May 19
Statesman columnist Ben Wear pitted SH 130 against IH-35, and was surprised to find that IH-35 won the race… but what factors contributed to the unexpected results? Wear admits that spring break likely contributed to the lighter-than-normal IH-35 traffic and that afternoon traffic is generally more congested than the morning run tested. Not to mention that SH 130 has at the very least diverted some of the through traffic that used to clog up IH-35 by diverting it around the central city. Wear plans a re-match to compare evening rush hour traffic.
The Great Race: Texas 130 loses to I-35 - Austin American-Statesman
May 10
Austin street maintenance may suffer from budget shortfalls. According to budget forecasts presented to the City Council, the $43.2 million collected from transportation fees on utility bills won’t cover the planned maintenance of $50.9 million for fiscal year 2009.
The issue is particularly important as streets that do not receive timely maintenance deteriorate faster and require more costly rebuilding. The city’s goal is to take care of maintenance on 10 percent of its roads each year. In 2002, the City reduced that amount to 8% and recently began increasing the amount in an effort to regain the 10% goal. The $50.9 million budget was estimated at 9.5% of roads in 2009.
Austin scraping for street maintenance money - Austin American-Statesman
May 07
WHAT: Briefing on the Downtown Austin Plan: Urban Rail Connector/Circulator Proposal
WHEN: Tuesday, May 13, 2008, Check-in at 7:40 a.m., Meeting at 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: St. David’s Episcopal Church, 304 East 7th Street in Sumner’s Hall, 3rd Floor
City of Austin staff and members of the ROMA Design team will present details of the proposal for inclusion of a rail-based circulator/connector in the Downtown Austin Plan.
As proposed, the circulator would connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Downtown, the Capitol complex, and the Mueller redevelopment site. The line could be extended to other areas in future phases.
Parking will be available at the Southwest Tower parking garage located 211 East 7th Street. RSVP via email to rsvp@downtownaustin.com or call 512-469-1766 x211 by Monday, May 12 by 5:00 p.m.
May 05
The Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board weighs in on Gov. Perry’s appointment of his former Chief of Staff, Deirdre Delisi, as Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission. The jury’s still out:
“Though it is fortunate that Central Texas now has a presence on the transportation commission, Delisi still must show that she is more than a Perry pawn. Can she lead the commission? Can she push back? Can she be independent when she needs to be?”
Can Delisi steer Transportation through all the potholes?
Meanwhile, San Antonio businesswoman Hope Andrade remains unruffled by not being re-appointed to the Commission. Perry’s decision is seen as an effort to achieve geographic balance while retaining a strong advocate for Perry’s transportation agenda, but there is already grumbling that Delisi can hardly be considered a representative for South Texas.
South Texan seen as casualty in revamped highway panel - San Antonio Express News