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Council hears plan to add $5 million from federal climate grant to expand CapMetro downtown–East Austin circulator
Summary
Staff told council the proposed amendment would transfer $5 million from the city's $48M Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to Capital Metro to provide bidirectional service on Route 2 (a downtown–East Austin circulator); staff said the dollars are primarily for operations and frequency, not bus purchases, and would be reevaluated annually.
Councilmembers questioned staff Feb. 24 about a proposed amendment (item A46) that would authorize negotiation of an amendment to an existing interlocal agreement with Capital Metro to expand service on Route 2.
Jim Dale, deputy director for Transportation & Public Works, said the amendment would expand an existing Capital Metro circulator so that Route 2 would run in both directions and increase the length of the route. Funding would come from the $48,000,000 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) administered by the EPA; the city previously authorized $10,000,000 to CapMetro and the new proposal would transfer an additional $5,000,000 to support this service.
Kristen Pipkin, a consulting engineer in TPW, said most of the prior $10,000,000 authorization was operational funding (to increase service frequency and staff time) rather than capital purchases like buses; staff concluded operating existing vehicles and routes was the most cost‑effective early use of grant dollars. Pipkin also said the routes launched under the CPRG are being evaluated annually and that sustaining service after the grant ends in 2029 will require identifying continuing funding or regional partners.
Councilmembers pressed for more detail on how the funds would be used operationally, whether the additional service would connect further west of Guadalupe/Lamar, and whether the grant could be leveraged to support transit access during major construction projects (I‑35, Mopac South). Staff said the planned circulator is focused on the downtown/East Austin alignment but that future options could be evaluated as part of annual reevaluations.
What’s next: The amendment is scheduled for consideration on the upcoming council agenda; staff said they will provide additional details on service alignment, vehicle types and metrics for success before final authorization.
