Austin Transit Partnership releases draft environmental report and advances light-rail design; timeline targets 2027 construction start

Austin Transit Partnership staff presented an update Feb. 19 on the Austin Light Rail project, including recently released renderings, alignment adjustments and the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for public comment.

Darren Lozano of Austin Transit Partnership said the agency has advanced design and environmental analysis over the past year and is recommending a Phase 1 alignment that runs from 30th–8th Street south past the University of Texas campus into downtown, crosses Lady Bird Lake on a new light-rail bridge with a bike-pedestrian connection, and then branches south toward Riverside and east toward Yellowjacket. Lozano said the project team is recommending a new downtown station near Waldridge Square (Guadalupe Street between Ninth and…