AUSTIN, Texas — For years, a public transit expansion has been proposed in Austin.
Voters have turned it down in the past, but now Capital Metro is hoping to get people's input on a new transit line it is considering.
Cap Metro is proposing an "Orange Line" that would run on Guadalupe Street, North Lamar Boulevard and South Congress Avenue.
“It's usually pretty congested,” Maggie Pfeiffer, a Cap Metro rider, said, referencing a portion of Guadalupe known as “The Drag.” “There are a lot of cars, a lot of buses and a lot of pedestrians."
She said it can take her a while to get from Hyde Park to the University of Texas campus.
“I take the 801,” Pfeiffer said. “Sometimes it's only 803s for a while."
Cap Metro CEO Randy Clarke said his agency is seeking to use the Orange Line to connect Tech Ridge Boulevard to Slaughter Lane.
“And this first piece of the process is to really work with the community to find that exact alignment,” Clarke said.
Three modes of transportation are being considered for the orange line: Light rail, autonomous buses or buses with dedicated lanes.
That means fewer lanes for cars.
“If we're going to change mobility in this city, we're going to have to have exclusive right-of-way for transit vehicles to have priority," Clarke said.
Bus riders said dedicated lanes are needed so they can move more quickly to their destination.
“Traffic is terrible down here,” rider Danielle Baker said.
Cap Metro has an open house Monday evening with federal transit officials on the Orange Line at the Austin Public Library from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There will also be a virtual open house April 9 through April 24 on Cap Metro’s Project Connect website about the Orange Line.
You can email comments to OrangeLineFeedback@ProjectConnect.com
Ultimately, voters will likely decide whether to approve the project in 2020.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: