The free ride continues through the end of May for US 183A drivers with a TxTag account. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) will not charge active TxTag holders. TxTag users will also receive a 50% discount in June and a 10% discount over cash thereafter. Some segments of 183A have electronic payment only toll plazas. Get a TxTag sticker and open an account through this site or by calling us at 1-888-GoTxTag (1-888-468-9824).
Friday, May 4 - SH 130 Dell Diamond Sign Unveiling - 10AM @ SH 130/CR 190.
Come celebrate a new sign that will take you out to the ballgame! RSVP to 512.694.7797 or Nancy.Ledbetter@hdrinc.com.
May 1 - Take on Traffic Speakers Bureau Training: Noon in the offices of Jackson Walker (100 Congress Ave, Suite 1100). Lunch will be included. RSVP to Sandy Hentges if you would like to attend.
TONIGHT - April 26 - Austin PBS Series 3rd season premiere has segment on urban transportation: Premiering tonight at 8:00 p.m., on KLRU-TV, Austin PBS - Season 3 of DOWNTOWN - the 3-time Emmy® Award-winning series featuring the people and places that make DOWNTOWN: As Austin As It Gets. Tonight’s episode is #301: Urban Transportation, Downtown’s “Wilder” Side, The “Rite” Playhouse.
The show is also available free on Time Warner Cable’s Lone Star on Demand, Channel 1400.
DOWNTOWN is a co-production of the Downtown Austin Alliance, Action Figure and KLRU-TV, Austin PBS. More information on the series is available here.
The March 2007 Central Texas Turnpike System report is now available.
The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing April 23 on the Pickle Parkway Bill (HB 2296) in Hearing Room E1.016. The Senate Committee meeting begins at 8:00 AM.
Additional details on the hearing are available here.
Update: The bill passed 6-0 and has been sent to the uncontested calendar.
TXDOT is preparing to open another portion of SH 45N (RM 620 W to to US 183), one of the last portions of the tollroad. The westbound lanes will open to traffic on Apr 26 and the eastbound lanes on Apr 27.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for April 23.
Northern half of SH 45 to open next week - Austin Business Journal
The CAMPO Board CAMPO approved managed lanes on MOPAC in Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). TXDOT and CAMPO have devised a plan to build the extra lanes without taking an right-of-way from the UP rail line or the property along MoPac by narrowing existing lanes from 12 to 11 feet. The proposal would put two lanes, one in each direction, running from Town Lake to Parmer Lane.
The project still must undergo a federal environmental review process and public hearings. If everything goes as planned, construction could begin as early as fall 2008.
MOPAC likely to get two more lanes - Austin Business Journal
The second Distinguished Transportation Speaker Series (DTSS) will be held May 4 at 11:30 AM at the Hyatt Regency in Austin at 11:30 AM. The Distinguished Transportation Speaker Series’ objective is to provide top notch speakers to educate the regional business, community and political leadership though a series of lunches. Our first luncheon in this series, featuring noted congestion expert Alan Pisarski in October 2006, was well-attended and received.
The second event in this series will focus on public-private investment in transportation infrastructure. The event’s main speaker will be Leonard Gilroy, Senior Policy Analyst at the Reason Foundation and a nationally recognized expert on public-private partnerships.
Gilroy is the managing editor of Privatization Watch, a newsletter on privatization, and is the editor of the Annual Privatization Report, which examines trends and chronicles the experiences of local, state, and federal governments in bringing competition to public services. His articles have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Washington Times, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arizona Republic, San Francisco Examiner, and Rocky Mountain News.
Gilroy’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion of local and state leaders weighing in on the issue. We have invited Texas State Senators John Carona and Robert Nichols to participate on this panel. We’ll have additional information on the panel’s makeup soon.
The luncheon will be from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency in Austin (208 Barton Springs Road) and the cost is $40 per person. Seats are limited so please RSVP by May 1 to catc@catransco.org or 512-587.6625. Cash or checks will be accepted at the door.