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First phase of Slaughter Lane/South First Street safety improvement project complete
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Crews finish up construction of a new signal at Slaugher and Alice Mae lanes.
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ATD has completed a major phase in the first intersection safety/Vision Zero project to be kicked off as part of the 2016 Mobility Bond.
Initiated in June and turned on last Tuesday, the new signal at Slaughter and Alice Mae lanes is a component of a broader safety improvement project at Slaughter Lane and South First Street. ATD plans to begin the next phase of the project at Slaughter and South First in early 2018 and anticipates it will be complete by summer 2018.
Improving safety on the road is one of the City’s primary goals with the 2016 Mobility Bond. Fifteen million dollars is going to fatality reduction strategies for projects listed on the Top Crash Location Intersection Priorities Improvement List. In total, we expect that we will be able to make improvements to 15-18 of the intersections on this list with funding from the 2016 Mobility Bond.
The projects are being made through the City's Transportation Safety Improvement Program. Learn more about Vision Zero, Austin's effort to reduce traffic crash deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2025.
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City Council to take input on Street Impact Fee recommendations
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Austin is evaluating the Street Impact Fee as a more equitable, predictable and transparent approach to traffic mitigation as part of the development process.
City Council will hold a public hearing at City Hall this Thursday, no earlier than 4 p.m., to hear public testimony and consider approving the proposed Land Use Assumptions and Service Areas.
Street Impact Fees are based on calculated assumptions that anticipate residential and employment growth (Land Use Assumptions) within a defined area (Service Area). A Service Area is no greater than 6 miles in diameter, per State law, and examines highway boundaries, adjacent land uses, topography and travel patterns.
Later in the study process, we will identify roadway capacity projects, which will be the subject of a second public hearing anticipated to be held in fall 2018. Once the Land Use Assumptions, Service Areas and Roadway Capacity Plan are complete, the maximum allowable fee will be calculated, followed by a third public hearing, likely in winter 2018.
If you would like to receive project updates via email, click the "subscribe" button on our webpage.
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ATD welcomes new Assistant Director Annick Beaudet
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ATD would like to welcome Annick Beaudet, AICP, to her new position as Assistant Director for Long Range Planning and Traffic Management. Annick is an internationally recognized planner with more than 20 years of experience in transportation, land use regulation and complete streets.
Annick was most recently the Transportation Systems Development Division Manager, leading her team in their current update of the City's transportation plan. Annick will now oversee the operations of her former division along with the Special Events, Active Transportation and Street Design, and Transportation Engineering Divisions.
Annick’s accomplishments include being a key leader in the expansion of Austin's multimodal infrastructure and managing the creation of multiple award-winning transportation studies and master plans. Annick stands out, not only for her accomplishments, but for her notable energy, optimism and motivating leadership.
A little-known fact about Annick is that she acted in the iconic Austin indie film “Slacker,” but, thankfully for us, decided to pursue a career in public service rather than heading off to Hollywood. On any given day, you might see Annick exemplifying a multimodal lifestyle using the complete streets she helped foster.
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City staff update Council on major mobility initiatives
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City staff are hard at work on several major mobility initiatives, including implementing the 2016 Mobility Bond Corridor Program and developing the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP). Last Tuesday, staff provided in-depth briefings on these initiatives and answered questions posed by City Council members. You can view these briefings in full on ATXN.
Last November, Austin voters approved the 2016 Mobility Bond, authorizing, among other investments, $482 million for Corridor Improvement Projects. This funding will go toward implementation of Corridor Mobility Plan recommendations as well as preliminary engineering and design on additional corridors and critical arterials.
The ASMP will expand the Imagine Austin vision into actionable, mobility-related goals and objectives to guide Austin’s near- and long-term transportation improvements. The 2016 Bond Corridor Program will also align with the ASMP on corridor-level improvements to be implemented and on how those improvements support the strategy outlined in the ASMP.
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Provide your feedback on the 2017 Community Health Assessment
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The draft 2017 Austin/Travis County Community Health Assessment is now online, and it identifies transportation as a key factor affecting the health of our community. We want to hear your thoughts on how improving transportation could improve public health!
Visit AustinTexas.gov/HealthForum to view the report and instructions for providing public comment through Oct. 27. You can also directly access the report here.
Since August 2011, a coalition of organizations has been leading a comprehensive community health planning effort to track and improve the health of Austin and Travis County residents. The first CHA was released in December 2012 and was the foundation of the Community Health Improvement Plan. The 2017 draft that has been posted for public comment is the second iteration of the assessment.
If you have questions, please contact the Community Health Improvement Plan team at CHACHIP@austintexas.gov.
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TxDOT temporarily closes southbound I-35 Airport Boulevard exit for new ramp construction
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On Sunday evening, TxDOT temporarily closed the southbound I-35 exit ramp to Airport Boulevard for crews to safely construct a new entrance ramp and exit ramp to Airport Boulevard. The current southbound I-35 entrance ramp south of 51st Street will close the evening of Thursday, Oct. 26. A detour map is available here and a map of ramp changes is available here.
Both the new, permanent southbound Airport Boulevard exit ramp north of 51st Street and the new southbound I-35 entrance ramp will open Monday, Oct. 30, weather permitting. At that time, the new bypass lane will also open, allowing drivers to bypass the signal at 51st Street and continue on to Airport Boulevard.
The I-35 at 51st Street project is adding a southbound intersection bypass lane to allow through-traffic to bypass the traffic signal, reconfiguring the entrance/exit ramps, and realigning the southbound frontage road to add a new roundabout that improves traffic flow and safety. Bicycle and pedestrian enhancements will also be made within the project limits. The project is anticipated to be complete spring 2018, weather permitting. For more information about the I-35 at 51st Street project, visit My35Construction.org.
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Austin City Limits recap: Thanks for taking multimodal trips!
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This year's Austin City Limits Music Festival saw two successful weekends, with thousands of people who traveled to and from the festival in a number of ways: public transit, cycling, walking, ride-hailing, taxicabs, pedicabs and more. Thank you for helping to ease traffic by leaving your personal car at home!
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