LIGHT RAILORANGE LINE

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The proposed Orange Line project is a 20-mile light rail transit (LRT) corridor that would travel along Lamar Boulevard and Congress Avenue from the Tech Ridge Park & Ride at Howard Lane south to Slaughter Lane. This route is currently served by Capital Metro’s MetroRapid 801. The Orange Line was identified as one of the dedicated-pathway high-capacity transit (HCT) corridors in the Project Connect System Plan and would serve as the spine of the regional HCT network- providing faster, more reliable transit connections. 

The need for the Orange Line Project is demonstrated by increasing congestion within the project corridor and parallel roadways, which is worsened by the inability to expand roadway capacity enough to meet demand. Failure to accommodate this increasing demand for efficient mobility is a threat to continued community and economic growth.  

The purpose of the Orange Line Project is to offer a reliable, safe, cost effective, time competitive, state-of-the-art HCT option that is congestion-proof.  

The Orange Line Project would address the following needs:

  • Sustainably support Austin’s population and economic growth
  • Support growth of and connectivity to activity centers
  • Provide better transit options linking affordable housing and jobs
  • Increase transportation network capacity to meet increasing travel demand

Resources

We welcome your input! Share your comments and questions with the project team. 

Call our comment line at:  512-369-7703
Email: OrangeLine@capmetro.org
Snail mail: Orange Line Project Team, Capital Metro, 607 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701

Capital Metro and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have initiated the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines and other regulatory requirements.

The NEPA Process:

  • Helps us to learn more about and better define the project 
  • Allows the community to understand and help guide project development
  • Fulfills requirement to receive federal funds

The 3 Steps of the NEPA Process:

  1. Scoping - An early and open process that allows the public and agencies to provide input on issues the project aims to address and identifies any significant issues related to the project.
  2. Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) - After the scoping process, work begins on the Draft EIS to more fully assess the potential benefits and impacts of the project.
  3. Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) - Comments received from the Draft EIS are addressed and the proposed action, environmental findings, and mitigation requirements of the project are stated in the Final EIS/ROD.
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