The Blue Line is one of three new rail tracks envisioned for Project Connect. The line will run from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport along Riverside Drive to a crossing of Lady Bird Lake then head north through downtown alongside the system's Orange Line to an expanded North Lamar Transit Center.
Project Connect designers are diving into options for a key piece of that path: the bridge connecting the Riverside and downtown portions of the line. Project Connect's system outline calls for a Blue Line water crossing between its Waterfront Station south of the river and Rainey/MACC Station on the north side beneath Trinity Street. This plan would see the above-ground rail line on Lady Bird's south side end up running through a new subway tunnel opening near Waller Creek.
Project Connect planners have highlighted the complexity of crafting a rail line that, within several hundred feet, shifts from street level to an elevated water crossing to underground—all across a bridge built high enough to withstand a possible rise in the lake's level due to flooding. Additionally, the bridge may include pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists along the rail line. And the concept of adding roadways for buses on the bridge has been floated more recently as well.
During a Feb. 10 meeting of City Council's mobility committee, officials and Project Connect representatives talked through the overall bridge proposal and the possible addition of bus lanes. District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison questioned the need for an even more intensive bridge plan when dedicated bus lanes could be added on the existing South First Street or Congress Avenue bridges instead, while the project's designers pointed to a need to build more transit capacity to serve an ever-growing city as a reason to consider planning for buses on the Lady Bird Lake Bridge.
“If you think about our infrastructure, we have very few lake crossings. That’s really one of the biggest constraints that we have in our transportation network downtown. ... As we’re looking 20, 50 years down the line, our city is growing like crazy, and we’re going to need more options," said Anna Martin, a representative with the Austin Transportation Department. "As we look at a generational investment here, it’s hard at this point in time to preclude the need for buses on the Trinity bridge. We’re going to need all of our bridges to work as hard as possible.”
Waller Creek concerns
Also at issue at the Lady Bird Lake crossing is the status of the Waller Creek Boathouse and how new subway infrastructure might affect the adjacent Waller Creek Tunnel flood control project.
Project Connect leaders have previously discussed preserving the boathouse in some form either by relocating or partially removing it, although no decision has been made. During the February meeting, District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly also pointed to the importance of considering the city-owned boathouse now leased by the Austin Rowing Club before laying out any final Blue Line bridge plans.
“I’m happy to hear that we are including the boathouse in those conversations because it’s a very important thing to be mindful of," Kelly said. "The boathouse is a very important asset, and I want to make sure that people are still able to utilize that as they enjoy our downtown spaces.”
Project Connect representatives said the future of the bridge, boathouse and storm tunnel will be addressed at upcoming meetings set for March and April to review possible adjustments or trade-offs in the light rail plan. Further public input will also be collected while reviews of the bus possibility and engineering needs continue.
Even with plenty of design and outreach work yet to complete, planners said they hope to figure out a path forward on a final bridge design this spring to avoid any larger delays for Project Connect's rollout.
"Because this analysis was not done earlier ... and will take some time, the city, [the Austin Transit Partnership], and Capital Metro staff commit to moving swiftly in order to adhere to the Blue Line project development and [National Environmental Policy Act] process and schedule, with a decision by May 31, 2022," Project Connect representatives said in a February memo. "The Project Connect partners are committed to creating a process that is thorough and transparent while meeting project timelines."
