AUSTIN, Texas — Capital Metro is proposing a new Blue Line that would help people get to and from the airport quicker.
The Blue Line would start at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Then, it would run west on Riverside Drive into downtown, turn north around the University of Texas campus and at the end of the Austin Community College Highland campus.
Those who have concerns or questions about the proposed lane have several chances to give their feedback to CapMetro. People can go to the following meetings to learn more about the Blue Line and give feedback:
- June 17: between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. the Ruiz Branch public library
- June 18: between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Lee Elementary
Until June 28, riders can check out the Blue Line virtual open house and give feedback.
Right now, CapMetro doesn't know if this would involve rail or dedicated high-speed bus lines. This is all part of the massive Project Connect plan.
The agency knows there are not a lot of people taking public transit right now in Central Texas.
But by 2040, the city's population is projected to double, and road capacity will only go up 15%. So, unless you want to spend all day in bumper-to-bumper traffic, something needs to change.
The whole point of these meetings is to hear from commuters about what they want to happen and to talk to them about what sacrifices need to be made to get here.
“We'll be looking at trade-offs,” said Jackie Nirenberg with CapMetro. “What does it take to build something like this? Because any time you put in something new, there's going to be some trade-offs in the ground. We want to know what people are willing to trade off to have these kinds of solutions out there.”
CapMetro leaders expect to know by early next year whether this line would be rail or bus, what it could cost and how long it would take to build.
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