Austin, Texas, took a step last week toward building its first light rail line.
The Austin Transit Partnership, a local government corporation designated to implement the project, awarded a $60 million contract to Austin Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction, to begin pre-construction activities.
The multi-million dollar project will result in a 10-mile rail line with 15 stations. It will connect the University of Texas at Austin with downtown, then cross Lady Bird Lake on a new bridge that will have pedestrian and bicycle paths. Construction will begin in 2027 and be completed in 2033, the association said in a press release.
“Austin is building the transportation system our growing city demands,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement. Austin voters approved a property tax increase to fund the project by a 58 percent majority in a 2020 ballot proposition.
The selected construction team has been involved in other major transportation projects, including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and rail projects in Arizona, Hawaii and Utah. “We are bringing together the best local builders and designers alongside international experts,” ARC project director Armando Tiscareño said in a statement.
The construction team will work to create opportunities for local and state businesses, including subcontractors, material suppliers, specialty contractors and small businesses, according to the news release.
The Austin Transit Partnership is negotiating with a potential vendor for the light rail operations and maintenance facility. It has also opened a request for proposals for the procurement of light rail vehicles.
Austin joins the Canadian cities of Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, in building light rail projects; Seattle hopes to open a 7.5-mile light rail extension this year. Yet many U.S. cities are choosing cheaper and more flexible bus-based rapid transit over light rail projects, said Yonah Freemark, a researcher at the Urban Institute and creator of The Transport Politic.
