Capital Metro is moving through the public review process for its 10-year plan to improve transportation services across Central Texas, before it is presented to the CapMetro Board of Directors for approval later this month.
Transit Plan 2035 would add new bus routes on campus and in surrounding areas, change the frequency of existing bus routes and account for the proposed layout of Austin Light Rail Phase 1, which could run down Guadalupe Street, according to CapMetro. These modifications will be implemented through service change processes, which occur three times per year after receiving feedback from the community and can result in adjustment of the plan, said Jordan McGee, a senior transportation planner for CapMetro.
The UT Shuttle Bus Committee, which conducts public outreach with students, faculty and staff on the shuttle bus system that runs across campus, unanimously approved the transit plan, McGee said. The committee did not respond to requests for comment on its participation in the plan.
The plan would increase the frequency of bus services offered in the summer to match that of the regular school year, according to CapMetro documents. Specifically, Route 7, which goes through Riverside, and Route 10, which goes to H-E-B and Mueller, will start offering late-night service on a year-round basis, McGee said.
“These recommendations really do come from wanting students to have better connectivity, better frequency (and) better options if they want to go see their friends in the summer that live kind of far out,” McGee said. “This change provides them a better connectivity option to do that.”
The plan adds a new bus route, Route 370, that would run through campus and have access to The Triangle neighborhood from Speedway.
The plan also adds Route 8, which would run from the Northcross neighborhood, travel through Guadalupe Street and extend south to Brackenridge apartments, according to CapMetro documents.
The light rail is also part of the new transit plan. The 9.8-mile system will go through Guadalupe Street and restrict car traffic to make the area safer for pedestrians, said Jennifer Pyne, executive vice president of planning, community and federal programs for the Austin Transit Partnership.
Pyne said construction is predicted to start in 2027, but during the process, the agency will aim to maintain construction so it does not negatively affect transportation or impact pedestrian safety.
“The concept for the project in that area is going to really just make it a more pleasant and safer place for pedestrians and bikes because part of the concept is that car traffic will be rerouted off of Guadalupe,” Pyne said. “We think it’s a change that’s going to be really impactful in a positive way.”