The big picture
Funding from mobility bonds approved in 2016, 2018 and 2020 is going toward major regional transportation projects, local streetscape and sidewalk upgrades, safety improvements, trails and more.
The city now expects most of the $1.34 billion voter-approved bond dollars won't be used up until the late 2020s, beyond the original timelines set for each of the packages. The three programs cover scores of projects across Austin.
The first and largest of the packages, the $720 million 2016 bond, included a large chunk of funding for work along dozens of miles of Austin's busiest roadways. About two-thirds of that bond was set aside for the Corridor Mobility Program, with the remainder being reserved for other local and regional projects.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have yet to be spent or reserved more than eight years after the bond won voter approval—the original committed schedule set for the program's completion. City staff now expect spending to wrap up by late 2027.
Eric Bailey, deputy director of Austin's Capital Delivery Services, said many projects have struggled during development thanks to construction permitting difficulties. He said the city is revising its processes for current and potential future bond work, including preparations before projects are presented to the public.
One issue for many projects was permitting and compliance with environmental rules. Bailey noted that many smaller mobility improvements end up involving Austin Water and the Watershed Protection Department, increasing reviews, costs and timelines as the needed work expands.
The scope of projects called for in the 2016 bond plan ended up being larger than it could cover, leading to a re-evaluation of what could be built with available money. Bailey said the city focused on safety improvements and bicycle and pedestrian mobility, while also planning to tie into further upgrades down the road.
“We had to adapt and deliver improvements that were not necessarily the ultimate build-out that was envisioned, but also tie it into any kind of future funding that may become available so that we weren’t going to be going back and ripping out sidewalk in a couple years if more funding became available for projects along the corridors," he told the Bond Oversight Commission in November.
More than 500 projects form the 2016 package have been completed so far. Anna Martin, assistant director of the Transportation and Public Works Department, said Austin's sidewalk network coverage—the share of city roadway with sidewalks on at least one side of the street—has increased from about 48% to 80% since 2016. She also said 18 intersections upgraded under the city's Vision Zero vehicle crash reduction initiative have seen a 22% decline in reported injuries and deaths.
“It’s working. We have a long way to go, but where we’ve been able to invest dollars, we’re seeing improvements," she said.
Next up, Bailey said nearly $150 million in 2016 bond projects should be going out to bid or moving into construction in 2025.
Also of note
Not as much 2018 and 2020 bond funding has been spent or reserved to date, and both also remain behind the timelines set by City Council for those programs. The city now expects all 2018 projects to be completed in 10 years, rather than eight, while the 2020 funds will be used up by 2028, rather than the package's 2026 deadline set in council's "contract with the voters."
Martin said the city is also being more flexible with newer bond projects to allow Austin to pursue federal grant money to support the work. So far, that's played out with tens of millions in added funding for Vision Zero and a construction grant for the Barton Springs Road Bridge replacement.
A map of Austin's capital improvement projects, including transportation bond initiatives, is available online. Staff also said they hope to have an interactive map specifically covering mobility bond projects available for the public in the next few months.
