Rainey Neighborhood Traffic Study Workshop

The following report is from Susan Morgan, TLNA President, regarding the March 8 workshop with the Big Red Dog Traffic Team.

The March 8th meeting was a presentation of data gathered from November until now. Three area maps posted on the wall showed proposed ideas for improvements in public safety, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, vehicle flow, parking, construction staging and signage. These maps will be posted soon on the BRD website for your perusal. www.raineytrafficstudy.com

Traffic issues in the Rainey district are complex and solutions are limited. The area is not laid out in a normal traffic grid. We are blocked-in by IH35 on the East, Waller Creek on the West, and Lady Bird Lake on the South.

The ideas discussed are divided into two groups.

The first group has high dollar items requiring long range planning and budgeting.

• Lower IH35 to allow unrestricted cross traffic on River/Holly and Cesar Chavez. (TxDOT control and funding.) For more info visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBePW5gzVC4 )

• Build a multi-million-dollar bridge across Waller Creek to Trinity Street, which would be opposed by the Waller Creek Conservancy.

• Extend Rainey Street to Cesar Chavez on property donated by a private developer. This might be attractive to him if he can build higher buildings.

• New North/South Street from River St., connecting to Red River St. The new street would run across the MACC parking lot, connect to the privately-owned Shore driveway and extend to Red River. This would require land usage from the MACC and the Shore.

• Build two floating pedestrian bridges across Lady Bird Lake. Bridges would have to be able to rise for boat traffic.

The second group includes lower cost items that also require planning and budgeting.

• Widen and improve alley East of Rainey Street. (Public Works Budget)

• Add more sidewalks and lighting along pedestrian areas. (Public Works Budget)

• “All-walk” intersection controls at Cesar Chavez and Red River. (Public, Private partnership (P-3) funding

• Smaller public transit vans that make loops through the downtown area. (Public, Private Partnership (P-3) funding)

• Limit parking on Rainey Street at certain hours. Designate delivery truck pull-outs and loading/unloading areas for taxi and Pedi-cabs. (P-3 funding)

• Signage at Red River and Cesar Chavez guiding drivers toward IH35 via certain streets. (Transportation Dept.)

In late April, the third and final workshop will be held. Big Red Dog will present a notebook with recommended solutions and guidelines to the Rainey Neighborhood Traffic Task Force. City Council staff, public works and transportation departments will be invited and encouraged to attend this meeting. From this point forward, concerned residents must push for plans to execute the best of these ideas and to find funding.

Our TLNA representative on the Rainey Neighborhood Traffic Task Force is Michael Abelson.

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