Austin, Texas, wanted to improve its transportation facilities, reduce traffic congestion and increase traffic safety for the community, while giving citizens more mobility choices. Voters approved a $720 million bond package for transportation and mobility improvements, and the city administration committed to implementing solutions within eight years. HDR was brought in as the program management planning consultant and to help with decision economics and transportation planning. We have a history of successfully delivering projects for the city, and our diverse services and innovative approach to problem solving were a good fit for this project. 

To facilitate the aggressive timeline, we are acting as an extension of city staff. One of our most challenging tasks was to prioritize projects as required by the 2016 Mobility Bond. Our decision economics team developed a first-of-its-kind prioritization model using specific mobility and community criteria that were identified in the Bond as priorities and approved by the City Council to analyze the projects. Improvement to traffic flow and congestion relief, a better level-of-service for all modes of travel, enhanced connectivity, and more effective transit operations were the primary criteria. Other measures related to social impact were also incorporated, and a substantial public communications effort was included to keep the public informed and solicit input throughout the process. The overall corridor improvements plan was recommended for implementation by 2024.

A final list of recommended projects was submitted, and the City Council voted unanimously to support it with few amendments. We are working with city staff to onboard design consultants for each of the nine transportation corridors. Our role supporting the city and managing this program will continue for six years. 

As a result of these improvements, Austin’s mayor Steve Adler is quoted as saying, “Implementing the 2016 Mobility Bond will cut traffic delays by 25 percent and collisions by 15 percent on the streets we most use all over the city. The Smart Corridor Plan is beginning to look like a Genius Corridor Plan."