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With light rail no longer expected to extend to the Austin airport, officials are asking for alternative transportation options

Initial plans for Project Connect included a light rail that extended to the airport. But inflation and supply chain issues have forced the City to scale back.

AUSTIN, Texas — At its meeting Wednesday night, Austin's Airport Advisory Commission recommended alternative transportation to the airport.

While initial plans for Project Connect included a light rail that extended to the airport, the latest plan does not include that light rail route. 

Now the airport commission is requesting alternative transportation during high-traffic hours to make up for passengers that could have taken the light rail.

"It is important as we move through the process of executing an enhanced phase of transit known as Project Connect in our community, that we live within our means," said Patrick Rose with the Airport Advisory Commission.

The Austin City Council, CapMetro's Board of Directors and the Austin Transit Partnership's (ATP) Board of Directors recently met to finalize and approve the first phase of Project Connect’s light rail program. The meeting came after the ATP revealed its recommended Phase 1 light rail investment, with service running from 38th Street to Oltorf Street to Yellow Jacket Lane.

The plan consists of almost 10 miles of new light rail across 15 stations. However, it is quite different that what was initially proposed for Project Connect. Inflation and supply chain issues have forced the City to scale back.

Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown

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