Thousands of cars and pedestrians pass through The Drag every day, commuting to and from campus. The current road allows for some bicycle and scooter traffic, and sees frequent bus traffic. Crashes in this area occur most often at 21st and Guadalupe streets, according to the city of Austin. However, this bustling area did not start as the crowded space it is known as today.
The Drag started as a dirt path at the University’s beginning in 1883, taking its name from the horse-pulled carts “dragged” down the road. The carts dropped students off where the University Co-op stands today.
“Pretty much every student that has ever gone to UT has been at that spot at one point,” said Jim Nicar, historian and author of the blog The UT History Corner.
The carts turned into electric trolleys at the turn of the century, operating as far north as 24th Street and then turning around to go back south. By 1969, students could access a shuttle system of repurposed school buses.
“They looked like old-timey school buses that were painted white with orange stripes,” Nicar said.
The school bus system for students continued until the 1990s, when the shuttles merged with CapMetro, the city of Austin public transportation system. This system allowed students to swipe their student ID for free bus fare and continues today.
In 2020, the city of Austin introduced Project Connect, a decade-long project that aims to “expand and improve Austin’s transit network.”
Project Connect would create a light rail, which would run across 9.8 miles of Austin and connect UT students to key locations like downtown and South Congress. This means that The Drag will become less accessible to regular vehicles due to the light rail, prioritizing pedestrians and bikers.
“There’s a whole history to The Drag itself that will change if it becomes pedestrian only,” Nicar said.
With fewer vehicles on The Drag, students commuting between the University and West Campus will likely reduce pedestrian injuries significantly. According to the World Health Organization, many of the measures Project Connect is taking, such as adding better footpaths, are proven factors for reducing unnecessary injuries for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Jennifer Pyne, Austin Transit Partnership’s executive vice president of planning, community and federal programs, said the light rail will improve transportation for students living further from campus and travel more safely on The Drag.
As a key point of access for students and vehicles alike, The Drag is no stranger to vehicular accidents and injuries. Since 2010, at least 161 crashes on this portion of the road have resulted in injuries. According to the city of Austin, most crashes have happened at intersections between streets, namely at Guadalupe and 21st streets.
A 2014 study by MIT revealed that Guadalupe Street was the most dangerous street for bicyclists in Austin, citing its high pedestrian and driving population. According to the map, Guadalupe Street had a reported 84 crashes on bicycles between 2009 and 2014.
Austin has already made several efforts to reduce this danger. 2013 saw the construction of a protected stretch of bike lanes on The Drag, from MLK Boulevard to 24th Street. In 2021, the city updated its curbs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This danger will likely be curbed by the light rail. Pyne said the light rail’s changes to The Drag, which are still in the planning stage, will include more pedestrian and bike space, while still allowing buses and emergency vehicles to get through.
“Generally, it would be designed to be much more pedestrian focused and not a place you just drive through,” Pyne said.
Pyne said a primary goal of the changes is to help students remain safe.
“We want to design it to comfortably accommodate those people,” she said.
The light rail will also allow travel more quickly to popular spaces for students, like South Congress.
“The line is going from UT down to downtown, East Riverside and also down South Congress,” Pyne said. “If you’re living (there) or wanting to go to any of those places, this will be a reliable way.”
Pyne said the light rail will also help people travel more reliably.
“You (will) just show up, and you know that (the rail) will be there relatively soon. So I’m excited for that,” she said. “If there are special events, if it’s congested, people have choices.”
The first portion of the light rail, which includes The Drag, is set to open in 2033, after several years of construction and planning.
“Our intention is that if we’re designing for everybody, it’s going to benefit all different parts of the community,” Pyne said.
