Nathan Bernier
@kutnathan.bsky.social
📤 608
📥 51
📝 209
Transportation reporter at Austin NPR station KUT 90.5 FM
https://kut.org/nathan
Smokable hemp products can be sold again in Texas for now. A Travis County judge today granted a temporary restraining order against some of the new hemp regulations that took effect March 31. The order leaves in place sharply higher annual fees for businesses.
www.kut.org/business/202...
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Judge blocks new state rules that ban sale of smokable hemp
A Travis County judge agreed with plaintiffs that the some of the rules that took effect March 31 were causing irreparable harm.
https://www.kut.org/business/2026-04-10/austin-tx-smokeable-hemp-ban-cannabis-temporary-restraining-order-lawsuit-pause
11 days ago
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Texas hemp businesses hope a Travis County judge issues a temporary restraining order allowing smokable cannabis to be sold as soon as this weekend. The hearing is on Friday. More about the lawsuit:
www.kut.org/business/202...
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Texas hemp companies sue over smokable cannabis ban and higher fees
Companies seek immediate pause of rules, accusing Texas regulators of effectively banning smokable products, raising fees beyond what's allowed and sidestepping rulemaking requirements.
https://www.kut.org/business/2026-04-08/austin-tx-texas-hemp-ban-cannabis-lawsuit-thca-businesses
13 days ago
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Wish we had something like this at ABIA
www.youtube.com/live/_-Qg5jD...
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LAS Vegas Airport LIVE 24/7 with views of 26R & 26L
YouTube video by Flightradar24
https://www.youtube.com/live/_-Qg5jD-PfA?si=vYiZ-un06XxAi8A6
19 days ago
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The Texas ban on smokable hemp takes effect today. Can consumers still buy online from out-of-state? State regulators say no. Cannabis attorneys say yes, but acknowledge it's a legal gray area.
www.kut.org/business/202...
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Texas' ban of smokable hemp takes effect, leaving out-of-state sales in legal gray area
Texas says new rules banning sales of smokable hemp also apply to out-of-state companies. But cannabis lawyers question the rules and Austin police won't confiscate hemp if you have the packaging.
https://www.kut.org/business/2026-03-31/austin-tx-hemp-ban-smokeable-cannabis-mail-order-online-out-of-state
21 days ago
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reposted by
Nathan Bernier
Mose Buchele
28 days ago
The Texas Newsroom has obtained videos of an immigration operation last summer in East Austin. It involved the arrests of five workers near a construction site. We wondered what the tapes said about how state police and ICE work together in Texas. 1/
www.kut.org/crime-justic...
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15 minutes from start to finish: How traffic stops turn into ICE busts in Austin
Police recordings of an immigration enforcement operation in East Austin show how quickly and quietly people are taken into federal custody when state police partner with ICE.These videos, obtained th...
https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2026-03-24/ice-texas-dps-police-traffic-immigration-east-austin-arrest-deportation
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The long TSA lines at Austin's airport are being seized upon by both Republicans and Democrats as proof of why the other side should compromise in the government shutdown. Both sides also say ABIA's lines are not being caused by the government shutdown.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Lines at Austin's airport not caused by government shutdown, Republican and Democratic lawmakers say
Politicians from both major parties are blaming each other for holding unpaid TSA officers "hostage" in negotiations over government funding. But they say few TSA workers at Austin's airport are calli...
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-03-17/austin-tx-abia-airport-wait-times-long-lines-tsa
about 1 month ago
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Buda approves new H-E-B location north of Main Street (on former landfill site) that will include drive thru BBQ and garden center. Story by KUT’s Leigh Walden:
www.kut.org/community/20...
about 1 month ago
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Patrick Rose says he will resign as chair of Austin's Airport Advisory Commission at 6 p.m. today. Rose said he has other civic duties that will take up his time. This is an unpaid, volunteer position. Members are appointed by City Council. Rose was appointed by Mayor Watson.
about 1 month ago
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Starting May 21, Canadian carrier Porter Airlines will fly nonstop from Austin to Toronto. Right now, only Air Canada covers that route. This is Porter's first time in Texas. Porter claims to operate "one of the world’s most environmentally-sustainable aircraft fleet."
about 1 month ago
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Texas is banning the sale and manufacture of smokable cannabis effective March 31. The rules have now been adopted by DSHS. The annual fee for hemp stores will go from $150 to $5,000. The annual fee for hemp manufacturers will go from $250 to $10,000.
www.kut.org/business/202...
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Texas ban on selling smokable cannabis takes effect March 31
New state rules change how THC levels are calculated and raise fees on hemp businesses by as much as 4,000%
https://www.kut.org/business/2026-03-11/austin-tx-texas-marijuana-hemp-ban-selling-smokable-cannabis-thc
about 1 month ago
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Emails obtained by KUT News show TxDOT and a nonprofit managing the Butler Trail spent months trying to steer $25 million for a new Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk around city government and the city council. There was one problem: state rules didn't allow it.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Emails show effort to steer $25 million in boardwalk funding around city of Austin
Public records show TxDOT and the Trail Conservancy spent more than two years exploring ways to route $25 million in boardwalk funding around Austin Parks and Recreation and City Council.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-03-05/austin-tx-boardwalk-txdot-trail-conservancy-ttc-25-million
about 2 months ago
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TxDOT is warning Austin's City Council: approve the deal for a $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake or the money disappears. Almost three years after the boardwalk was announced, construction hasn't even started. Internal emails obtained by KUT News help explain why.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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TxDOT tells Austin to sign boardwalk deal or lose $25 million
Construction on the boardwalk has not begun. Public records show the project has been slowed by behind-the-scenes disputes over who would control the money.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-03-04/austin-tx-boardwalk-i35-lady-bird-lake-trail-parks-25-million
about 2 months ago
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MAJOR I-35 CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND: The northbound mainlanes of I-35 will be closed from Slaughter Lane to Ben White Boulevard — four miles — on Friday night and Saturday night, lasting from about 11 p.m. till 9 or 10 a.m. This is for construction work on the new elevated lanes.
about 2 months ago
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As of 8:25 a.m., no wait to vote and a smooth process at this polling location at 8601 South 1st Street in Austin.
about 2 months ago
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Tickets for speeding and distracted driving have more than doubled in Austin since 2024, according to city data. KUT’s Luz Moreno Lozano reports APD is putting more emphasis on traffic enforcement.
www.kut.org/austin/2026-...
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Austin Police doubled the number of speeding tickets after a lag in enforcement
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis set out to make roads safer when she started the job in 2024. Since then, she has focused on increasing traffic enforcement, a trend people are beginning to notice while...
https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-02-24/austin-texas-police-department-traffic-enforcement-speeding-distracted-driving
about 2 months ago
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Austin removed three federally approved experimental crosswalks this week after the FHWA terminated a safety study. The FHWA said the colorful crosswalks posed "safety concerns." We obtained the city's report to Washington showing results were mixed.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Austin removes colorful crosswalks after feds terminate safety study
The three crossings were part of a federal study, originally scheduled to run through 2026, on how creative crosswalks affect pedestrian safety.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-02-19/austin-tx-rainbow-art-crosswalks-removal
2 months ago
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NEW: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says it had 21,666,852 departing and arriving passengers last year, the third-highest total on record.
3 months ago
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Smokable cannabis remains legal in Texas for now. Today, a spokesperson with the Department of State Health Services said they received hundreds of public comments on the proposed rule, and they’re still reviewing them. Background:
www.kut.org/politics/202...
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Texas set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25
The Department of State Health Services is considering new rules for the Texas hemp industry that would require child-resistant packaging, stronger warning labels, sharply higher fees and effectively ...
https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-01-09/austin-tx-hemp-cannabis-ban-thca-dshs-proposed-rule
3 months ago
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MAJOR I-35 RAMP CLOSURE: Starting Sunday, the northbound I-35 exit at Riverside Drive and the northbound Holly Street entrance ramp and exit will permanently close. Detour: Woodland exit. In early February, the northbound I-35 entrance ramp at Cesar Chavez will reopen.
3 months ago
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A new flyover ramp opens Saturday connecting the northbound MoPac toll lane with the new toll lanes on northbound U.S 183. CTRMA says the southbound toll lanes on 183 North should open in late-February or early-March, weather permitting.
3 months ago
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CapMetro confirms ALL its buses now have Tap-to-Pay. Feb. 1 is the date they’ll “officially launch” the new service and start promoting/marketing it. But you can pay with your phone or credit card now and get daily fare capping.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Tap-to-pay now available on all CapMetro buses
The service took longer to roll out than expected, but it makes boarding a bus as easy as tapping your card or phone. Fare capping means you won't pay more than the cost of a day pass in a single day.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-01-30/austin-tx-capmetro-tap-to-pay-available-launch-buses
3 months ago
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Reminder you can get a live look at Austin road conditions using the city's traffic cam map.
data.mobility.austin.gov/traffic-came...
3 months ago
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Austin police say they received reports of 67 car crashes from noon yesterday to 9 a.m. this morning.
3 months ago
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NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare
3 months ago
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At ABIA, one of two runways is closed (West runway 18R/36L) so they can focus snow removal on a single runway. They use trucks retrofitted with plows. ABIA deputy chief Sam Haynes confirms 115 departing flight cancelations and 87 arriving flight cancellations.
3 months ago
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More than 200 cancelations today at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to FlightAware.
www.flightaware.com/live/cancell...
3 months ago
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Mayor Kirk Watson confirms the man found dead at a Shell station at I-35 and 38 1/2 Street died from exposure to the cold.
www.kut.org/energy-envir...
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UT, Austin ISD cancel classes Monday as icy roads remain treacherous
Officials are sharing updates during an 11:30 a.m. virtual briefing after sleet blanketed the Austin area.
https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-01-25/austin-tx-school-closures-ice-road-conditions-winter-storm-texas
3 months ago
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NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare
3 months ago
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BREAKING: AISD is canceling school Monday, along with many other area school districts and colleges including UT-Austin.
3 months ago
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Austin-area roads are being pre-treated with a chemical that melts ice ahead of the cold front expected to roll in tonight. You can watch a winter weather preparedness news conference happening now in this post by KUT's Andrew Weber:
www.kut.org/energy-envir...
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Watch: Austin officials provide updates ahead of potentially dangerous cold front, freezing rain
The Hill Country will get bone-chillingly cold this weekend with a possibility of icing in the Austin area.
https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-01-23/austin-tx-winter-storm-weather-freezing-rain-low-temperatures
3 months ago
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The Woodland Avenue vehicle crossing at I-35 in Austin is closed forever. One sidewalk remains open underneath I-35 at Woodland. But eventually pedestrians will also have to detour more than a mile to get to the other side of the highway.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Woodland Avenue vehicle crossing at I-35 closes forever
TxDOT plans to open temporary U-turns at Woodland Avenue and I-35 in March. Those will eventually be closed and replaced with a pedestrian bridge over I-35 as soon as 2029.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-01-22/austin-tx-i35-expansion-woodland-avenue-crossing-closes
3 months ago
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BREAKING: Austin’s light-rail plan gets environmental clearance from the Trump administration’s FTA.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Austin's light-rail plans get environmental clearance from Trump administration
Federal transit officials approve the environmental review for Austin's light-rail plans. But the question of federal funding remains unanswered.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2026-01-16/austins-light-rail-plans-get-environmental-clearance-from-trump-administration
3 months ago
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Texas is set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25.
www.kut.org/politics/202...
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Texas set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25
The Department of State Health Services is considering new rules for the Texas hemp industry that would require child-resistant packaging, stronger warning labels, sharply higher fees and effectively ...
https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-01-09/austin-tx-hemp-cannabis-ban-thca-dshs-proposed-rule
3 months ago
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BREAKING: Mayor Watson reveals ABIA will add "32 new gates" under new long-term lease agreements with major carriers. I asked an airport staffer, "Will these all be in the new Concourse B?" They said more details will come in a press release after this news conference.
3 months ago
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For revamping Austin's Sixth Street, city staff are recommending.....Door Number Three. Door Number Three (aka Alternative 3) proposes the biggest sidewalks and nixes any bike/scooter lanes.
speakupaustin.org/sixthstreet#...
4 months ago
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CapMetro says tap-to-pay is coming in early 2026, according to a memo to the board. That's about a year late. CapMetro had originally said tap-to-pay would launch in March of this year. Getting secure payment processing set up took longer than expected.
4 months ago
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Which parks decks over I-35 should the city commit to paying for? The price for all 14+ acres exceeds $300 million. TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Austin faces new high-stakes decision on paying for parks over I-35
The Austin City Council is being asked to choose deck locations by May with less cost certainty — or waiting and facing higher prices.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-12-17/i35-austin-construction-parks-cost-cap-and-stitch-decks
4 months ago
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Southwest is opening a new crew base in Austin in March. City will pay $2,750 per hire up to $5.5 million over five years. That's what this unanimous council vote was about.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
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20251211-116, Agenda Backup Recommendation for Action.PDF
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26374928-20251211-116-agenda-backup-recommendation-for-actionpdf/#document/p1
4 months ago
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Do you live in the Travis Heights/St. Edwards/Oltorf area and have low water pressure? The city says it's been a problem for homes, hotels and even Travis High School. Now they're hiring someone to fix it. Companies have until Jan. 15 to bid on the $4.7 million project.
5 months ago
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How will Austin configure those parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center? City staff are considering four options. They have to tell TxDOT which one by the end of the year. Here’s a look at those four options.
youtu.be/zbrXJFdCdnM?...
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Which I-35 park option will Austin choose near Hancock Center?
YouTube video by Nathan Bernier
https://youtu.be/zbrXJFdCdnM?si=USyUp22-Ar1X8y53
5 months ago
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The city of Austin has four ideas for the northern deck parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center. These could go in after TxDOT removes upper decks and lowers the mainlanes. You can give feedback at an open house tomorrow from 11-1 at the Austin Public Library's Carver Branch.
5 months ago
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ABIA isn’t on the FAA list of 40 airports ordered to reduce flights by 10%, but the effects will be felt in Austin.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Even if Austin doesn't get hit by FAA flight cuts, travelers will feel pain
Austin's airport is reportedly not on the FAA's list of flight cuts, but controller shortages and ripple effects from major hubs are likely to slow travel.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-11-06/austin-tx-aus-abia-government-shutdown-flights-cuts
6 months ago
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Austin is starting construction this month on long-promised improvements to the Shoal Creek Trail. The city is widening a section of sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard that runs parallel to a serene nature path deep in a canyon below.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Shoal Creek Trail widening will reshape part of North Lamar
The city starts work this month to widen a sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard where the trail runs parallel to a rugged path in the canyon below.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-11-06/austin-tx-shoal-creek-trail-lamar-boulevard-gaps-sidewalk
6 months ago
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Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has so far dodged the worst of flight delays caused by the federal government shutdown. But veterans of air traffic warn the relative calm may not last, especially with a short-staffed control tower.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Government shutdown tests short-staffed control tower at Austin's airport
Austin's airport has been running relatively smoothly, local officials say, but veterans of air traffic control warn unpaid, overworked controllers are being pushed to the limit.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-10-31/austin-tx-aus-abia-government-shutdown-air-traffic-control
6 months ago
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The Trail Conservancy is installing new mile markers and half-mile markers around the Butler Trail. If all goes well, the last few should be in by tomorrow morning. Later they will install more signs for restrooms, the 10 mph speed limit, leash rules, trailhead welcome, etc.
6 months ago
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Here are pictures of the 16 painted crosswalks and street murals Austin may have to remove under Gov. Abbott’s order.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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Here are the 16 painted crosswalks and street murals Austin may have to remove under Abbott order
The city is seeking exemptions from TxDOT but hasn't yet clarified which street art it will try to keep.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-10-28/austin-tx-rainbow-crosswalks-paint-art-txdot-greg-abbott
6 months ago
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Austin police say a “shelter in place” order around Austin Central Library is lifted after shooting inside the library. One person injured and in hospital. Suspect not in custody but police don’t think he’s in the area. Library still closed because an investigation is underway.
6 months ago
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What will a $25 million boardwalk between South First Street and South Congress Avenue look like? An internal city document obtained by KUT News reveals new details.
www.kut.org/transportati...
6 months ago
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Austin's biggest public transit shakeup in years is coming. But it won't happen overnight, and not everyone is on board.
www.kut.org/transportati...
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CapMetro approves sweeping plan to reshape Austin's public transit network
Transit Plan 2035 will shrink CapMetro's bus network while increasing service on major routes, but one board member said she couldn't support the changes.
https://www.kut.org/transportation/2025-10-21/austin-tx-transit-capmetro-2035-plan-routes-changes
6 months ago
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What happens to the 13 schools Austin ISD wants to close? AISD says they'll be sold, leased or repurposed. Tax records show the campuses are worth nearly $296 million and have over a million square feet of air conditioned space. Map in the story.
www.kut.org/education/20...
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Almost $300 million in public property is at stake as Austin ISD looks to close 13 schools
Campuses slated for closure were also set to receive millions of dollars in upgrades under the largest bond in AISD history, approved by voters in a landslide 2022 election.
https://www.kut.org/education/2025-10-09/austin-tx-aisd-isd-school-closures-values-sell-lease-repurpose-bond
6 months ago
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