The Bond Election Advisory Task Force got its first look Monday at how the Transportation and Public Works Department is approaching the selection and prioritization of projects for next year’s expected bond package. Task force members had plenty of questions about how those choices will be made.
Among the concerns, members asked staff how transportation projects would align with regional partners like Capital Metro and Travis County, how the city will measure the environmental impact of each project, and how the city is proceeding on a sidewalk plan that at one point was forecast to take 200 years to complete.
Transportation officer Michelle Marx emphasized that while funding needs for transportation improvements are vast, the upcoming bond will offer only a limited pool of money. A scoring preference will be given to projects that are shovel-ready and can be completed by 2032, with the principles in 2019’s Strategic Mobility Plan weighing heavily in the decision-making.
Member Tina Cannon highlighted the importance of aligning city transportation projects with the work of other agencies, such as Capital Metro, Travis County and federal infrastructure programs.
“One thing I was hoping would be in the analysis and weighting is, are we able to leverage funds with other entities that might be doing similar improvements in those areas?” she said.
“If there’s a great project that Cap Metro is also doing on this particular street, wouldn’t it be great if we could then elevate our project to meet the same needs that would service those same residents? I would look at leveraging dollars from both CAMPO, Cap Metro, light rail, and federal dollars that may be coming in to other entities in and around the transportation sphere.”
Marx said leveraging opportunities are expected to account for 5 percent of the scoring grading, but offered that the weighing for that consideration could be changed as the task force and city staff move forward with their evaluations of all projects.
Member Luke Metzger asked that TPW provide a carbon footprint estimate for each proposed project, including potential greenhouse gas reductions from active transportation investments and emissions increases from road expansions.
Marx and assistant director Anna Martin said that while TPW already prioritizes projects that promote a goal of cutting single-occupancy car use in half by 2030, a full life-cycle greenhouse gas analysis has not yet been done. Staff committed to exploring methodologies and consulting with external experts, such as a group at UC Berkeley, to build that capability.
In response to a question about the potential for using low-carbon building materials in bonded projects, Marx said the city has recently applied for federal funding to pilot low-carbon concrete and that some local suppliers are already offering greener materials.
On the question of progress in installing sidewalks throughout the city, Marx said sidewalk coverage has improved from 16 percent in 2016 to nearly 38 percent since that time. Still, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan calls for $30 million annually for sidewalk investment, a level that current funding doesn’t yet reach.
Task force members also asked whether the bond process would include ongoing programs like sidewalks, bikeways and Vision Zero safety improvements in addition to stand-alone projects. Staff said local mobility programs will continue to be included and evaluated as part of the bond development.
These programs are a major component of the city’s recent bond history. TPW has received $541 million for sidewalks, bikeways, urban trails and related projects from 2016, 2018 and 2020 bond packages. That money is expected to last through 2027, with department leaders saying they’re “on track” to meet all delivery goals within the original schedule.
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