AUSTIN, Texas —
The Central Texas group Transit Forward will hold its annual update Wednesday on where Project Connect currently stands.
This year, there have been significant developments that will make the update different from years past.
"This year is different because this is the first year that Austin voters will actually have project connect stuff that they can ride," Transit Forward Executive Director Bill McCamley said.
The McKalla Station, which is part of the new Red Line right next to Q2 Stadium, is one of the first parts of Project Connect people can now ride.
There is also a new pickup service in Dove Springs, and new efforts have been started to keep affordable housing near public transit. All of these changes will be discussed at the update event.
Wednesday's event will bring together leaders from each organization involved in the project. That includes Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, representatives from CapMetro and staffers from the Austin Transit Partnership.
"Here in Austin, people really care about the stuff around them, right? They care about the details, they care that they have the ability to talk directly with leaders," McCamley said. "We let them have their say about the things that are going on, and we allow people to ask those questions that they care about so they can get answers straight from the horse's mouth."
Not only will these leaders present the newest developments on their ends, they will also take questions from citizens. This gives the people of Austin a chance to have their concerns addressed.
"Project Connect is big. It is complicated. It's going to take a while for some of the things in Project Connect to become a reality," McCamley said. "So, it is absolutely vital that Austin voters know what's going on, have the ability to interact with the leaders that are making things happen and understand when things are happening in the future."
The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall. You can find out more information, like how to email a question in, here.
Transit Forward will also host a virtual event Thursday with CapMetro to offer another opportunity for community members to meet with leaders and get their questions answered.