Capital Metro could start construction on 77 bus stations by the end of summer
With federal funds in place, Capital Metro is set to complete design work on the $47.6 million two-route rapid-bus system that will run along North Lamar Boulevard to South Congress Avenue and Burnet Road to South Lamar Boulevard.
The Federal Transit Authority will fund 80 percent of the project with a $38 million grant from its Very Small Starts program.
Capital Metro President and CEO Linda Watson said 40 new buses would serve 77 bus stops and allow riders to connect to other bus routes and the commuter rail line, which stops downtown at 401 E. Fourth St.
"We're talking about more than 20,000 boardings a day on the two routes that it will operate on when it opens up in 2014," she said. "We're talking about mobility, and [Capital] MetroRapid will connect people to major hubs of education, government and business in the most densely populated areas of the city."
Todd Hemingson, vice president of strategic planning and development, said he anticipates being able to start construction on the 77 bus stations by the end of summer. Hemingson said each of the stations will feature new technology to let riders know when the next bus is approaching, and that the real-time information would also be accessible by mobile phones.
"This is going to be our premium service. We want it to run the most frequently out of anything we operate, and we want it to run the longest of anything we operate," Hemingson said.
The rapid-bus system will replace the transit authority's limited-stop Route 101. One route will run along North Lamar Boulevard and South Congress Avenue from the Tech Ridge Park and Ride to the Southpark Meadows retail center on Slaughter Lane. Another route will run from the North Austin Medical Center south on Burnet Road to the Westgate Transit Center on South Lamar Boulevard.
"One of the unique things about these two lines is they form kind of an 'X' shape, and in the center they share a common path from Lady Bird Lake to [The University of Texas]," Hemingson said. "Where we have really high ridership and demand for transit, they both will be operating. So instead of running every 10 minutes, they will be running every five minutes."
Capital Metro plans to run the buses daily from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. with fewer service hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Fast bus, slow start
The idea for a rapid-bus system stems from a 2004 comprehensive transportation plan, that identified 10 possible routes. Capital Metro elected to move forward on its highest ridership route, the North Lamar/South Congress route, and the Burnet Road/South Lamar route because of its close proximity to the first route.
"We had initially thought we could do these pretty quickly, but as it is not uncommon, there were budget challenges, and that budget shortfall was what led us to put in for the grant," Hemingson said.
Capital Metro first received notice that it would receive the Very Small Starts grant in February 2009. The transit agency will fund the remaining $9.6 million from its operating budget.
New features
The majority of the transit project's cost—$25.4 million of $47.6 million—will fund the purchase of 40 new buses. The North Lamar/South Congress route will use 60-foot accordion-style buses, and the Burnet Road route will use 40-foot buses. The 60-foot bus holds 111 people with 56 seats, and the 40-foot bus has a 78-person capacity with 35 seats.
Capital Metro will also construct new shelters at every stop along the MetroRapid lines, with the exception of the park-and-ride locations, at a total cost of $9.6 million, according to the transit authority.
Each shelter will have a bench, system map, standard route sign and the real-time digital displays to show riders the anticipated arrival times of the next two buses. The information will be transmitted from a GPS device on the bus that also communicates with the City of Austin's traffic management system.
Getting there quicker
Ken Cartwright, strategic project management officer for Capital Metro, said that when one of the new buses approaches a traffic signal that is about to turn red, the bus's GPS system will communicate with the city's system to keep the light green for up to five more seconds. Cartwright said the buses cannot change a red light green or run a red light, but the system would allow the bus to pass through the intersection instead of being stopped, thus allowing for faster service.
"It's not just a benefit for customers, it's a benefit for Capital Metro because it reduces our cost," he said. "Any time we can speed up our service, that's lower cost and more efficiency."
The rapid-bus routes also open the doors for Capital Metro to partner with other cities and counties in the future to connect service, although Cartwright said nothing is set in stone as the primary focus is on the existing service area.
"We know, based on license plate surveys, for example, that a lot of people that access the Tech Ridge park-and-ride are actually from points farther north, so they will be able to access MetroRapid there," Cartwright said, adding those areas are mostly Round Rock, Georgetown and Pflugerville.
