[Updated 5:45 p.m. Oct. 2 to include response from TxDOT]
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is encouraging the Texas Department of Transportation to initiate a transportation study of the abandoned MoKan rail line that runs through East Austin and up through Pflugerville, Round Rock and Georgetown.
Mike Heiligenstein, executive director for the Mobility Authority, which designs and operates toll facilities, said he met with several mayors of municipalities north of Austin to discuss how the MoKan corridor might be utilized in the future. These mayors are involved in the Project Connect regional transportation plan's North Corridor that runs from downtown Austin to Georgetown.
"They want to make very sure that the north [corridor] is recognized as one of most congested corridors in the region," Heiligenstein said.
The Project Connect North Corridor plan indicates that portions of the proposed regional Lone Star Rail line that could run from San Antonio to Georgetown would use portions of the MoKan corridor in Austin and Round Rock but not in Pflugerville.
Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher told Community Impact Newspaper in June that residents have concerns about using the MoKan right-of-way in Pflugerville because it could disrupt existing streets and because it abuts several neighborhoods and is close to two schools.
TxDOT owns portions of the MoKan right-of-way, which at one point had been considered for the SH 130 corridor before planners decided to look farther east. The rail line abuts neighborhoods and schools in Pflugerville, and a portion of Pflugerville's Heritage Loop Trail uses part of the MoKan right-of-way.
"Preserving a corridor like this for future transportation projects makes a lot of sense," Mobility Authority board member Charles Heimsath said.
TxDOT spokeswoman Kelli Reyna said the department has met with communities near the MoKan right-of-way but that at this point, TxDOT does not have a study in the works.
"We recognize this as a good opportunity to consider this type of study and appreciate the resolution of support from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority," she said. "Before moving forward, we will work with local communities and the Mobility Authority to develop a plan of action and will explore the prospect of bringing a consultant on-board to determine what transportation modes best fit this corridor."
Jim Mills, vice chairman for the Mobility Authority board, said that because MoKan was railroad, the right-of-way is narrow.
"This study ought to emphasize how to acquire a wider right-of-way than MoKan is today," he said.
Heiligenstein said that TxDOT commencing a study might hit pause on any proposed projects that would use the MoKan corridor, such as bike lanes or hiking paths.
"Before that is set in concrete, I think it's really important for [TxDOT] to look at that corridor for bigger regional solutions, which could include express lanes, rail, whatever it is," he said. "That's not for us to decide at this point, but it is important for the study to get underway."
He said a study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute indicated that not much could be done to improve mobility on I-35.
"We realize [MoKan] may be the last corridor we have in the central part of region that we have to deal with," he said. "[TxDOT] still owns that right-of-way, and this is encouraging [TxDOT] to take a really good, hard look at that. Really what it comes down to is we're studying I-35, we've got 130 out there, we're working on MoPac. I want to encourage them to look at everything in the system."
