The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Austin a $47.9 million grant July 22, the city said, as part of its Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, to help the region prepare for a series of major road construction projects that are all but guaranteed to disrupt traffic and commuter patterns.
The grant funding will help support projects like expanding the regional Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), which will provide more frequent service. Residents and workers in Austin will also see more mobility hubs, at local and regional “transition points,” to help commuters and others shift easily from one mobility mode to another. These hubs could include secure bike parking at transit stops, or bike and scooter share docks, said Jack Flagler, a spokesperson for the Austin Department of Transportation and Public Works.
“The goal is to make options other than driving alone as easy and intuitive as possible,” Flagler said in an email.
The services provided via the climate pollution reduction grant are intended to get the city through the next five years of a construction cycle, when mobility across the region will be most disrupted by multiple infrastructure projects totaling about $20 billion. The entire build is expected to stretch across the next decade.
Transportation officials have designed the projects around the idea of changing behaviors, and ultimately reshaping the region to be less car-dependent. In the short term, Flagler said, the region will improve its park-and-ride infrastructure, making carpooling an easier option for commuters.
“Austin lags both Houston and Dallas in the percentage of commuters who carpool to work,” Flagler said, adding the plan is to offer financial incentives for commuters who carpool.
A more long-term plan is the addition of high-occupancy vehicle lanes to Interstate 35, for carpoolers who may have already become accustomed to the idea of pairing up.
The grant will also help fund incentive programs offering cash to drivers who choose to leave their vehicles at home, and take transit or carpool on days with high ozone pollution levels.
“This grant will help promote and provide cleaner ways for people to get around the Austin region,” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement. “Our residents and visitors will be able to make informed choices about how they want to travel. That aligns with the city’s goal to improve the quality of life for people who live and work here.”
Austin traffic may be dreaded, but it is not nearly the most congested U.S. city. The region ranks No. 21 in the U.S., according to the INRIX 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard. Traffic congestion is down 14 percent from pre-COVID-19 levels, although this may come as little comfort: Traffic congestion in Austin seems to be trending up. Out of the top 25 urban areas in the U.S., Austin saw the largest jump in congestion from 2022, per INRIX.
If cities are going to realistically address congestion, they need to provide mobility options, Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said recently.
“Whether it’s enhanced transit services that are just as competitive, just as efficient — and really, lately, just as safe — as hopping in your own vehicle, but also providing the network that is comfortable and safe for people to walk and bike in,” Rubio-Cornejo said during a transportation panel at the CoMotion Miami conference in May.
A widening array of mobility options is at the core of Austin’s plan to deal with the headaches of highway construction, Flagler said — while also providing an on-ramp to changing behaviors.
“Congestion is going to be happening in Austin during construction and these strategies transition that into long-term behavior change, when it comes to getting people to choose more sustainable modes such as carpooling, transit, biking, and walking,” he said.
