(Credit: Capital Metro)
Overhauling Austin’s public transit system will not come cheap, according to new figures released Tuesday by Capital Metro. Known as ‘Project Connect,’ the agency has a long-range goal of completely overhauling the city’s public transit capabilities within the next two decades.
Capital Metro’s high-end estimate of $9.8-billion would include the addition of two new light rail lines: a north-south line as well as a line connecting downtown Austin to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin voters have not always taken kindly to light rail proposals. Two previous efforts by the city to win voter approval failed, including in 2000 when voters shotdown a $970-million light rail proposal which was vastly cheaper than the new estimates.
Were that option to be selected, however, the city hopes to have roughly 40-percent of it covered by federal grants. But, even with grant money, the high-end option would still leave taxpayers on the hook for more than $5-billion.
A slightly cheaper option would be to increase Capital Metro’s total fleet of Metro Rapid buses. That would cost $7.2-billion.
This week, the Capital Metro Board of Directors and the Austin City Council will receive an official presentation on the various possibilites. By January, the city is expected to enter into more serious talks about the overall size and scope of the two new rail lines, known as the Orange Line and the Blue Line. A final decision could come as early as March. If so, it may pave the way for a ballot item in November 2020.
