Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board members provided the go ahead for a study that endeavors to establish a corridor linking South Austin to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at a June 10 meeting. “[T]he Bergstrom Spur presents the opportunity to realize an east-west connection that could serve as an all ages and abilities urban trail in the short-term and, in the long-term, as a potential future route for high-capacity transit as outlined in Project Connect,” according to a brief prepared by CAMPO Regional Planning Manager Kelly Porter. The board voted unanimously to authorize CAMPO’s executive director to execute an interlocal agreement with the city of Austin to develop the Bergstrom Spur Platinum Planning Study. The Bergstrom Spur is an abandoned rail corridor, approximately 6 miles long, that links South Austin to ABIA, roughly parallel Hwy. 290. The city of Austin identified the corridor in its Urban Trails Master Plan as a Tier 1 trail, the highest priority classification, because of its potential to enhance the accessibility of other trails in the southeast area, according to a brief prepared by CAMPO staff. Capital Metro also identified the corridor for right of way preservation in its Project Connect vision plan, which is designed to create a system of high-capacity transit options across the region. In May 2018, CAMPO’s board approved a $280,000 grant to fund the study. According to a draft of the agreement, the plan would take approximately nine months to complete.