Orange Line Self-Guided Public Scoping Meeting | CapMetro Engage

Orange Line

Orange Line Self-Guided Public Scoping Meeting

Project Connect Overview

There are 150 people moving to Central Texas every day—translating to 70 more cars on the road each day. Single-occupancy vehicles account for 75 percent of commuters on the road, and the greater Austin area’s population is estimated to double to four million by 2040. Project Connect will provide more transportation options to move people to their destinations. 

Project Connect is a bold transit plan designed for Austin that includes a new rail system, a downtown transit tunnel that makes everyone's trip faster, an expanded bus system and a transition to an all-electric fleet. 

In November of 2020, Austin voters approved a generational investment for our community. The YES vote for Project Connect is a huge step toward creating a more equitable and livable city, providing more and better ways for people to access jobs, education, health care and new opportunities.  

We now have an approved plan, a schedule and the dedicated funding to create a more connected and equitable community. As we enter the federal environmental review process for various projects, we need your input.  

image of the initial investment map.

Orange Line Overview

The proposed Orange Line Project is a 20-mile light rail transit (LRT) corridor that would travel along Lamar Boulevard and Congress Avenue from the Tech Ridge Park & Ride at Howard Lane south to Slaughter Lane. This route is currently served by Capital Metro’s MetroRapid 801. The Orange Line was identified as one of the dedicated-pathway high-capacity transit (HCT) corridors in the Project Connect System Plan and would serve as the spine of the regional HCT network- providing faster, more reliable transit connections. 

The need for the Orange Line Project is demonstrated by increasing congestion within the project corridor and parallel roadways, which is worsened by the inability to expand roadway capacity enough to meet demand. Failure to accommodate this increasing demand for efficient mobility is a threat to continued community and economic growth.  

The purpose of the Orange Line Project is to offer a reliable, safe, cost effective, time competitive, state-of-the-art HCT option that is congestion-proof.

 

Download the Materials

 

Stay Connected

You can also share your comments regarding the Orange Line via phone, email, and mail. Stay up to date on all projects under the Project Connect program by visiting ProjectConnect.com.

Orange Line Hotline: 512-369-7703

Email: O[email protected]

Mail: Orange Line Project Team
Capital Metro
607 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701

Share Your Feedback  

Due to Winter Storm Uri the public scoping period has been extended a week. The public scoping period will now run from Jan. 25 to March 12, 2021.

Orange Line Project Goals and Objectives

Customer Experience

Increase efficiency, attractiveness, and utilization of high-capacity transit (HCT) service within the Orange Line corridor.

Reliability

Provide frequent reliable HCT service along transitways within the Orange Line corridor.

Sustainability

Contribute to a socially and environmentally sustainable transit network.

Land Use and Policy

Support “compact and connected” land use and development patterns.

Implementation and Operations

Develop and select a community-supported Orange Line HCT investment for implementation.

Equity

Commit to an inclusive transit investment that benefits disadvantaged communities and identifies strategies to mitigate displacement.

1. Extremely important2. Very important3. Neutral4. Slightly important5. Not important
Customer Experience *
Reliability *
Sustainability *
Land Use and Policy *
Implementation and Operations *
Equity *

Build Alternative Details

The ground plane line follows the street-level and shows the project from Tech Ridge to Slaughter. An elevated station is shown over Rundberg Lane and crossing over I-35 between the Tech Ridge Park & Ride and Parmer Station. The Orange Line is at street level between these two areas. The Orange Line is also at street level around the North Lamar Transit Center. Between MLK Dr. and the Crestview Station, Orange Line segment and station profiles are still under deliberation. A street-level transitway is proposed around the Capitol West station to comply with Capitol View Corridor restrictions. An underground transitway is proposed through downtown from Wooldridge Square to Lady Bird Lake. In the vicinity of Auditorium Shores and the Lady Bird Lake crossing, various segment and station profiles are under deliberation. From SoCo to Slaughter, the Orange Line is proposed to follow street-level, with an elevated transitway to cross US 290/SH 71 at the South Congress Transit Center. The North Austin segment is from Tech Ridge through the Rundberg area. The Hyde Park segment is from the North Lamar Transit center to 38th Street. The Campus segment is from 29th Street to the Capitol West area. The Downtown segment is in the vicinity of Wooldridge Square and Republic Square and includes the Lady Bird Lake crossing. The South Congress segment starts in the area of Auditorium Shores and ends at Stassney. The South Austin segment extends from north of William Cannon to Slaughter.

1. Extremely interested2. Very interested3. Neutral4. Slightly interested5. Not interested
North Austin *
Hyde Park *
Campus *
Downtown *
South Congress *
South Austin *

Environmental Resources

Physical and Natural Environment - Air Quality, Soils and Geology, Water Quality, Threatened and Endangered Species, Energy, Hazardous Materials, Noise and Vibration, and Temporary Construction Impacts. Human Environment - Environmental Justice (EJ), Safety and Security, Land Use and Zoning, Socioeconomics and Economic Development,Transportation, Utilities, Land Acquisitions and Displacements . Cultural Environment - Cultural, Historic, and Archeological, Parks and Recreational, Section 4(f) Evaluation, Visual and Aesthetic, Neighborhood and Community Resources.