Mobility Committee Meeting Transcript – 11/10/2021 Title: ATXN-1 (24hr) Channel: 6 - ATXN-1 Recorded On: 11/10/2021 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 11/10/2021 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== Please note that the following transcript is for reference purposes and does not constitute the official record of actions taken during the meeting. For the official record of actions of the meeting, please refer to the Approved Minutes. [1:04:55 PM] >> Welcome, councilmember kitchen. We can see you. Your audio is good, too. We're just waiting for the others. >> Kitchen: Okay. [1:06:19 PM] >> I just got a text from Alison. She'll be on in a minute so we can go ahead and get started. It is 1:06 P.M. This is the mobility committee meeting. I am chair Paige Ellis. I'm joined by vice chair councilmember Kelly. Councilmember alter should be on shortly and the mayor pro tem is not able to join us today. She has a family matter she's attending to. We do not have any speakers lined up. So we will be able to move directly into approval of the minutes from the last meeting, October 7th, 2021. Do I have a motion? Motion made by vice chair Kelly, seconded by councilmember kitchen. All in favor. Looks unanimous on the dais, and virtual dais. The next item is 2, adoption of the mobility committee [1:07:21 PM] 2022 calendar member. We run this by staff and we selected dates that are appropriate. I am aware councilmember alter has one conflict in February. Do I have a motion to approve the schedule? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Unanimous. And that moves us into item number 3, project connect year one accomplishments. >> Good afternoon, chair, vice chair. Do you mind if I take my mask off while I present? >> Ellis: That's fine. >> Thank you. I'll get the slide deck cued up here in a moment. My name is Sam sergeant, I serve as director of strategy for the Austin transit partnership in capmetro. I'm here to provide a project [1:08:22 PM] connect update as we close out our first full year following a successful proposition a ballot measure. I'm joined today by Alvin livingstone who is our senior director on the blue line from the atp as well as menon guard who is the senior director on the Orange line from atp. I will do the presentation but they'll be on hand for any questions from the committee. So first I think it's always important to start off with a timeline overview so we can look at the program through the coming years. And I think the most important thing to note for today's purposes is a reminder we have the Orange line and blue line moving forward together as they will need to for a variety of design and operational reasons and because they run together north of republic square. You can also see the red line improvements along the red [1:09:23 PM] line, specifically on the north part of the line. Ongoing as we speak, including some double tracking projects that capital metro is undertaking. And the green line further in the future. Metrorapid updates which I'll get into a little bit more detailed here in just a moment, you can see are also ongoing. And we're very pleased with the progress that's being made there. Both in terms of federal funding, but also in terms of our capital progress. And then capital metro continuing to work on metro bus and metro access improvement, technology systems, and of course with our partners at the city, anti-displacement investments throughout the life of the program, but you can see that they are front loaded into the first three years here. Next slide, please. I think it's also important to always have a reminder of how the work is divided up between the three partners. Austin transit partnership having come together, thanks [1:10:23 PM] to the Austin city council and the capital metro board following proposition a's approval is really there to do the construction of the new elements of our city's transit system. So Orange line, blue line, the brand-new tunnel downtown, green line phase one, and facilities. Specifically maintenance facilities for our expanding electric fleet as well as light rail vehicles. Capital metro continuing to work on those parts of our transit system that we already do, and do well I will say, including metrorapid, express, or pickup, technology and red line. The city of Austin, probably the most critical partner of all, because they're working on the anti-displacement investments utilities relocations permitting right-of-way and a whole host of other things with Anita day and her office. So taking a look, because it's very timely, at the joint powers agreement, which city council approved last [1:11:23 PM] week. You can see we've been making steady progress ever since November 3rd of last year, which is hard to believe was just over a year ago. And following approval by city council last week, this morning, the capital metro board unanimously approved the jpa. It will go to the atp board next week for approval. A couple other specific program highlights. I mentioned the LE Ander project construction here, completed in the fall of 2022. I think this is a really important investment as we try to optimize the existing red line, improve its frequency and improve its reliability, continuing to grow the pickup network of on-demand circular services including three new project connect funded Zones in 2021. Delivered on schedule and operating today, specifically those are the north oak hill, south Menchaca and desau Zones. Which brings us up to 11. And the zero emissions future [1:12:24 PM] that has always been part of the project connect vision ordering 197 electric buses to continue to grow our fleet with the first aarriving December of '22. Electric buses will save 232,000 pounds of greenhouse gases per year as we replace the diesel bus fleet. Community engagement. I know that that is one of the most important values that we have here in this community. It's one of the most important things for project connect, the atp, city and capital metro. We've continued to expand our community engagement and to find new ways to engage people. Especially people who are harder to reach. Since the pandemic, we've also gotten far more nimble and far better about doing virtual public meetings, and work sessions, which has allowed us to engage thousands of folks who would not have otherwise been able to come to an elementary school library on a Thursday evening, but now we're able to go to people where they [1:13:25 PM] are, whether they're at home, at work, people can access these opportunities on their own time. We've now engaged over 82,000 people in the region on project connect. And we are continuing, specifically right now, working on some virtual community design workshops for those areas of the project connect system where we have design options. This evening at 5:00 P.M., I believe, there will be a virtual design workshop around north Lamar transit center. For anybody who's interested in the north Lamar 183 area, that will be the initial investment term I nis of the Orange and blue lines and we encourage people to register and logon. So looking at the Orange line and blue line specifically, and I think many people in the audience as well as our committee members have already seen this, but looking at the all-important nipa and federal process timelines. We've been working with our atp capital metro city and consultant teams on the draft [1:14:25 PM] environmental impact statement as we work towards a final environmental impact statement, or Eis, and record of decision in '22, this is a really critical milestone for the program so we can then move forward through the federal process, into ftas, into nearing phase, begin doing our design and contract and procurement awards, going through construction over the course of this decade, and ultimately we anticipate in the middle part of this decade, 2024, projecting full funding grant agreement for the Orange and the blue line. That might be the most critical milestone of all so we can match our local investment with federal investment and get ready for revenue service. So taking a look again at the Orange and the blue line design progress. This is a little bit more granular, but you can see here this photo, we've got our barge that went out there earlier in the year, that was very exciting because it was just in January and it was great to see any piece of equipment out there specifically working on the light rail investment. [1:15:25 PM] In January of '21, continuing our work looking at heritage trees, doing a heritage tree survey. 15% design package which we presented to the public. And to our various policymaker bodies over the summer. Which is where we took comment on the important 15% design milestone. We also completed borings as we do some of the geotechnical work on the tunnel, and our archaeological noise and vibration and field investigations, continuing our coordination with the city of Austin on guideway roadway, bike ped and plan development. And working on subsurface utility engineering for 30% design. Just continuing the general March towards 30% design which we expect to bring out to the public in the early part of summer next year. Also important, metro rail and pickup progress, so the red line, which I think one [1:16:26 PM] of the biggest projects that's under way right now, is the station at Mccalla stadium, Q 2 stadium, on schedule. Categorical exclusion was submitted to the fta in June and approved in August of 2021. A great achievement by the capital metro team. 30% design completed. And we anticipate awarding contracts for construction there in January of '22, starting construction in may of '22, and opening the station for service in the fall of '23. The Leander area we expect to complete in the fall of '22, which will allow us again to continue improving frequency and reliability on the red line, all the way from downtown to Leander. And neighborhood circulators. We've launched a series of new Zones. And integrated the pickup service into the trip planning portion of the capital metro app. And we're working on a public facing dashboard related to pickup service in early 2022. [1:17:29 PM] And metrorapid, also a really critical part of the project connect program. Categorical exclusion for the expo and pleasant valley lines, approved by the fta in may, completed 30% design. And very exciting, published in the president's budget for fy '22, along with other transit and specifically small starts funding recommendations. And we are -- we have -- capital metro has completed the bus procurement and we are moving towards startup construction in the next couple of months, winter '22 being the early part of '22, and anticipating the start of revenue service in the summer of '23. The gold line which runs from downtown Austin towards ACC highland as well as the Menchaca and oak hill lines, over the summer, we were analyzing options for federal funding, and phasing of that project. And then we're able to develop our schedule for start of construction and [1:18:29 PM] start of revenue service for these. You can see the start of gold line service from downtown to ACC, highland, anticipated for January of '23. Manchak for June of '22. And beginning Menchaca service in January of '24. And then we are also continuing to work on the oak hill metrorapid project, which, of course, because of its routing, also requires close coordination not only with the city, but with txdot as it heads toward the Y in oak hill. And then just a couple more look-ahead items here. Again, groundbreaking for expo. We expect that to be in December. Very exciting. Pleasant valley around the same time, probably December, January. Grant agreements for the two brt lines anticipated for the spring of '22, already in the president's budget. And submitting our ratings package to the fta for new starts. [1:19:29 PM] Small starts is the federal funding program in the capital investment grant or cig program for projects besides the metrorapid, but new starts are for the far larger projects like lrt project, Orange and blue. And bringing the draft environmental impact statements or Eis for public review next summer, along with 30% design, and then looking forward to that record of decision from the federal government towards the end of next year, entering into project engineering and ultimately a full funding grant agreement in the fall of 2024. So there is a lot going on on the transit side of the house. A lot going on with our environmental work, as well as our work to ensure that we're going through the federal process and securing federal grant money. But I also wanted to make sure that we touched on etod, and I believe, unless she is in the room, she may be on the line, I'm going to pass this over to Erica leak. [1:20:45 PM] >> Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Erica leak with the housing and planning department. And so just a few updates related to equitable [indiscernible]. The etod public process is kicking off this fall. There are actually two initial meetings next week that we would love to have people join. That will continue with catalyst station selection in winter of 2021-'22, draft station area plans for those catalyst stations in the spring and summer of 2022. As well as priority tool update for the etod study being finalized in the summer of 2022. City staff is collaborating with capmetro on all of those things. Further processes include [1:21:46 PM] having city council adopt station area plans for catalyst stations. Hopefully in the fall of 2022. The review and adoption of a system-wide etod policy plan as called for by city council in the fall of 2022. And then after that, we'd be following up with specific regulations for other stations, and developing station area plans for additional areas. So we have been very excited to partner with capmetro staff and consultants on this work, and we'll continue to work together to make sure that this is a holistic process. >> Thank you, Erica. And that actually fully [1:22:49 PM] concludes the deck. So chair, vice chair, councilmember kitchen, that is project connect's update as well as etod. So any questions you might have, we're here. >> Ellis: I had one question to kick it off before turning it to my colleagues, and I'll wrap up if any of my other questions aren't addressed. Is it the exact same one that the city council adopted or were there any other edits or amendments? >> No, it included all of city council's amendments. There were a couple of slight tweaks to language, such as changing the word adoption, for instance. So it was just a couple of grammatical changes, and there were no additions to the capital metro board. >> Ellis: Thank you for that. Any questions from my colleagues? Councilmember kitchen, why don't you kick it off. >> Kitchen: Okay. Thank you very much. Well, I have a few questions on the etod process. [1:23:50 PM] And -- well, I have a lot of questions. Let me just start by thanking you guys for all your work you're doing on this. It's exciting progress. So, two questions on the etod process. Can you explain a little bit better by what you mean by that, the terminis station, in terms of the etod resolution we passed. Can you let me know what you mean by catalyst stations? >> Sure. The catalyst stations are actually defined in the grant that capmetro received, the fta. So it was likely not included in council's resolution. >> Kitchen: Okay. So what are they? When they're defined in the [1:24:52 PM] grant, are they specific locations? Tell me what the definition is. >> So, they are not specific locations. They haven't been selected yet. So as we start to move through the etod process, we'll be looking at the various stations along the portions of the blue and Orange lines that are included in the fta grant. Or which stations may make most sense to continue to plan in the near term. And so we don't know which station those will be yet. It depends on, you know, likely where there has or hasn't been planning recently, and how the conditions in those stations relate to the -- in terms of [1:25:55 PM] the etod planning. Potential example is, we know there has been fairly recent planning along the east side corridor. So it may make more sense to do additional planning in other areas, where there hasn't been recent planning. >> Kitchen: Okay. And then the term catalyst stations in the grant, is it defined in a way -- I mean, are there parameters in the grant that you have to -- or criteria in the grant that you have to use as part of identifying the catalyst stations? >> I don't believe so. I haven't seen a specific definition. But I will check on that. >> Kitchen: Okay. >> Just to make sure I'm not misremembering them. I'll get back to you if there is a specific definition. >> Kitchen: Okay. The last question is. I think I saw a timeline for the council adopting station [1:26:56 PM] compliance? Okay. The station area planning process that I'm familiar with, and so I just want to make sure I'm understanding the same thing, is written into the land development code in our -- whatever that section is, ordinance on tods. There is a specific process that is outlined, and there's also a list of places that are -- list of places that have been identified for planning. So is this process -- and usually the process is that the council adopts the area, the specific geographic area, and then it goes through a process of planning, and then the actual station plan is adopted. So are you all thinking to follow that, so that once you get the catalyst stations identified, you will bring that to council to adopt them and then follow the process [1:27:59 PM] that is stated in the etod, or in the tod ordinance? Is that the sequencing for what occurs here? >> So, it will likely follow that same process. >> Kitchen: Okay. >> We're not quite that far along yet in the whole process. >> Kitchen: Yes. >> But we're certainly aware of the code -- the process that's outlined in the code. So closer to that we'll certainly be reporting back to council about that process. >> Kitchen: One reason I ask is the resolution that we all passed, the etod resolution that we passed, you know, part of it was system-wide that you mentioned, but the other part was aligning with capmetro, like you're talking [1:28:59 PM] about. But it also had a provision in there that asked staff to come back to us, to council, and designate the areas that we could adopt for the station planning so that we could then follow the ordinance. So that's why I'm asking, and I'm wanting to make sure that we don't skip a step, because in order to -- you know, because -- well, just because that's how it's laid out and there's a process council's already adopted to do that stationary planning. So when you get that more granular timeline down, can you share that with us? >> Yes. >> Kitchen: I see what you're all working towards is December, whatever it is, in the fall, late fall for us adopting a station area plan. I don't see any problem with that timeline. I just think that the step that's before that that's [1:30:00 PM] contemplated by the ordinance needs to be followed. And that the -- the process that's outlined -- when I looked at it before, when we were doing the tod resolution, etod resolution, the process outlined in the ordinance aligns very well with the process that was in capmetro's grant. So I don't see any difference in process. I just wanted to make sure that we were taking the step of actually bringing the catalyst areas back to the council. >> Sure. >> Kitchen: Thank you very much. This is exciting. Good progress on it. >> Ellis: Any other questions before I do my questions and comments? I'm not seeing any at the moment. So first of all, yes, I agree, a lot of good work has happened in the first year. This is a really exciting moment for a lot of the community. So I want to thank you for the circulators, too, that [1:31:00 PM] have already rolled out. Councilmember kitchen and I were able to do the one for south Menchaca, and I was able to participate in the one for the north oak hill area. We're obviously very excited about that. In the presentation, there was a part about the metrorapid that includes Menchaca and the oak hill area. I know I've had a lot of questions behind the scenes just about that timeline. I know that capmetro is trying to coordinate because there is highway construction happening through that area right now, and so I definitely want to try to keep us committed to the implementation schedule that people were understanding when they went to the ballot box and chose to want to do this project. I know that some of the coordination on the construction portion may take a little more technical engineering and timeline discussion to make sure it's happening. I know that metrorapid to district 8 is of huge importance to my community and will certainly help a lot of folks that live in that [1:32:00 PM] area. Can you speak a little more about the understanding there, and the expectations? >> Sure. I'd be happy to. I think as you and members of the community have heard, the extension to oak hill is proposed to be locally funded based on the fta criteria. And that the timeline to extend to oak hill as opposed to the Menchaca extension was somewhere around 2026. And now we are working closely with txdot as well as our city partners to see what opportunities do we have in that direction to make sure that we're sticking to the schedule, and making sure that we're doing right by the folks in southwest Austin. We've been having really great coordination meetings with our partners at txdot. In fact, we have one more this week. And so that's really where we are since the last time that [1:33:02 PM] we discussed this, I think at the joint meeting. But I would just say that the partners between the state and atp and capital metro and the city are all working very closely to make sure that we're prioritizing this as best we can with all of the construction that's going to be going on in that area. And I know that there may be opportunities that we can work with capital metro service planning on to find ways during construction to encourage people to take transit during these periods of disruption. Because in a lot of ways, it's a great opportunity to show people the value of leaving your car at home, or at a park and ride. I would say our coordination is ongoing. It's been going very well. I would be happy to come back and do a stand-alone update on this topic, if that makes sense for the committee. >> Ellis: That might be helpful in the future. I've been thinking the same way that you just explained it, which is the construction and the upheaval, unfortunately, that the community will experience during this time might be the moment where people try something new, see how the [1:34:03 PM] park and ride works, even though I know the pinnacle camp will have traffic coming out of it, not related to education or park-and-rides. I want to make sure that's at the top of our mind when we look at the sequencing plan to make sure when people have that expectation before they approve the tax referendum election, that those deliverables are still going to be on time, still going to do what we can in the community to make the metrorapid work as quickly as possible, knowing that some of the construction planning for the stations and the stops might be difficult because you have to coordinate with the state on their construction project, too. >> And I think also, communication as we all know is critical. There's so much going on in the city as we grow. There's so much going on in people's lives. So any way we can work to improve our engagement and our communications with your constituents, or anybody's [1:35:04 PM] constituents goes a really long way. Even if we don't have the exact right answer that day, at least people feel like they're in the know, they're not confused about the timeline, they understand the why of things and we're able to listen and make sure that we haven't missed anything. If there are opportunities to work with people in district 8, district 5, any of the impacted southwest areas, we would love to do so as we continue to work with txdot and the construction stakeholders on improving this process. >> Ellis: That would be great. In 2019 capmetro was able to come out to my budget town hall I had out in that area. The community's always looking for more information. I really appreciate that. >> Sure. >> Ellis: I wanted to ask about the bus passes. I know, you can buy a day pass and use the buses or use rail right now. Is the understanding as atp is building the rest of these lines that the same bus pass account integration would extend to all of those, including the new metrorapid lines, or circulators? [1:36:05 PM] >> That is the plan, that is the intention. Capital metro is currently working on a fare system upgrade. In fact, I don't have the exact timeline off the top of my head, but there should be an update in the coming months. The goal is to make a seamless customer experience as possible. Part of it is also assessment of fare structure, because we're adding another mode into the capital metro suite of transit options. But the goal is to make things as simple as possible, not to create a lot of different tiers. It's meant to ensure that somebody, as was the thinking in pickup, if it's $1.25 to get on pickup or if somebody buys a day pass, they're not only able to use the first mile and last mile connection in pickup but can just as easily with the same piece of fare media to hop on a local bus or rapid, hopefully light rail or commuter rail. We would put that under the customer technology umbrella. [1:37:07 PM] But we should have more updates early in 2022 about the plan moving forward. Yes, the idea is to integrate as best we can to make the app work for even more things, and just to make the experience as simple as possible. >> Ellis: That's great. I know the cycle program is also being implemented. I was able to take one of the ebikes that capmetro is taking over when we did our jpa discussion. >> Perfect. >> Ellis: So that worked out really well. And then my last question would just be about the get involved page. For capmetro, it's on for -- it's on the capmetro website. A good one stop shop for opportunities. But I wasn't sure where metrorapid fit into that discussion, if there's going to be more community communication around the metrorapid. >> There will be more engagement related to metrorapid. Not only just to keep people apprised of the construction schedule, and as we get closer to start of service, but also to make sure that we [1:38:08 PM] have the right channel to communicate any construction related disruptions as we're building the stations along the line. If it's not there already, I would say that it should be under the get involved section so that we have one stop shopping for any of our projects within the project connect program. So let me check with capital metro staff who maintains that website. And I can see what the plan is to get metrorapid information up there, in an easy-to-find place. >> Ellis: That's great. I appreciate it. It's all looking good so far. So thank you to everyone involved in that. >> Thank you. >> Ellis: Do we have any further questions? On this item? If not, I think we're all set. Thank you so much for coming and sharing those updates with us. >> Thank you. >> Ellis: Thank you. And our next item is going to be an update on the 2020 active transportation and safety bond implementation. [1:39:16 PM] >> Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Eric Bailey, I'm the assistant director of public works. I'm here with Anna martin, and we're going to be jointly presenting to you on an update on the 2020 bond project. Thank you for having us today. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. You can go ahead and go to the next slide, please. Just a quick overview of the 2020 mobility bond, different programs that are funded through there. [1:40:17 PM] You can see sidewalks, urban trails, bikeways, safe routes, transit enhancement vision zero, substandard streets and additional money for large capital project delivery. $460 million total. It's important to note that the bulk of that money is for truly expanding existing programs. And so one of the challenges that we've had to face in the first year is how exactly to go about expanding those programs. You know, recruitment of new staff to run those as well as really planning the work for future years so we can hit the ground running in 2022. Next slide, please. So the three focuses of this past year have been accelerating project delivery, so getting more projects designed and built using the 2016 and 2018 bond resources, effectively clearing the decks of all the past transportation bonds so we can get a good jump in '22 [1:41:17 PM] for implementing the 2020 bond. We've been building capacity for project delivery with additional staff. We've been implementing amendments for existing design contracts to move some of the large cips forward. And approving processes such as permitting and community engagement. And then we've also been further refining our project prioritization process by adding an equity lens alongside long-range planning that establishes infrastructure plans for new programs, such as pedestrian crossings and transit, as well as updating existing programs, such as bikeways, urban trails and sidewalks that effectively prioritize the future work. Next slide. I'll run through a couple of the examples of the ways we've been accelerating the project delivery here in the last year, starting off with sidewalks. We've installed more than 41 miles of sidewalk, in addition we've been using cooperation between the existing programs such as [1:42:18 PM] sidewalks, bikeways, urban trails to create some efficiencies between the programs where each program has a project that's in a given location. We can combine those contracts or those assignments so we work on multiple programs in a single location. Next slide, please. So in addition to the project coordination, we've been scaling our project delivery with additional staff. We've added mid year budget amendment that council passed in February, I believe. And we've been able to prepare for the increased funding. Oftentimes in a lot of the programs the funding presented by the 2020 has been different amounts. As you can imagine, in order to effectively implement those programs, and expand them, we've had to hire new staff in order to administer that. Next slide, please. Additionally, you know, accelerating the project delivery by enhancing our [1:43:19 PM] public outreach, particularly one of the areas we've been focusing on is our neighborhood partnering program. And enhancing that outreach to spread the information about the program and increase neighborhood awareness that this program exists where the city partners with neighborhood groups in order to implement projects in their areas that are partially funded through the neighborhood associations, or sweat equity, that kind of thing. We have a lot of programs folks aren't necessarily aware of but we're trying to spread the word about. With that, I'm going to hand it over to Anna to talk about some additional project acceleration that we've been working on. >> Thanks, Eric. Can we go to the next slide, please? Okay. So building on everything Eric was discussing about accelerating projects delivery, I wanted to focus on transit enhancement. The goal of the transit enhancement program is to [1:44:21 PM] improve the speed of the local bus system. And stops into high-quality bike networks. And so doing this, we'll be looking to leverage funding from the 2016 and 2018 mobility bonds to build more complete projects. So most of our local transit projects to date have been problem-solving, or opportunistic, but this year we're going to be developing an infrastructure plan to help guide the use of our 2020 bond funds. We're getting a consultant under contract right now and we expect that plan to be complete in 2022. Next slide, please. So the bikeways program, when I was here back in September talking about our atd budget, I was happy to report we had hit our milestone of having built out more than half of the all sergeants in the bikeways network. So we've really seen a lot of acceleration in that realm. Our network now connects six [1:45:21 PM] out of ten people with a high comfort bikeway. And we provide access to more than half of all capital metro bus stops. We'll continue building on that work in 2022 and beyond. Next slide. And finally, vision zero, in 2021 alone, we completed six new intersection projects. Additionally, we have six more in design. And one currently in construction. In addition to that, one thing we focused on in 2021 is acknowledging that large capital projects can take some time to develop, so we've been a little bit more nimble and have put out 20 interim treatments at high crash intersections around Austin and will continue to develop those into more complete projects in the upcoming years. Next slide. I'll give it back to Eric. [1:46:22 PM] >> So, in addition to accelerating some of the existing bond delivery from previous bond programs, one of the things we've had to do is undertake a capacity building for the bond delivery. So it started with approval of the mid year budget amendment, and as we've been accelerating this, we've been working with hiring and training our additional staff that's come in as well as developing the baseline spending plans for the 2020 bond, developing work plans, project scopes, how we're going to hit the ground running in terms of project procurement, working with our partners in sbr and contracting office on delivery strategies and how effectively to spend the 2020 bond dollars. Next slide. I'll run through some examples of what we've been doing for capacity building. The first in the substandard streets program, so design [1:47:23 PM] contracts have now been ordered for both Johnny Morris road and Ross road north project. Work is progressing in the preliminary engineering reports for Bradshaw road and knuckles crossing. So again, these are items that we have to do for the design work before we can actually put a shovel in the ground and begin construction. Next slide. In terms of our large cip projects, what we've been doing is implementing design contract amendments, so we can move the design effort forward in terms of permitting, and design efforts. You can see the longhorn dam bike and ped bridge here, that project is currently in the 30% design phase. The design is due to the city this month. We've been -- we've issued the design, notice to proceed for south pleasant valley. The consultant selection process is under way for the south congress urban design initiative. We're expecting to go to council in January with an [1:48:25 PM] rca for that award. Council recently authorized the design amendment for the Barton springs road bridge. The place making effort is under way in the program office where we're working at over 30 locations across the city through the 2016 bond corridors to implement additional place making there. Next slide. So as we've been accelerating the development, we've also been looking at ways to effectively implement smaller scale projects throughout the different programs. A lot of that goes to field engineering and idiq, which is indefinite and quantity contracts. Building capacity for that work ahead. So following the mid year budget amendment, the capital delivery programs have been hiring and training staff. Again, establishing the spending and work plans, and we're scheduled to bring the first 2020 bond funded idiq [1:49:27 PM] contracts to council in early 2022. And begin construction on those in the first quarter of 2022, once the contracts are awarded and executed. So a lot of the programs that we've been expanding rely heavily on the idiq type of work because of the nature of the program and the nature of the projects where it's not engineering heavy, they can do field engineering and get those projects out and provide a very visible use of those 2020 bond dollars as quickly as we can. Next slide, please. So, in addition to the acceleration of planning, we've also been working on some new and improved processes, and partnering with, again, all of our mobility bond projects as we move forward. We've established a community ambassador program as a part of the atx walk and bike role. It includes atp and public works to team more closely with people who traditionally may not have had access. [1:50:30 PM] And from that initiative we hope to grow the program into an integral way we engage more vulnerable communities to meet their mobility needs. Staff and public works, atd, has been piloting approaches in integrating natural elements such as rain gardens in the street scapes and continues on that effort as well as well as the ongoing maintenance for those plantings and betterments. We've been working on our delivery processes such as permitting, and we're undergoing efforts to streamline that project delivery, developing partnerships with development services, and review departments such as watershed protection and Austin water in terms of providing some flexibility in the environmental criteria manual that we can use to expedite the permitting process for a lot of these projects. And then in addition, we've been coordinating across not only all of our internal city [1:51:31 PM] bond programs, but also working together with projects such as txdot's I-35 project and project connect in terms of how those efforts can tie together and we can offer some enhancements or efficiencies in terms of project delivery. And with that, I'm going to hand it over to Anna to talk a little bit more about the annual plan and our process there. >> One more slide, please. Okay. So Eric was able to describe all of the progress we've made on the large cip buckets. And how those projects are progressing, or starting to progress. I know a burning question is, what about the rest of the local mobility projects, when are we going to see what you're going to do with the 2020 bond funds. Happy to dive into that a little bit more. We've been here before. And I think you all are familiar with our mobility annual planning process. The 2022 map is currently [1:52:31 PM] under way. And this is our annual coordination process, amongst all of our delivery program. It allows us to identify and coordinate priority projects for the year ahead. We repeat this annually so we can be flexible but also responsive to the community. So this year the map process will be inclusive of the 2016- 2018 and 2 020 bond. We're wrapping up internally. In December we'll be setting up individual meetings with the council offices to give you a preview of the priorities in each of your districts and for the city. We'll get your feedback as we do yearly. Then that will be published for the community to provide input on. And finally published in the final version in the spring. Next slide, please. As you all are familiar with the map process, we deliver projects all over Austin, and all council districts. [1:53:32 PM] And that is going to continue as we plan for 2020. However, with direction in the 2020 bond contract with the voters, our program delivery leads are taking an iterative approach to integrating equity to our project selection and prioritization process. So what does that look like. We have a couple tools in development. But I wanted to touch on today, and I'm happy to come back at a later date and dive deeper, if requested. So we have developed equity analysis which is a gis map layer to inform our map process. So the Zones have been developed based on the number of criteria that were outlined in the asnp, including race, income, access to internet, households having less than one vehicle, and then folks with disabilities as well as seniors. So this criteria was used to [1:54:34 PM] id fi the level of vulnerability which was then mapped by census track. So the equity analysis Zones are being reviewed in the 2022 map process, as well as they're going to be looked at in the atx walk-bike role process that's under way right now. Another way that we are looking at equity is through our vision zero data. So the vision zero program analyzed crash data through a racial equity lens to better understand the racial disparities and victims of severe injuries and fatalities. This analysis of safety projects, it will help guide our 2020 investments with our vision zero dollars. So I want to be clear, we're slowly integrating equity into our processes. This is not being designed to exclude investments in all areas of Austin. [1:55:35 PM] But really help us to better understand areas that have been underinvested in over the years, and also look back. You know, how have we done with 2016 and 2018, how are we investing equally around the community. Next slide, please. So just a quick look at the 2022 map process and timeline. Right now, we are right into the fall 2021 time frame where we have been hosting coordination meetings amongst all of our programs. We're also assembling the 2022 draft map. Like I mentioned, we'll be visiting with you all next month, before that meeting in January. One more slide. And finally, how does this project prioritization work overall through the life of the 2020 bond. So the map for 2022 and 2023 is likely to look as it has [1:56:35 PM] in the past. But we'll be combining the 2016, '18 and 2020 funding, and leveraging those programs together to build more complete projects. And using the equity tools I mentioned as guides. Concurrently with that in 2022 and '23, we're doing further infrastructure planning on the atx walk-bike role process that's already under way, that will have a structural equity framework. And also look at network analysis. Once that's adopted, that will help influence our plans going forward. The transit enhancement infrastructure plan will also be complete at the end of 2022. So looking past that to 2024 and beyond, we expect that we'll priority ids projects using our updated plans. Then continuing to take into account all the other investments being made in our community. [1:57:35 PM] The project connect lines, of course, as well as txdot construction projects that are planned in the near future. So that's a glimpse of what the next six years will look like for us. As Eric mentioned, we plan to kick off construction in the first quarter of 2022, and that will begin our six-year clock as per the contract with the voters. We're looking forward to getting started. In the meantime, keep delivering great projects out of the 2016 and '18 bond bucket as well. I believe that's the end of our presentation. But Eric and I are both here and available for questions. >> Ellis: Thank you. I like the way you put that. This is very much expanding on the good work that transportation and public works are already doing and have been doing for a very long time. We're certainly very excited just to be adding on to the possibilities and capabilities of our teams to be able to deliver meaningful projects to the community. So it's certainly -- it [1:58:36 PM] doesn't go without much appreciation. I also love the mobility annual plan. Every time we go through these planning processes, I love to share it with my constituents, just so everybody can work with it, and if you haven't been on it before, it's a gis map that you can click through, click on the projects, look at what's happening in your neighborhood and what the expected timelines are. It's a very comprehensive way to look at all of the infrastructure planning, no matter where the funding source is coming from. It's all projects that your teams are doing. And the transit enhancement planning, I think that's hugely important. We know we have great partnerships with capital metro, and other public transportation options that we have in the city. So I know especially in districts like mine and southwest Austin, we don't always have a ton of bus service. The ones that are there don't necessarily have the bus stop shelters, or, you know, we're still working on rolling out the Ada bus stops. So I know that's a high priority for capmetro and [1:59:38 PM] really appreciate the work that they're doing as well. Are there questions from my colleagues? Councilmember alter? >> Ellis: You may be on mute. Or maybe your volume is really low. >> Not sure what's going on there. >> Ellis: Still not able to hear. [Laughter]. >> Ellis: She's waving, never mind. Sorry councilmember. Sometimes there's technical glitches. I don't know that I have extra questions. I know when we talked through putting the 2020 active mobility bonds to the voters, I think it was transportation had a really good sequence of [2:00:38 PM] funding, and knowing that we've already got bonds from previous voter approval processes that are currently being implemented, and we wanted to make sure that we rode the wave and kept the teams going, and kept good staff on hand to make sure we could continue delivering these improvements. So I know this first year is a lot of planning and looking at the already approved documentation and just figuring out how to prioritize it, how to get the right teams in the right place at the right time. So I really appreciate that. Thank you. If there's no other questions, I think that's it for y'all. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Ellis: The next item on our agenda is an update from the chair of the urban transportation commission. The chair is unable to be here with us for that update, we certainly appreciate his service and look forward to hearing further updates in the future. And the last presentation item is going to be from [2:01:39 PM] assistant city manager Gina fiandaca on her strategic outcome update. >> Can you hear me now? >> Ellis: Yes. We can hear you now. Did you have urgent questions? Did you want me to go back to the -- >> Alter: I think I can address it with Gina fiandaca. I had asked a few weeks ago about the -- we had made a huge investment in our sidewalks, but we're not showing any measurable change on some of the measures. I had asked Mr. Mendoza for an answer on what accounted for that, but haven't heard back yet. If I could get an answer sometime. >> Councilmember, we are actually joined by director Mendoza tonight. So I'll ask him to join me. And address your questions. >> Alter: Thank you. [2:02:43 PM] >> Thank you, councilmember alter. Richard Mendoza, director of public works. Yes, I visited with my staff, and the metrics that we are tracking are the percent of functionally sufficient sidewalks in the network. We were at around 25%, as little as three years ago. And that number has since been updated to around 38% or 42%. We just have to update our material, and then I will send that to you immediately. >> Alter: Great. I'd seen we'd put in a lot of investment and was surprised to see there wasn't any there. I look forward to seeing that and having the dashboard updated as well. Thank you. >> Certainly. You're welcome. >> Thank you, councilmember. And chair Ellis. I have submitted for your review the monthly mobility outcome report and I'm here to answer any questions that [2:03:43 PM] you may have. >> Ellis: Thank you, assistant city manager. I certainly appreciate these updates, because I know there are a lot of moving parts with transportation and public works. I did want to ask -- I do see a signalized pedestrian crosswalk and was going to ask for clarification, but now I see the one for slaughter lane and Linea is hugely important to the neighborhood in circle C. That is a road that I know the slaughter corridor has been, you know, in the works for a long time through the 2016 corridor program which has been moving along well. And so I'm super excited to see that particular crossing signal is under construction. We're very excited about that. The street has a lot of big problems with speeding, and so I'm really glad that the corridor office is working on that. And the team's been very receptive to the needs of the neighbors. So we certainly appreciate that attention being paid to [2:04:45 PM] it. Your report also talks about northern walnut creek trail expansion which is really exciting. It has updates on the joint powers agreement which we were able to hear a bit more about that earlier today. Captain stitch for I-35 which is a big conversation happening right now. And a number of other processes that your teams are currently working on. Are there any questions from the committee members? I think we're all set. >> Thank you. >> Ellis: Thank you. So, that is all of our business today, with the exception of identifying future items. We have a laundry list of items that are currently tentative for the January and February meetings. Again, koun councilmember alter has a conflict for January. We have emerging technologies in the right- of-ways that vice chair Kelly wanted to talk about. Some of the folks on a city [2:05:48 PM] chamber trip got to understand a little bit more about the I-35 captain stitch project which is another great topic that everybody's working very hard to solve for our community. The Chicon case study for parking for a particular development that used affordability, that's an interesting case study for us to maybe talk about here. Federal infrastructure bill is very exciting right now. Asnp is going to be having amendments as we are going to have a work session with the strategic direction 2023 in January or February. Again, that's a five-year plan through 2023. So I don't think there will be too many huge updates, but maybe some tweaks and replacements that are better for us as to how we are accomplishing our goals. There will be a living streets next step coming up. The atx walk-bike roll, we look forward to hearing more updates from that. And project connect's equity tool we know is in the works. [2:06:48 PM] If there's any other items people want to daylight today or send e-mails, we're happy to keep that going. >> Kelly: I don't want to pile more on it, but I had a meeting from Bob day from Williamson county, about the road bond projects in Williamson county. Since part of Austin is in Williamson county in my cricket, I think it would be good to educate the community on what to look for in that part of town. >> Ellis: That's a great suggestion. We'll look at that one, add it to the list. Are there any other ones to daylight today? You can always e-mail me and we'll keep track of the thoughts and suggestions along the way, too. That sounds good. What we're planning for may is bike month again. I know that's many months in the future, but we always like to do a very bike-intense conversation around may, just to celebrate bike month. And with that, if there's no further questions or comments, we will stand adjourned at 2:07 P.M. [2:07:50 PM]