Greening Austin Daily

Public Meetings this Week on Light Rail

4th April, 2011 - Posted by katherine - 1 Comment

There are several opportunities to attend a public meeting this week to talk about the city’s preliminary light rail proposal:

 *Monday, April 4, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Austin Convention Center (meeting room 3 on the first floor), 500 E. Cesar Chavez St.;

* Wednesday, April 6, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (first floor conference room), 4700 Mueller Blvd.;

* Thursday, April 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center (classroom 103 on the first floor), 1900 University Ave.;

* Thursday, April 7, 5 to 8 p.m., at the George Washington Carver Museum (museum foyer), 1165 Angelina St.; and

* Saturday, April 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Ruiz Branch Library (meeting rooms), 1600 Grove Blvd.

One of these is near my workplace during lunch so I may try to attend part of it.

The Statesman had this editorial in the paper over the weekend urging people to attend:

Last week, the city offered up a proposed light rail plan that includes more than 40 stations, including a possible spur heading up Red River Street from the University of Texas to Hancock Center. Among the many decisions to be made is where the rail line will cross the river.

Overall, we are talking about 16.5 miles of tracks running electric-powered trains on or alongside city streets. It would link downtown, UT, the Mueller neighborhood and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Any form of additional public transportation to our airport would be a great thing.

Estimated price tag, for now: $1.3 billion. The city is looking to a $200 million or more bond issue — to cover the project’s first phase — in November 2012. The Austin City Council this week will consider a plan to seek federal money for the project. Federal money seems crucial for this project.

There’s a lot to talk about and question –— especially financing — before we get anywhere near heading to the ballot box.

The environmental study, of which this week’s hearings are a part, hinges on three potential choices. One is “no-build.” Do nothing and stick with the current, limited transit options. We believe doing nothing is a feasible option only in the sad event that it turns out we can’t afford to do something.

The City of Austin’s website states:

Submit a written comment online, or via e-mail at transportation@ci.austin.tx.us. Written comments may also be submitted in person at the Public Scoping Meetings or by mail to Urban Rail Project, Austin Transportation Department, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767.

Comments should be postmarked before April 29, 2011 to be included in the public record.

The Federal Transit Administration and the City of Austin have officially begun the process of preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the city’s proposed Urban Rail system, including scheduling a series of meetings in April for the public to learn about and comment on the proposed Central Austin transit system.

If you are interested in public transportation, it should be interesting to learn more about the proposal.