Giving Utility Companies a Seat at the Table: How Austin Water Is Addressing Utility Conflicts and Relocations for Project Connect

A large part of a city’s growth is major transportation and transit projects. These major transit projects are a once in a generation opportunity to move people and vehicles on a large scale. In the fall of 2020, the citizens of Austin passed a $7.1 billion transit plan called Project Connect, a comprehensive transit plan aimed at enhancing public transportation in Austin, Texas. It is comprised of a new light rail transit (LRT) system, an expanded bus system, and a transition to an all-electric vehicle fleet. The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), an independent local government organization formed by the City of Austin and CapMetro, manages the Project Connect investment, including design and construction of the new transportation infrastructure. Coordination is ongoing between ATP, CapMetro, Austin Water (AW), Austin Energy, Watershed Protection, numerous planning and design consultants, and the public for implementation of Project Connect. The Pape-Dawson Team (PD) was selected and contracted by the City to evaluate specific major utility conflicts identified by AW staff dedicated to this project. The AW Team has been working independently from the Project Connect Team responsible for the light rail improvements. Typically, large transit focused projects do not consult utility companies until design has significantly progressed. By getting ahead of the game, AW has been able to evaluate alternative alignments for their proposed pipeline assets and relocation of their existing infrastructure without the constraints of a transit design that is already set. This approach allows AW to provide alternatives that meet their best interest for serving their customers and future operations and maintenance (O&M).