The Texas Transportation Commission allocated more than $284 million in federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects across the state in a Nov. 13 order, with around $13.7 million going toward Austin-based projects.
The funds will be awarded to multiple projects across the city, including an update to Travis County’s Active Transportation Plan, the development of a trail and park along the Capital Metro Red Line commuter rail and improvements to CapMetro disability access at bus stops.
“These federal Transportation Alternative funds will go toward 73 projects statewide that will build sidewalks, shared use paths, dedicated bicycle lanes and pedestrian bridges,” the Texas Department of Transportation wrote in a news release. “They will also be used for the development of active transportation plans that will help communities plan for non-motorized connected networks.”
The commission allocated more than $660,000 to update the Travis County Active Transportation Plan. The plan will produce a “countywide, interconnected, multi-modal plan that improves safety, mobility and access for users of all ages and abilities,” wrote Hector Nieto, Travis County public information officer, in an email.
“Travis County does not have a stand-alone plan to address pedestrian, bicycle, and other active transportation needs,” Nieto wrote. “The plan will benefit the County by providing residents with options and active transportation projects that the County can implement.”
The commission also awarded CapMetro more than $6.25 million to construct 87 transit stops that comply with federal accessibility standards across the city, according to a discussion of the program at a May CapMetro Board of Directors meeting. The meeting did not provide a list of accessibility updates, but federal accessibility standards include detectable warnings on curb ramps, the locations of accessible ramps, and platforms at rail stations, according to the U.S. Access Board website.
The program will primarily focus on upgrading current CapMetro transit stops to comply with standards under the Americans With Disabilities Act, instead of creating new stops, said Sharmila Mukherjee, the chief strategic planning and development officer at CapMetro at the meeting.
“It would specifically benefit the individual with mobility needs, including those with disabilities,” Mukherjee said.
The commission’s order also provided around $2 million to the Red Line Parkway Initiative, which is working to create a 36-mile trail and park from Austin to Leander along the CapMetro Red Line, said Tom Wald, the executive director of the Red Line Parkway Initiative. The parkway would include dozens of new parks with creeks, ponds, playgrounds and connected trails along the CapMetro red line, according to the initiative’s website. He said the funding will support community engagement and identify different partners for the project.
“It’s going to be a substantial process (with) a lot of community outreach,” Wald said. “There’s over 500,000 people who live within one mile of the (red line) corridor.”
Wald said the project is hoping to connect the Red Line Parkway to other trails, such as the Walnut Creek Trail or the East Avenue Trail that would go along I-35 and connect to UT.
“We wanted this to be a popular place,” Wald said. “What we want to create is something that is a trail that provides a respite from the city, but also connectivity to everyday needs.”
