On Oct. 28, City of Austin officials offered new details about how transportation and utilities will operate in the days surrounding the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas racetrack in Southeast Travis County.

Plans included increased bus and transit hours and a new smartphone app to make buying tickets easier.

"Big events such as South by Southwest [Music and Media Conference] and Austin City Limits [Music Festival] have given us a lot of insight about how to manage large events in Austin," Austin Transportation Department Director Rob Spillar said.

"Formula One is really going to be a unique experience. We did our homework, and I think that when the checkered flag goes down, we're going to be prepared for the influx of activity in Austin."

Transportation

In late October, Capital Metro announced the release of a new mobile app for detours and bus schedules. Users can also purchase tickets in advance through the app. The app will be available Oct. 31.

Dottie Watkins, vice president of bus and paratransit services for Capital Metro, said MetroRail service will be expanded Saturday Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to midnight. Capital Metro will offer a Sunday schedule from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"We anticipate that MetroRail will be especially popular with residents because it is [an] easy and a low-cost way for folks making connections downtown to the track or to come downtown for exciting events in the city center," she said.

The MetroAirport bus service, or Route 100, will increase in frequency from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes from downtown Austin to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, she said.

Watkins said there will be a Downtown Loop bus to help residents get around. It will run from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. in a route that includes Cesar Chavez Street, Red River Street, San Jacinto Boulevard, 15th Street and Lavaca Street.

Spillar said that the timing of traffic signals will be adjusted so buses and shuttles can keep their schedules.

The city will install temporary way-finding signs to help visitors get around. The signs include QR codes to interact with mobile phones.

Spillar encouraged residents to plan ahead and consider alternative means of transportation to cars, including buses, bicycle routes and taxis.

All downtown construction will stop from Nov. 15-19.

Trash and street cleaning

Austin Resource Recovery Director Bob Gedert said the schedule for trash, recycling and yard waste pickup will be unaffected by the F1 events.

The city will ramp up its street cleaning efforts from Nov. 15–19. Gedert said there will be 180 to 200 additional trash containers downtown, and the city will increase cleaning staff from 14 to 54 people.

Event organizers will be responsible for trash service during Austin Fan Fest, a three-day street festival in the Warehouse District. City staff will be monitoring the situation to ensure the streets stay clean, he said.

Gedert said the City of Austin Household Hazardous Waste Facility will be closed Nov. 17 because of traffic.

Utilities

Austin Energy expects to be able to handle any additional power requirements that occur during F1 weekend.

The downtown power grid is very reliable, and Austin Energy staffers will be standing by to respond to outages, said Carlos Cordova, Austin Energy marketing and communications consultant.

The Circuit of The Americas track has an Austin Energy substation on-site, he added.