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Rendering of option that crosses the blue line bridge at Lady Bird Lake, but does not have bus access. (Project Connect)
Getting around downtown and Lady Bird Lake will eventually be a rapid trip, but is it a trek that will involve more buses?
Two design proposals are being eyed for a light rail bridge crossing Lady Bird Lake as part of the blue line, a portion of the transit system expansion voters approved in November 2020.
For a design option without a guideway for buses, the light rail would simply travel through downtown and then cross the blue line bridge at Lady Bird Lake. There would also be a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. Although costs aren't finalized, the preliminary estimates put this version at $150 million.
Then there's the option with a steeper estimated bill of $210 million. Under this design, there would be a guided pathway running above the bridge for bus services. In practice, it'd allow buses to travel along Trinity Street and cross Lady Bird Lake on a guideway. Then, there'd be a separate corridor for the light rail. Like the other design, this one also includes a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists.
In total, the blue line is just over 8 miles and will run from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Republic Square in downtown. From there, services connect to the orange line.
Under the pressures of inflation and supply chain constraints, cost estimates for Project Connect have soared from $5.8 billion to $10.3 billion for the two light rail lines and underground tunnel.
In a memo earlier this month, David Couch, Project Connect's program officer said the program is "not immune to the global and national economic pressures that everyone is feeling."
"Transit, airport, highway, utility, housing, and commercial projects are all seeing cost increases," Couch wrote. "As you all know, Austin is experiencing these impacts at an even higher level than the national average due to the unprecedented growth we are experiencing."
- City launches $65M in Project Connect anti-displacement plan ... ›
- Project Connect doubles cost of Orange, Blue lines - austonia ›
- Austin's Project Connect's downtown tunnel changes routes - austonia ›
- The pros and cons of Austin's $7.1B transit plan Project Connect ... ›
- Austin voters ask: How feasible is Project Connect's $7.1B price tag ... ›
- Federal Transit Administration awards $750K for Project Connect ... ›
- 5 ways Project Connect is moving forward in Austin - austonia ›
- Project Connect begins scoping phase, officially hitting the road ... ›
- Why Austin passed Prop A when other light rail efforts failed - austonia ›
- Austin voters ask: How much with Project Connect raise my taxes ... ›
Popular
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police are investigating the killing of Moriah "Mo" Wilson after she was found with gunshot wounds inside an Austin home.
Wilson, a gravel and mountain bike racer, was visiting Austin from Colorado in preparation for the Gravel Locos race on Saturday taking place in Hico, a small town 2 hours from Austin.
On Wednesday, her roommate came home and found Wilson unresponsive with "a lot of blood near her,” police said. It is now being investigated as a suspicious death. No further information on the suspect or motive behind the killing are available at this time.
Wilson recently had become a full-time biker after winning a slew of races in the past year.
(Pexels)
Some of your favorite Instagram filters can’t be used in Texas anymore and Austinites are sounding off on social media.
Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, announced on Wednesday that certain filters would no longer be available in Texas.
The change is a result of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company uses facial recognition technology that violates laws in Texas. A release from Meta says it stopped using facial recognition tech in November 2021 and denies Paxton’s allegations.
Some Austinites bemoaned the shift, saying some of their favorite filters were now unavailable.
This was my FAVORITE filter on @instagram and they done removed it cause I’m in Texas ! Like wowwwwww pic.twitter.com/uX60hdIC0Q
— Pinkyy Montana (@inkstar_pinkyy) May 11, 2022
i heard that instagram filters got banned in texas? what the actual fuck y’all better give me my favorite filter back
— lia 🤍 (@liatootrill) May 11, 2022
loved this stupid filter sm i hate texas pic.twitter.com/DXr9mmUc64
— birthday boy jeno 🎂 (@beabtox) May 12, 2022
But more often than not, locals joked about the ban.
Texas women seeing the filter ban on IG pic.twitter.com/yDMcP3Qtsr
— Christian (Anabolic) Flores (@christian_flo24) May 11, 2022
So, the state of Texas has banned filter use on IG? THE END IS NEAR. 😂
— THE FRANCHISE! Франшиза (@NYCFranchise718) May 12, 2022
And some in-between chose to show off some natural beauty.
I live in Texas, but no filter needed. 😉 pic.twitter.com/A6teRgYMKn
— bad and bruja (@starseedmami) May 11, 2022
filter, no filter..texas women still reign supreme.
— 🎍 (@_sixile) May 11, 2022
Finally, some are trying to cash in on the opportunity.
Texas IG users- if you want to filter your picture cashapp me $1.50 $ErvnYng
— Gemini (@ervn_y) May 11, 2022
Meta said it plans to create an opt-in system for both Texas and Illinois residents, who are facing the same issues.