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PROJECT CONNECT: LESSONS IN COLLABORATION Presented to:

Clean Air Trough Energy Efficiency CATEE Conference San AntonioDecember 18, 2013

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• Capital Metro jurisdiction, and prior planning efforts, did not encompass entire region

• Community feedback on transit projects: “How does this fit in with big picture?”

• Growing recognition that region requires multimodal system, including transit, to meet future needs

• Need for agency coordination

PROJECT CONNECT: WHY?

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• A partnership between Central Texas transportation agencies

• A regional, long-range high-capacity system plan for Central Texas

• The first regional transit system plan in Central Texas history

PROJECT CONNECT

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THREE MAIN QUESTIONS

Organization: How will our region organize to develop and operate the system?

Funding: How will we pay for the system over the long term?

System: How will high capacity transit components in CAMPO 2035 plan work as a system?

Transportation Needs

and Opportuniti

es

Project Details

System: Corridors and Gaps

System Optimizati

on

Funding

Organization

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• Staff level- formed core team and weekly meetings– Mid to senior and exec. level staff– Intermittent participation by transit CEO

and Asst. City Manager levels• Interlocal Agreement developed to

guide decision-making and funding actions

• Consultant team hired for project• Substantial public outreach effort

PROJECT CONNECT ORGANIZATION

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• CAMPO subcommittee• Primary stakeholder group in the Project Connect process • 26 meetings over past 18

months!• Role: Evaluate and provide input

on a regional high-capacity transit plan for Central Texas

TRANSIT WORKING GROUP

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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Regional Plan

System Plan

Corridor Studies

Preliminary Design/Environmental Analysis

Final Design

Construction

Operation

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HIGH-CAPACITY TRANSIT

• “Congestion resistant/proof”• Has one or both of the following:

• Dedicated lane/right-of way for at least a portion

• Transit priority

• Fewer stops, higher speeds, more frequent service, carries more people

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HIGH-CAPACITY TRANSIT MODES

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VISION MAP

• 25 Centers & ABIA• 4 Counties/13 Cities

• Bastrop: Elgin• Hays: Buda, Kyle,

San Marcos• Travis: Austin,

Manor, Pflugerville• Williamson: Cedar

Park, Georgetown, Hutto, Leander, Round Rock, Taylor

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SYSTEM FUNDING PLAN

By 2030• Capital Cost - $1.9 B of $4.0 B • Capital Maintenance - $424 M• O&M Cost – $82 M of $151 M• 49% of the Vision

– BRT – 15 miles– Express Bus – 56 miles– Regional Rail – 74 miles– Commuter Rail – 32miles (upgrades, double tracking)– Urban Rail – 12miles (24 miles single track)– Maintenance Facilities, fare collection, replacement vehicles

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Integrated System

Mgt.

Rail Operatio

ns

BRT & Express

Bus Operation

s

System Planning

& Business

Ops.

SYSTEM ORGANIZATION & RELATIONSHIPS

Other Capital

Investment Ops.

*Relationship will need to accommodate LSRD inter-regional service delivery and internal governance structure.

Regional Service

Committee

Other Invest

or-Owner

s

Lone Star Rail

District*

City of Austin

Capital

Metro 1. Regional services focus

2. Non-political governance

3. Scalable and adaptable

4. Urban and commuter services included

5. Seamless functionality – “single system”

6. Planning for all modes

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THREE MAIN QUESTIONS

Organization: How will our region organize to develop and operate the system?

Funding: How will we pay for the system over the long term?

System: How will high capacity transit components in CAMPO 2035 plan work as a system?

Transportation Needs

and Opportuniti

es

Project Details

System: Corridors and Gaps

System Optimizati

on

Funding

Organization

All answered…at the system level

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PROJECT CONNECT: CAPITAL METRO PERSPECTIVE

Lessons Learned:

- Recognition that partnerships are

only way to realize vision of regional

transit system

- ‘Leap of faith’ to actively study/plan

beyond jurisdictional boundary

- Compromise and trade-offs required,

but not always welcomed

- Funding remains as a major challenge

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PROJECT CONNECT: CITY OF AUSTIN PERSPECTIVE

Lessons Learned:

• Citizens do not understand who is

responsible for services

• Public Agencies must continuously

work on their relationships and

develop mechanisms to resolve

conflicts

• City shaping or serving current riders

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• CAMPO subcommittee• Primary stakeholder group in the Project Connect process • 26 meetings over past 18

months!• Role: Evaluate and provide input

on a regional high-capacity transit plan for Central Texas

TRANSIT WORKING GROUP

Lessons Learned:

- Engage key elected and stakeholders early

and often

- People support what they help create

- Simplifying complexity is hard work- needs

to be done carefully

- Be mindful not to let ‘the tail wag the dog’

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PROJECT CONNECT SUMMARY

Lessons Learned:

- Partnerships are hard work

- Coordination meetings essential, despite

the pain

- Personalities, not just inter-jurisdictional

differences, can be the make or break

element

- Open dialogue is critical…but not always

what happened

- Maintaining momentum post-study

essential for long-term success

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Questions and Discussion

Rob Spiller, P.E.DirectorCity of Austin Transportation Department

Javier A. Argüello, Assoc. AIA, CNU-ADirector Long Range PlanningCapital Metro