Capital Metro may bring mass transit to the Drag, other parts of Central Austin

Plans for the Orange Line show it running south along Lamar Boulevard, then jumping over to Guadalupe Street next to the University of Texas- known as the Drag

A mass transit line that could cut through the center of Austin on North Lamar Boulevard and South Congress Avenue is gaining steam.

Exhibit A is a recent Austin American-Statesman story highlighting support for the so-called Orange Line by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which could be funded by a 2020 bond election.

To be clear, this is still a preliminary idea: Capital Metro isn't sure yet about the route or even whether the line would be buses or trains — or something else like autonomous buses. An information session is set for 3 p.m. April 8 at the downtown Austin Central Library.

The line could run 12 miles, from U.S. Highway 183 and Lamar in the north to South Congress and Stassney Lane in the south, according to the Statesman.

Capital Metro last month hired engineering firm AECOM for Orange Line design work, a one-year, $5 million contract that could be extended to three years and $12 million, according to the Statesman.

By Will Anderson  – Managing Editor, Austin Business Journal

Posted April 8, 2019