Central Texas agencies develop long-range transportation vision

Central Texas agencies develop long-range transportation vision

By Rob Heidrick Friday, 08 May 2009

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New plans aim to create more transit options, reduce traffic congestion as region’s population continues to grow

Central Texas transportation agencies are adjusting their long-range planning strategies this year to reflect the needs of a region that has been reshaped by rapid growth and accelerated economic development. As Austin and its surrounding communities have become increasingly interconnected over the last decade, agency leaders are working to create systems that will enhance urban mobility and support an emergent commuter population.

The quick pace of growth presents challenges for the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and other agencies as traffic congestion builds steadily each year, said CTRMA Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein.

“Our transportation model has changed radically over the last 10 years,” he said. “Right now we’re in one of those evolutionary phases of transportation where it’s really hard to get anything put on the ground without a lot of funding mechanisms.”

Newly updated plans from CTRMA and several other planning organizations call for an expansion of alternative funding options, development of transit-oriented land use strategies and a more localized oversight of transportation improvement projects.

Alternative transit modes

Joe Cantalupo, executive director of CAMPO, said the most effective strategy to curb the effects of rising freeway congestion will be to diversify the types of transportation available to residents within and outside of the city.

“The highway system is important, it’s always going to be important and we need to make sure to grow it and take care of it properly,” Cantalupo said. “That said, I think that for us to continue to be a region that people want to work in, live in and visit, we’re going to need the widest variety of transportation options possible.”

Cantalupo’s organization is responsible for coordinating and distributing federal funding for transportation projects in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, and in February it began the process of updating its long-range 2035 Plan.

The plan examines the need for a wider variety of transportation options, including a regional commuter rail line between Georgetown and San Antonio; an urban or ultra-light rail system between the Mueller Development in east Austin, the downtown district and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport; and an improved city and rapid transit bus system which could serve areas not connected by rail lines.

An early draft of the 2035 plan will be available for public discussion by fall 2009, which Cantalupo said must be approved by June 2010, when CAMPO’s current long-range plan expires.

Capital Metro’s All Systems Go! Long-Range Transit Plan also considers the Austin area’s transportation needs on a 25-year horizon. Much of the report focuses on expanding the MetroRail commuter system, beginning with the Red Line to Leander. Planning phases are currently underway for another route, the Green Line, which would run eastward from central Austin to Manor and Elgin.

A high-speed rail line is another long-term possibility for Central Texas, Heiligenstein said. Trains on the proposed South Central Corridor would travel between Oklahoma City, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio at about 100 miles per hour. President Barack Obama announced in April that the corridor is a candidate to receive part of an $8 billion federal stimulus fund allocated for high-speed rail.

Smart growth

New development concepts, including communities built around newly installed transit systems such as Red Line stops, are another major focus in CAMPO’s long-range vision. The centralized communities often incorporate residential areas and retail centers within close proximity in order to minimize travel times.

“We’ve started thinking about the ideal transportation system as encompassing well-planned development,” said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security. “You may reduce the need for some roads, you reduce the need for lots of money going into maintenance and you increase the possibility for the use of alternatives such as transit or walking or even biking.”

Transportation planners often weigh the benefits of installing new transit-oriented developments against the need to make improvements within cities outgrowing their current facilities, including Round Rock and other communities to the north, Cantalupo said.

“It’s a variation of the chicken and egg question,” he said. “Do we use transportation to direct growth, or do we use growth to direct where we’re going to put transportation? It’s a little bit of both.”

Funding mechanisms

Existing sources of transportation funding, most notably state and federal gas taxes, are on the decline as cars become more fuel-efficient, reducing gas consumption without decreasing traffic volume, former TxDOT Austin District Engineer Robert Daigh said.

CAMPO’s 2035 Regional Growth Concept proposes alternative funding strategies such as increasing the gas tax rate, charging vehicle registration fees to new residents and imposing a tax on vehicle miles traveled. The latter option, which would use new technology to track a vehicle’s mileage and charge drivers a set rate per mile, has raised controversy among some residents who are concerned about privacy issues.

Rates would likely vary according to road type, Heiligenstein said. City roads subsidized by local taxes could be free, for example, while state roads and newer facilities could incur larger fees. He said a VMT tax will likely be imposed at some point in the future, once logistical and technological issues have been resolved.

The gap between available funding and road usage appears to be widening: A 2007 study by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce estimates that an average of 70 new vehicles use the region’s roadways each day. New toll roads are also attracting large numbers of drivers, as an average of more than 62,000 cars entered Toll 183A each weekday in 2008 — almost 30,000 more than CTRMA planners projected.

A managed lane system could further relieve congestion by setting toll fees based on traffic flow, Heiligenstein said. Fee amounts would be updated every 10 to 30 minutes, charging drivers more to use the lanes during peak hours. Plans are underway to construct a managed lane along MoPac between Parmer Lane and Lady Bird Lake.

“Any time of day, you can get on that road and go 50 to 60 miles per hour and drop off downtown or go across the river,” Heiligenstein said.

Local option funding

With federal and state resources stretched thin, some lawmakers and transportation officials have recommended giving local governments more authority to oversee new road and transit projects. The Senate approved a bill April 13 that would give county governments the option to call elections and allow the public to vote on new sources of funding for specific local projects.

The Texas Local Option Transportation Act outlines six possible sources for generating new tax revenue, all of which require voter approval before taking effect: a new county gas tax, mobility improvement fees, parking management fees, motor vehicle emissions fees, driver’s license renewal fees and new resident roadway impact fees.

The legislation covers only 19 Texas counties, including Travis County, but Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, successfully lobbied to remove Williamson County from the list.

Counties would collect the taxes and apply them toward transportation improvements, construction bonds and contractor services. If the bill is approved by the House and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2010.