).
• Guadalupe/Lavaca streets utility relocation design.
• Third Street reconstruction, including the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
• Airport Boulevard Corridor arterial design.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor preliminary engineering.
• Manor Road redesign and reconstruction.
• Traffic flow improvement - U.S. 183 between U.S. 290 and Texas 71 (with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority).
• MoPac Corridor Downtown Access preliminary engineering (with CTRMA).
• Sidewalk improvements on Burnet and Manchaca roads and Brodie Lane.
• Rundberg Lane roadway extension.
• City/Travis County pool of funds for joint project development.

The last major transportation bond proposal passed by Austin voters occurred in 2000.  The $150 million transportation bond proposal by then-Mayor Kirk Watson which included the Brazos Streetscape Project which is set to be completed in early of 2011. Also included in the transportation bond package that year was Capital Metro's bid for an $872 million light-rail line.