Austin passes Prop A, bringing light rail to Austin

TexPIRG

AUSTIN– With 58% support in the early vote, Austinites have unofficially passed Proposition A, the ballot measure that will revolutionize getting around Austin. Prop A gives a green light to Project Connect,  bringing two new, all-electric light rail lines, a downtown station and tunnel, improvements to current express routes, more electric buses and hundreds of millions of dollars in affordable housing investments. 

By TexPIRG’s own research, Project Connect will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 43,000 tons of CO2 out of Austin’s air every year, the CO2 equivalent of planting trees from Lady Bird Lake to Highway 183.

In support of the ballot measure, the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG) released a fact sheet touting the environmental benefits of Project Connect; organized the environmental community; called, texted, and emailed thousands of college students to turn out to vote; promoted a short animated video viewed by more than 15,000 people; and got favorable media stories on local NPR, the Austin American Statesman, and national trade press. 

TexPIRG Director Bay Scoggin is available to the media and released the following statement:

“Today is an historic day for Austin. In 20 years, we will look back at this day as the day that Austin voters decided to take action against climate change and improve our quality of life. We know that public transit is a much, much more sustainable and efficient way to move people around our great city, and now we will finally have more options to do that,” Scoggin said. 

“We are so proud of the work we did alongside other advocates to help get Prop A across the finish line. Time and again, students told us how crucial this was to them and their future, and it really shows in the turnout numbers. Finally, a time is coming when Austin will have truly green ways to get from UT campus to downtown and out to the airport. All we have left to say is: all aboard!”

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