opinion

For public transit. Against Project Connect.

Area residents may support the spirit of Project Connect, but the $10 billion price tag is an unnecessary cost to taxpayers. Concerns over accessibility, timeline, and route create a lack of trust between Austin leadership and its citizens, and the project could cause a backlash against further investment in public transit.

Published June 30, 2024 at 6:01am by

Austin Needs Public Transit, Just Not Project Connect

Austin, the 11th-largest city in the US, needs better public transportation. In 1985, voters approved the creation of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) and a 1% sales tax increase to fund it. While this generated $40 million in 1986, it will bring in almost $400 million in 2024.

The most important metric when evaluating a public transit project is the cost per rider. We don’t have unlimited funding and cities and counties have many other priorities to pay for. So, we want to serve the maximum number of people with the limited dollars.

[Daugherty, former Travis County Precinct 3 Commissioner]

Despite this funding, ridership has stagnated. In 1990, Cap Metro had 31.2 million total boardings, and in 2020, pre-pandemic, it had only about 30.5 million. Post-pandemic, ridership remains low.

Project Connect, the current light rail plan, is a poor investment. The initial plan projected 81,700 daily riders for a $5.8 billion capital cost. The revised plan has <30,000 average daily rides for $7.1 billion, a massive 500% increase in cost per rider.

San Antonio's recent bus rapid transit (BRT) expansion cost $320 million and is expected to serve 13,500 daily riders. Buses are more cost-effective and flexible for metropolitan areas.

With the money saved by choosing BRT over light rail, Austin could also:

Build a modern mental health facility
Hire more first responders
Improve energy and water lines
Enhance parks and pools
Reduce taxpayer bills

Project Connect is a mistake, limiting the city's ability to address pressing issues and exacerbating the affordability crisis with a 20.789% property tax hike.