Austin Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit

Preliminary PRT Route Proposal

To

Austin Rapid Transit Project

 

12 Oct 2001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Information

Website: http://www.acprt.org

Email: Info@acprt.org

Phone: 512 413-4058

 

ACPRT

Preliminary Route Selection

11 Oct 2001

 

This report defines the currently favored PRT route alignment for the city of Austin. This report is generally confined to the corridor under consideration by Capital Metro’s rapid transit project. The purpose of this report is to select an alignment for presentation as an alternative for consideration, which could also be easily expanded into other areas of interest after the initial construction phase of the project. 

 

Basic Planning Concepts

 

The basic concept of this proposal is that of two parallel guideways, one running north and the other running south, interconnected by east-west running crossover guideways. The optimal configuration is to place the north-south guideways about one-half mile apart with crossover guideways running in alternating directions no more than a mile apart. This configuration maximizes the area within range of stations by placing the guideways at least twice the reasonable walking distance of about one-quarter mile, while minimizing the amount of extra guideway needed for crossover sections.  

 

Realistically, it is very difficult to place the guideways in the optimal configuration due to lack of suitable right-of-way or streets in the needed position, and the desire to place the first guideways in the most advantage positions with regards to ridership.  I have also attempted to keep guideways running in many of the same corridors used by Cap Metro’s base LRT proposal, since these are well studied, and are believed to have sufficient space for a light-rail line and thus more than enough for a PRT guideway. A premium was also placed on servicing the proposed park-and-ride facility at Howard Lane and other transit facilities. I have also tried to keep guideways along main thoroughfares and commercial areas wherever possible, instead of utilizing smaller streets fronted by single-family housing. 

 

The resulting spacing between the main north-south guideway varies considerably, but is generally wider than the optimum of one-half mile.    This will place more guideway on the crossover sections, but since the number of these is small the total length of guideway should not rise too much.   A further effect is lengthening of time needed for a vehicle to turn around when the rider needs to travel in the direction opposite of the guideway flow.  Further study will probably need to be done to determine if more crossovers are needed.

 

After the initial PRT system is successfully implemented guideways may be placed between the initial ones, thus increasing coverage while shortening trip lengths for turn arounds.

Overview of alignment:

 

The proposal contains approximately 65 miles of one-way, elevated, PRT guideways.

 

Burnet Road and North Lamar are the primary north-south guideways in the area North of Koenig Lane, with the eastern guideway transitioning from Lamar to Metric on the northern end and to Guadalupe on the southern end before entering downtown.  Crossing guideways run along Parmer, Braker, Rundberg, Anderson, Koenig, 45^th, 38^th, and 26^th Streets.

 

In the area South of Koenig to the river, the primary North-South guideways follow Red River and Guadalupe.  The downtown area is served by crossover guideways placed on MLK, 15^th, 8^th, and 1^st Streets, as well as guideways placed on 6^th street and Lamar.

 

The system enters South Austin on the Lamar and 1^st street bridges, with the Eastern leg transitioning to Congress via riverside.  The southern edge of the system runs along Ben White between Lamar and Congress. Crossover guideways are placed on Oltorf and Barton Springs Roads.

 

East Austin is served via guideways running west from Red River on Cesar Chavez, 11^th Street, and Martin Luther King Blvd.  A north-south guideway serves Pleasant Valley Road; intersecting the three east-west lines mentioned above and continues south to Riverside.  The Riverside loop follows the IH35 access road from Cesar Chavez Street to Riverside, then runs East to intersect with the guideway on Pleasant Valley Road.  An additional segment follows Chicon between Cesar Chavez and 11^th Streets.

 

 

 

Comparison of RTP Base Alignment (green)

And PRT Proposed Alignment (red)

 

Comparison with the Rapid Transit Project Base Alternative

 

The most striking difference between the LRT base alternative and the PRT alignment is the increased area directly served by the PRT proposal. In the downtown area, the PRT alignment configuration places the majority of the downtown area, the square from West Ave to IH35 and 1^st street to the University within 4 blocks of a guideway.  Service to East Austin is substantially greater, with the PRT proposal containing almost 7 miles of guideway in the area East of IH35 and North of the river.  Service is also proposed along the Riverside-Pleasant Valley area to serve the large number of trips between the student occupied apartment complexes in that area and University of Texas facilities.

 

North of US183, the LRT base plan has very little housing within walking distance of the line. It relies on the use of the proposed park and ride facility at Howard Lane for collection of riders.  By comparison, the PRT alignment serves over 40 large apartment complexes on the Wells-Branch, Metric and North Lamar segments alone, as well as numerous areas of single-family and duplex housing.

 

South of 183, the LRT base alternative travels through the Wooten and Crestview neighborhoods down a railroad R.O.W.  This will require construction of pedestrian access facilities into any station built in this area.  In contrast, the PRT alignment serves this area with guideways along Burnet Rd and Anderson Ln. using the existing infrastructure to provide pedestrian access and limiting additional structures to the already built up areas of commercial development along the roadways.

 

South of Anderson Lane, the PRT alignment continues to provide direct access to housing areas parallel to Burnet road and Koenig Ln. via the guideways located on each of these thoroughfares.  There is no comparable service to this area from the LRT base alternative.

 

The PRT alignment does a better job of servicing Capitol Metro’s transit facilities and connecting them to other transit facilities.  As well as keeping support for the planned park-and-ride at Howard Lane and MOPAC, the PRT proposal services the North Lamar transit center, and the transfer centers at Northcross Mall and Highland Mall.  All three of these are bypassed by the LRT base alternative and would require walking or busing patrons to the line.  The PRT proposal also offers direct access to both the Greyhound bus terminal at Koenig and Airport and the Amtrak rail station near Lamar and 1^st streets.

 

The PRT alignment does a better job of servicing the large employers in the Burnet/Mopac corridor.  While the LRT base alternative would serve the Pickle Research Center, the R.O.W runs along the back of the center and is distant from the main buildings.  The PRT system could be built over the fences and provide service at the buildings.  The IBM East complex is not along the LRT right of way and would require bussing or a long walk to the station.  The PRT system would provide direct service along Burnet road and could place a station much closer or at the building entrance.

 

The PRT alignment gives direct service to the North Austin Medical Center.  The LRT alignment is on the opposite side of MOPAC, requiring either shuttle bussing or a long walk.  Similarly, the PRT alignment also provides direct access to St. David’s Medical Center and Breckenridge Hospital whereas the LRT line would require walking or bussing from the line on Guadalupe.  The PRT proposal also directly serves the South Austin Medical center on Ben White, whereas the base light rail alignment (along Congress) would require walking/bussing to the center.   The Austin State Hospital, School for the Blind, and School for the Deaf are served by both proposals since they have these segments in common, leaving PRT’s station spacing of one-half mile (as opposed to one-mile LRT spacing) and higher service levels as differentiating factors

 

Both the PRT proposal and the Rapid Transit Project base alternative support ‘The Drag’ on Guadalupe and the substantial student housing areas nearby as well as the UT Intramural fields near Lamar and 51^st street and the Pickle research center.  Additionally, the PRT alignment provides a circulator service around the edges of the University of Texas campus and the associated housing areas via the included loop on Guadalupe, MLK, Robert Dedman, and 26^th streets.  This includes direct access to Texas Memorial Stadium, the Performing Arts Center, the LBJ library, and the Frank Erwin Center.  The PRT proposal also includes service to the large population of UT students living alone Riverside Drive in Southeast Austin. 

 

Both alternatives service St. Edwards University and Huston Tillotson College.  The PRT proposal adds direct service to the ACC Northridge Campus, the ACC Southwest campus at West Gate and Ben White, the ACC Eastview campus, and service to Concordia University. 

 

Finally, the PRT alignment serves the additional lengths of North Lamar from Justin to Braker and the length of South Lamar from the river to Ben White.

Description of route segments – Far North:

 

Corner of Howard LN/Wells Branch east on Wells Branch to Metric:

This segment starts at the starting location of the Capital Metro base alternative and allows access to the proposed park and ride facility at Howard Lane.

 

Wells Branch Parkway has two lanes in each direction separated by a wide median strip.  Sufficient room exists on either side or the middle for a PRT guideway to be placed. Within walking distance of this segment there are:

            At least 13 large apartment complexes.

            2 large shopping centers including at least one theater.

            One church.

            A subdivision of single-family housing backs up to Wells Branch on the north, with several streets providing access into the neighborhood.  The back yards of the houses are separated from the road by a 10-foot tall stone wall.

 

 

Thermal/Metric from corner of Wells Branch and Thermal south to Parmer:

This segment incased Northwest Elementary School as well further access to several of the apartment complexes fronting Wells Branch Parkway. Additionally the segment contains about 4 large subdivisions of single-family housing and one apartment complex.

 

Metric from Corner of Thermal/Metric and Parmer south to Braker:

This segment includes access to the ACC Northridge Campus.  In addition, this segment has:

            13 large apartment complexes

            4 single story office centers

            3 areas of single-family housing

            One large church

            One daycare center

            One shopping center

           

 

Braker Ln. from Corner of Metric and Braker, east to N. Lamar

Most of this segments route is faced with duplexes with single-family structures behind them.  There are also some small commercial areas developed.  Included along this segment are:

            2 areas of commercial development

            1 post office

            1 church

            1 medical clinic

            1 school

            Duplexes and single-family housing within 4 blocks of either side.

 

 

Lamar from corner of Lamar and Braker to 183

This segment is mostly commercial strip development.  The endpoint also services the Capitol Metro North Lamar transit center. It contains:

            9 Apartment complexes

            1 hotel

            Several Restaurants

            1 grocery

            1 daycare

 

Burnet Road and MOPAC from corner of Burnet and US183/Research Blvd to MOPAC and Wells Branch/Howard LN.

This segment is mostly large office and the Pickle Research center campus.  It includes:

            Pickle Research Center

            The Domain office complex

            IBM

            XEROX

            The North Austin Medical Center

            3 grocery/shopping centers

            3 apartment complexes

           

Rundberg Lane from Lamar To Burnet

This crossover segment serves the areas of single-family housing to the North and South of Rundberg Lane

 

Braker Lane from corner of Burnet and Braker to corner of Braker and Metric

This is a crossover segment and joins the eastern north-south guideway at Braker and Metric.  This provides access along a second facing to the J. Pickle research center and The Domain large office complex.

 

 

Parmer from MOPAC to Metric

This is an east-west crossover guideway.  This segment is mostly commercial strip development.

 

 

 

Description of Route Segments – North

 

N Lamar from corner of Lamar and 183 to the Lamar-Guadalupe split

This segment continues the eastward north-south guideway from the North Lamar transit center and duplicates the LRT base alternative from railroad right-of-way crossing north of Justin Ln southward.  This segment is commercial strip development but also includes the Department of Public Safety facility.

 

 

Guadalupe from the Lamar Guadalupe split southward

This segment duplicates the LRT base alternative.  This area has commercial strip development, including several restaurants, backed by housing on parallel blocks.  Large users include:

            Austin State Hospital

            State Department of Health

            The intramural fields complex

            The Central Park area

 

Burnet Road from intersection of Burnet and US 183 to Anderson LN

This segment includes the Northcross mall and the Capital Metro Northcross mall transfer center.

 

Burnet Road from Anderson Land to Koenig

This segment is mostly strip commercial, with a grocery store/shopping complex at the south corner.

 

Anderson Lane from Burnet road to N. Lamar

This is a crossover guideway.

            Wooten Elementary School (2 blocks)

 

 

Koenig Lane from Burnet Road to N. Lamar

This area is strip commercial backed by housing with a few apartment buildings.  In his section, the western North-South ‘Leg’ of the system runs East-West until transitioning onto Lamar at the corner of Old Koenig and Lamar

 

Koenig Lane from Lamar to Airport

This section is a crossover guideway between the two North-South legs of the system running down Lamar and Airport. 

 

 

Airport from Lamar to Red River

The segment includes Highland Mall, the Capital Metro transfer center at Highland Mall, and the Greyhound bus terminal at the corner of Airport and Koenig.  This section parallels alternative 10 of the Rapid Transit Study

 

45^th Street from Guadalupe to Red River

This segment is a crossover segment and provides service to mainly residential neighborhoods with some light commercial areas.

 

Description of Route Segments – Central

 

Guadalupe from the Lamar Guadalupe split southward

This segment duplicates the LRT base alternative.  ‘The Drag’ on the north end and downtown offices on the south end dominates the central portion.  The north portion also forms the western side of the circulator service for the UT campus and nearby housing areas.

 

Red River from Airport to 26th Street

This section follows alternative 10 of the rapid transit study.  At the southern end it transitions into Medical Arts and then to Robert Dedman drive at about 26^th street.  Land usage varies greatly along this section, with the Hancock shopping center and strip commercial development at the North end, the Hancock Golf Course and recreation center, Concordia University and St. David’s Medical center located near the guideway.

 

26^th Street from Guadalupe to Red River

This segment is an East-West crossover between the two main legs of the system and serves as the north side of the UT circulator system.  It provides service to the North end of the UT campus and follows the same route as alternative 10 of the Rapid Transit Project.

 

Robert Dedman/Red River from 26^th Street to MLK

This section provides service to Texas Memorial Stadium, the LBJ library, the Performing Arts center, and nearby UT facilities.

 

MLK from Guadalupe to Red River

This segment is a crossover between the two main legs of the system and forms the southern part of the UT circulator system as well as providing service to the north end of downtown.

 

Downtown Circulator Segments: 

The downtown circulator consists of the two ‘legs’ of the system running North-South on Guadalupe and Red River, as well as four East-West crossovers on MLK, 15^th Street, 8^th Street and 1^st Street.  The western leg turns west at the corner of 6^th and Guadalupe, then South on Lamar to cross the Lamar street bridge and continues into South Austin.

 

This configuration places the entire area of a square bounded by West Ave, 1^st Street, IH35 and Martin Luther King Drive within 4 blocks of a guideway.  With a preliminary configuration of 18 stations in downtown, the majority of the area is within a one-quarter mile walk of a PRT station and ALL of this area would be within a one-third mile walk to a station. Additionally, the region within 4 blocks of 6^th street stretching from Guadalupe to Lamar is also serviced.

 

The Capitol Complex is served by the 15^th Street and Guadalupe guideways, both of which run within two blocks of the complex. 

 

Guideways were not placed along the entertainment portions of 6^th street, however service is provided by guideways running by either end of the area along Guadalupe and Red River streets.  The area is also a short, two-block walk from the 8^th Street guideway.

 

Direct service is provided to the convention center, Breckenridge Hospital and the County Courthouse.

                                                      

 

Description of Route Segments – East

 

The eastern section serves the large student population along Riverside as well as the areas currently served by the Silver Dillo. 

 

1^st Street/Cesar Chavez from Red River to East Access of IH35, then South to Riverside

Sanchez Elementary School, Waller Beach, Festival Beach, and the nearby health center are served by this segment.  This section utilizes the IH35 bridge when crossing the river.

 

Riverside from IH35 to Pleasant Valley

This serves the large apartment complexes running along Riverside drive and the associated commercial areas

 

Pleasant Valley from Riverside to Martin Luther King Blvd.

This portion of the route runs close to the ACC Eastview Campus, the recreation centers and pools in the Boggy Creek Greenbelt, the Kreig field softball complex, and the Pleasant Valley Sports Plex, as well as providing access to the multi-family housing areas concentrated along the southern end of the segment near Riverside.  Town-Lake Metro Park, Lakeshore Park and the Longhorn Dam areas are also served.

 

Martin Luther King Blvd from Pleasant Valley to Red River

This segment includes access to UT’s Disch Falk field, single-family housing areas and Garza High School two blocks south of the line.

 

1^st Street/Cesar Chavez from Red River to Pleasant Valley. 

This section contains light commercial and small business areas backed by housing.  Three elementary schools – Metz, Zavala, and Sanchez lie within a three-block walk of this guideway.

 

Rosewood Av and 11^th Street from Pleasant Valley to Red River

This guideway serves Kealing Middle School, the Carver Museum, and the North end of Huston-Tillotsen College as well as the businesses and homes along Rosewood and 11^th Streets.

 

Chicon from 1^st Street/Cesar Chavez to Rosewood Avenue.

This guideway directly serves Huston-Tillotson College and the surrounding housing area.

 

Description of Route Segments – South

 

South 1^st to Riverside, then East to Congress

This section parallels the light rail base alignment and provides direct service to the Palmer Auditorium, the east side of Auditorium Shores, and the Butler Civic Center.

 

South Congress from Riverside to Ben White

This section parallels the light rail base alignment and provides service to the Texas State School for the Deaf, the south congress retail area, and St. Edwards University.

 

Ben White from South Congress to Westgate

This segment closes the loop at the south end of the PRT alignment.  This segment runs past the South Austin Hospital and the associates small offices and clinics. The Lakehills, Brodie Oaks, and Westgate shopping centers along with the nearby ACC campus at anchor the western end of this segment.

 

South Lamar from Ben White to the River

This segment contains numerous apartment complexes on the south end.  The remainder is retail development backed by single-family housing.  The north end crosses the river over the Lamar street bridge and enters the downtown circulator section.  The north end provides service to Butler Field, and the Zachary Scott Theatre.

 

Oltorf from Lamar to South Congress

This is a crossover segment and traverses single-family housing areas in the portions away from Lamar and Congress, with commercial/retail near these two main thoroughfares.

 

Barton Springs from Lamar to South Congress

This is a crossover segment.  Development is mostly retail at the west end, with the eastern portion serving the cultural arts center and Palmer Auditorium.