IN-DEPTH
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT PROPOSITION A -- IT'S ON THE BALLOT FOR CITY OF
AUSTIN VOTERS -- AND
IT'S A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR
SOME.
SOME.
SOME. IF
SOME. IF THE BALLOT MEASURE PASSES --
IT WOULD INCREASE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES TO
PAY FOR A MULTI-
BILLION-DOLLAR TRANSIT SYSTEM IN
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN. WE KNOWS THERE'S A LOT TO THIS
PLAN -- SO WE WANT TO START THE WEEK OFF BY EXPLAINING
THE INS AND OUTS
OF THE PROJECT AND WHAT EXACTLY
YOU'D BE PAYING FOR...
KVUE'S BRYCE NEWBERRY JOINS US
LIVE THIS MORNING TO BREAK IT ALL DOWN AND KICK
OFF OUR SERIES..
GOOD MORNING BRYCE.
GOOD
GOOD MORNING -- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MASSIVE PLAN WITH A PRICE TAG TO MATCH.
7-POINT-1 BILLION DOLLARS. IF
APPROVED -- IT WOULD ADD TWO
LIGHT RAIL LINES, ANOTHER
COMMUTER RAIL LINE, AND DID I
MENTION -- AN UNDERGROUND
TUNNEL!?
BUT IT COULD TAKE NEARLY A
DECADE BEFORE IT'S ALL DONE.
"
"
" PROJECT
" PROJECT CONNECT MEETS SO MANY LONG HELD NEEDS,
CRITICAL
CRITICAL NEEDS FOR THIS CITY FOR A CITY THAT IS GROWING DAY BY
DAY --
BY DAY --
DAY --
DAY -- --
DAY -- -- THERE'S A TRANSIT PLAN ON THE
BALLOT THAT COULD MAKE AUSTIN MORE CONNECTED AND
MAYBE A LITTLE
EASIER TO GET AROUND.
THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS CITY
IS GETTING SO ERODED BY
TRAFFIC. MAYOR STEVE ADLER
SUPPORTS
PROJECT CONNECT -- WHICH WOULD
BE FUNDED BY
PROPOSITION A.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'D BE PAYING
FOR..
BLUE LINE
A LIGHT RAIL LINE RUNNING FROM
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ...
CONNECTING THROUGH
DOWNTOWN ... AND RUNNING TO
NORTH LAMAR BOULEVARD AT
HIGHWAY 183.
ORANGE LINE
ANOTHER LIGHT RAIL LINE STARTING
THERE -- RUNNING ALL
THE WAY SOUTH TO STASSNEY LANE.
TUNNEL
AN UNDERGROUND TUNNEL RUNNING
THROUGH DOWNTOWN FROM REPUBLIC
SQUARE TO THE
CONVENTION CENTER..
GREEN LINE
ANOTHER COMMUTER RAIL -- LIKE
THE CURRENT RED
LINE -- CONNECTING DOWNTOWN TO
THE COLONY
PARK NEIGHBORHOOD IN EAST
AUSTIN.
GOLD LINE
A NEW RAPID BUS LINE GOING FROM
THE A-C-C HIGHLAND AREA
TO A NEW SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT
CENTER.
THE MONEY ALSO GOES TO FOUR MORE
RAPID BUSES,
PARK AND RIDES, AND NEIGHBORHOOD
CIRCULATOR
BUSES.
CIRCULATOR BUSES. THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK
LIKE A LARGER PLAN BY
THROWING IN SOME BUS ROUTES THAT
SHOULD HAVE
ALREADY BEEN IN PLACE. ROGER
FALK DOESN'T
SUPPORT PROJECT CONNECT -- HE'S
PART OF THE OUR MOBILITY OUR
FUTURE PAC.
HE'S CONCERNED HOW MUCH IT'LL
COST -- AND
HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE BEFORE IT'S
DONE.
PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
THEY'RE GONNA START
TAXING YOU TODAY AND NOW FOR
THIS, AND IT'S NOT GONNA
ROLL FOR A DECADE. BASED ON
CAP-METRO'S ESTIMATES --
CONSTRUCTION WOULD START IN FOUR
YEARS -- AND WOULDN'T
BE COMPLETE FOR AT LEAST NINE
YEARS.
A MAJOR CHUNK OF THE PROJECT --
TWO BILLION DOLLARS -- IS
FOR THE DOWNTOWN TUNNEL -- WHICH
WOULD ONLY
SPAN ABOUT SIX CITY BLOCKS.
ONE OF THE CHIEF COMPONENTS OF
THIS
PROJECT, IN FACT, IS THE
UNDERGROUND TUNNEL TO
ENSURE THAT THAT TRAFFIC IS NOT
IMPACTED DOWNTOWN. IT
ALSO WILL KEEP THE TRANSIT
SYSTEM
SYSTEM MOVING MORE QUICKLY. OPPONENTS HAVE TWO BIG QUESTIONS, THOUGH --
HOW EXACTLY WILL CREWS DIG THE
TUNNEL --
AND WHAT THAT'LL MEAN FOR
TRAFFIC DURING
CONSTRUCTION.
THE TUNNEL IS VERY TROUBLING
BECAUSE IT HAS
MASSIVE COSTS AND THERE'S VERY
LITTLE STUDY BEEN
DONE TO SEE IF IT'S EVEN VIABLE
CAP-METRO HASN'T DONE
THEIR OWN REVIEW TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THEY
MIGHT FIND UNDERGROUND.
SO FAR -- IT'S JUST BASED ON
OTHER AUSTIN TUNNEL WORK
OR INFORMATION FROM HIGH RISE
STUDIES.
AND WITH MORE CONSTRUCTION
POSSIBLY ON THE WAY -- SOME
PEOPLE COULD BE FORCED OUT OF
THEIR HOMES.
THIS IS WHERE WE RECOGNIZE IF
WE'RE GOING TO BUILD THIS
CITY FOR EVERYBODY AND MAKE IT
RIGHT FOR
EVERYBODY, THIS IS SOMETHING WE
CANNOT SKIMP
ON. SO TO HELP WITH THAT --
THE CITY COUNCIL ADDED
THREE-HUNDRED- MILLION DOLLARS
TO THE
PROJECT TO HELP PEOPLE WHO COULD
BE PUSHED OUT.
BUT FALK SAYS THAT MONEY PROVES
THE PLAN IS
FLAWED..
THEY'RE GOING TO RUN ALL THE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING OUT
OF HERE. AND THEY'RE GOING TO
REPLACE IT WITH FOR
PROFIT STAINLESS GRANITE
DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S OUT OF THE COST RANGE OF
THE POOR, LOW
INCOME PEOPLE, MOSTLY PEOPLE OF
COLOR THAT ARE ALONG
THESE TRANSIT LINES. ALL
THINGS TO CONSIDER -- IN A
GROWING CITY -- WITH GROWING
NEEDS.">
NEEDS.">
NEEDS."> THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY MORE
SPECIFICS TO THIS PLAN THAT WE'VE HELPED BREAK DOWN --
HEAD TO KVUE-DOT-
COM SLASH PROJECT CONNECT FOR
MORE ON THIS
BALLOT MEASURE.
AND COMING UP TOMORROW -- WE'LL
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT
THE COST OF THE PROJECT -- AND
BREAK DOWN WHAT IT
MEANS FOR YOUR PROPERTY TAX
BILL.
BILL.
BILL. B/N
BILL. B/N KVUE NEWS
THANKS
THANKS BRYCE! FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE
TRANSPORTATIO N PROPOSITIONS-- JUST HEAD TO
"KVUE DOT COM
SLASH PROJECT CONNECT."
WE HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP--
PLUS DETAILS ABOUT
WHAT THE TRANSPORTATIO N PLANS
COULD LOOK LIKE-- AND
HOW MUCH IT'LL COST TAXPAYERS.
YOU CAN ALSO TEXT THE WORD
"CONNECT" TO "5-1-2... 4-5-9... 9-4-4-2"-- TO RECEIVE SEVERAL
LINKS ABOUT PROJECT
CONNECT.
YOU HAVE TO TEXT-- CALLING WON'T
WORK!