Here’s the scoop on traffic impacts:

1. The start and finish lines are centered on Congress Avenue because of its proximity to downtown hotels where a majority of our runners will be staying.

2. The race starts at 0700 on Sunday morning, 15-Feb. on Congress Avenue, at 2nd Street and runs southbound across the Congress Avenue Bridge. Starting here allows us to re-open the bridge and dismantle all of our start line infrastructure so we can re-open Cesar Chavez and Congress Avenue up to 4th Street to east-west traffic.

3. The finish Line is located at 10th and Congress and is built on Saturday, 14-Feb.

4. There will be clearly detours around the sections of Congress Avenue that are used for the race during the set up and operation of the event.

5. 2nd Street at Congress Avenue will be converted to two-way traffic so that residents at the Austonian and guests at the JW Marriott can get in and out of their property.

6. All sidewalks will remain open to pedestrian traffic except the sidewalk at 9th St. and Congress Avenue which is closed to provide security for our medical tent. Pedestrians will have a marked detour route at that point.

7. Cap Metro 801 Bus southbound will be detoured from Guadalupe to second street and over to Lavaca to access Congress Avenue and only the Riverside Drive stop will be closed until runners pass, which according to Cap Metro’s Sunday schedule will only affect two buses.

8. Cap Metro 801 Bus northbound will be delayed briefly at Riverside drive until the last runner has crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge at the start. According to the Cap Metro schedule, this will affect one bus.

9. Cap Metro 803 Bus westbound lane will not be affected as we are keeping a westbound lane open on Cesar Chavez.

10. Cap Metro 803 Bus east bound will be detoured off of Cesar Chavez while runners are outbound on Cesar Chavez from approx. 0730 until 10:00 a.m.

For full information, click here.

(If you received our newsletter, we inadvertently put a link for road closures to the half marathon on 1/25.  Our apologies!)

photo by Ted Eubanks

Few of the thousands who traverse each day the West 6th Street bridge over Shoal Creek realize how old it is, or its historical importance to Austin. At 127 years old, it predates the Capitol Building, and when it was hand built in 1887 using local limestone, it opened up west Austin for development and city expansion. The bridge may be one of Austin’s most significant yet unknown historic, architectural and engineering landmarks. For these reasons, it was recently inducted into the National Register of Historic Places, commemorated officially with a plaque dedication ceremony on January 30. To learn more about the Shoal Creek Conservancy’s effort to restore this Austin gem, visit: www.shoalcreekconservancy.org/bridges/

photo by Ted Eubanks

2015 is an exciting time for Capital Metro and the Project Connect partners. We continue to work hard to identify and implement new transportation choices for Central Texas as part of the Project Connect system plan (http://www.projectconnect.com/). In addition to MetroRail and MetroRapid, which are already in operation, we are excited about progress on additional components of the Project Connect plan.

A major opportunity for this year is planning for a new, permanent downtown MetroRail station. As ridership on the Redline continues to grow, the existing Downtown MetroRail Station can no longer accommodate the number of commuters. Platforms are over-crowded, and rush hour trains are standing room only. Additionally, persistent demands for later trains and additional weekend service show the success of the Redline, but also its current constraints.

Last year, Capital Metro received grant funding from federal and state sources to tackle these issues. These funds will allow Capital Metro to buy additional MetroRail cars and ultimately offer more frequent rail service. In addition, the Project Connect System Plan includes additional MetroRail lines serving other parts of our region and terminating at Downtown Station.  Anticipating more riders than ever, we need construct an expanded, permanent MetroRail station to welcome commuters downtown.

Dubbed the Project Connect – Gateway MetroRail Downtown Multimodal Station, this project will be a transformative landmark in downtown Austin, and we need your help in planning it.

We are eager to hear your feedback on project concepts and priorities. Join us downtown for a walking tour and workshop on January 31^st, from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. We’ll begin with tacos and coffee at the current Downtown station, and then take a brief walking tour of the area to highlight current challenges and opportunities. We will then meet at the nearby Marriott Hotel to discuss what we have seen, and though a series of interactive exercises, get your feedback on project priorities.

Please join us on the 31^st! If you cannot make it, please register here for an online workshop the following week. Your ideas will help make the Project Connect Gateway station a great new place for transit riders, downtown dwellers, all other central Texans and visitors alike.

Workshop: January 31st, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Downtown Station (4th St, between Red River & Trinity)
Webinar: February 4th, 12-1p.m.
Registration link: http://bit.ly/1xPpTVc

Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request. Please provide notice at least two days in advance. Contact (512) 369-6201 or email info@projectconnect.com for more information or to request informational materials in another format.