BIKE: Phases I, II, III for the Red Line

[alan_drake]

I have not lived in Austin for eight years, and by detailed knowledge of Austin urban geography is fading.  And I am sure that Austin politics have changed more than the hills have.

By happenstance, I ended up in an “Old Urban” neighborhood, the Lower Garden District of New Orleans.  Much like the “New Urban” environment proposed by many, but with worn out sidewalks :-)

I very much like this and became more interested in transit as a result.  I have looked around the world and found a particularly interesting system, the new “miniMetro” of Copenhagen.  Low cost, multi-mode*, profit making and their means of financing.  They dramatically raised the value of a closed military base (plus some surplus port property) by putting elevated transit down the center of it and paid for the entire transit "Y" by selling off base land.  (Think Mueller).

*Copenhagen Modes (some wiggle in these #s since plans changed)

In subway (TBM, cut & cover, NATM) – 11 km
Elevated (55% embankment (think TxDOT ramp), 45% viaduct (think monorail)) – 5 km
Old RR ROW (grade separated) – 2 km
In trench – 1 km
Taking 2 freeway lanes at grade – 2 km

Austin should be quick, easy and cheap tunneling (TBM is an improving technology, ever cheaper a few %/year).

Three changes I would make to Copenhagen; Manual operation (with provision for future automation), dual 3rd rail and OCS operation (easy), and as tight a turning radius as possible.  The last point is OK for their existing rolling stock (27 m), but tighter is always better when threading through an urban environment.

Phase I – Red Line (ugh)

Phase II 
~ Electrify, OCS on Phase I, 3rd rail on Phase II
- Build ~$15 million bridge over Lamar @ Airport
- Divert (over or under Airport) through Mueller at two points.   With the original line this could make a short turn loop.
- Double track from Mueller to CBD
- Build single track (with one or two passing sidings) in trench/in subway North from CBD into UT and convert to 3rd rail operation.  Take out one parking lane all the way.
- Build single track spur to “Student Village” on SouthEast Town Lake with a short loop through it.  I think Longhorn Dam can be used.
- Pay for it with Mueller land sales.  Cost ?  ~$350 million VERY roughly

Phase III
- Create “Urban Loop” extending north from UT to either Mueller or former DPS HQ @ 5800 Lamar.  Consider double tracking all of the “Urban Loop”.  Mainly single track spurs could be built off of the “Urban Loop”, such as:
- Double track from CBD to UT with one track east of Congress, and one left, making a loop.
- Extend to Airport (single track) from SE Town Lake, consider double tracking sections of this
- Extend E or NE from Mueller (if feasible)
- Consider other viable extensions, spurs
- Take traffic lanes as needed since more people will move on rails than in SOVs and it will politically possible by then