Watson pushes for light rail to the airport
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A Capital Metro Red Line train on the move in 2023. Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images
A plan to extend light rail to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is back on the drawing board.
Why it matters: The light rail vision that Austin voters approved in 2020 included an airport connection, but that was later scrapped because of rising costs.
- Critics panned the slimmed-down version for not connecting to areas outside the city's core.
Driving the news: Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Tuesday that transportation planners will start working on a potential extension of the city's light rail project to the airport.
What they're saying: "A world-class airport needs a multimodal, world-class transportation system to connect to it," Watson wrote in his Watson Wire newsletter.
- As part of a massive expansion, the airport is aiming to nearly double the number of gates it offers, with the lion's share of them coming in the early 2030s.
Zoom in: "Extending to the airport makes perfect sense and will broaden support for the overall project," Jake Wegmann, a professor in the University of Texas' community and regional planning program, wrote in response to the mayor's push.
The other side: "Focusing billions of dollars on transit service between downtown and the airport is not what is needed," Katie Kam, a community planner who lost a City Council bid last week, wrote on LinkedIn about the mayor's proposal.
- "That route is not our high demand route. That route will not serve the everyday needs of Austinites."
Between the lines: Watson's push comes as rail proponents are emboldened by the November election, which saw key GOP figures who had been opposed to rail plans ushered out of office.
- "Light rail is much more likely to move forward," Austin City Council member Chito Vela said on election night, pointing to Democrat Nathan Johnson's election as Texas attorney general.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had led the way in undercutting financing for the city transportation plan known as Project Connect.
State of play: As it currently stands, the nearly 10-mile all-electric train line would feature 15 stations, connecting the University of Texas with downtown, South Congress Avenue and East Riverside Drive.
- Officials with the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), which was established to design, finance and build the project, said Tuesday in a memo to its board members that construction will start in 2027.
Follow the money: The transit plan depends on the federal government to pay for up to half the $7.1 billion rail project.
- ATP officials say they're working with the Federal Transit Administration to secure the grants.
- "My challenge to ATP is to pursue this extension within our existing budget approved by voters — no new taxpayer dollars," Watson wrote on Tuesday.
What's next: ATP staff plans to coordinate design work with Austin airport officials and put together a cost estimate and funding possibilities, "including potential federal funding support," per the ATP memo on Tuesday.
- The analysis could take nine to 12 months, per the memo.
- The extension to the airport would be approximately 3 miles and mostly elevated, per the memo.
- "The number one comment we received from Austinites was to extend light rail to the airport — to increase mobility capacity and mobility choices, and to improve reliability in getting to the airport for both passengers and the airport workforce," says the memo.
Reality check: The project scope has been shrinking, not growing, dogged by the inflation of construction costs and soaring real estate expenses.