[Rail Grade Separation Community Meeting on January 7, 2026.] [00:00:03] A SEAT ANYWHERE. YEAH. ALRIGHT. WELL GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KENT. I'M THE ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER. AND WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL GRANT OPPORTUNITY THAT IS PROVIDED TO US BY THE STATE AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. JUST A FEW HOUSEKEEPING AT THE BEGINNING. AS I MENTIONED. PLEASE SIGN IN. AND THEN ALSO IN THE BACK WE HAVE SOME QR CODES TO THE PROJECT WEBPAGE. THERE YOU WILL FIND RESOURCES ABOUT THE PROJECT, INCLUDING THE PRESENTATION, A VIDEO FROM LAST NIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THE VISUAL RENDERINGS, AND MUCH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT. AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THAT AS WELL WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS AND BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO HAVE A SURVEY. THAT SURVEY WILL CLOSE NEXT MONDAY, SO PLEASE TAKE THAT SURVEY IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY. THAT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE BACK QR CODE AND ALSO ON THE WEBPAGE. AND FEEL FREE TO DISTRIBUTE THAT LINK TO. WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GATHER A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT AS PART OF THIS POTENTIAL GRANT PROJECT, AND I JUST WANT TO ALSO INTRODUCE OUR PRESENTER TONIGHT. HIS NAME IS LANCE BALLARD. HE'S WITH KIMLEY-HORN. HE IS THE KIMLEY-HORN IS A ENGINEERING FIRM THAT WORKS WITH THE CITY, PARTICULARLY ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS. AND THEY'VE WORKED WITH THE US 183 CORRIDOR STUDY, WHICH IS ALSO ON THE PROJECT WEB PAGE. SO PLEASE GO THROUGH AND LOOK OVER ALL THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THAT CORRIDOR AS WELL. JUST SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE GRANT. LAST YEAR, THE STATE OF TEXAS PASSED SENATE BILL 1555. THAT BILL WAS PUSHED THROUGH FROM THE SENATOR IN HOUSTON AT ONE OF THE RAILROAD CROSSING WHERE A CHILD WAS KILLED. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT DOES HAPPEN THROUGHOUT TEXAS IN IN OTHER AREAS AS WELL. AND WHEN THAT BILL WAS PASSED, THE CITY OF LEANDER WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE INCLUDED IN SOME CAPACITY OR ELIGIBILITY FOR ANY FUNDING THAT COULD GO THROUGH. AND SO WE MET WITH SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES ON BOTH SIDES TO REALLY ADVOCATE FOR OUR INCLUSION IN SOME WAY. THE STATE PASSED $250 MILLION FOR THE GRANTS, AND THAT WAS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES OUT THERE THAT HAVE RAILROAD CROSSINGS TO HELP IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, IMPROVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND ALSO HELP WITH ECONOMIC MOBILITY. FROM THERE, THE GRANT WENT THROUGH TO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, WHERE THEY ESTABLISHED THE PROGRAM RULES, AND THAT IS ALSO ON THE PROJECT WEB PAGE. SO THAT HAS ALL THE INFORMATION ON STATE LAW, ON HOW THE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED AND THE FUNDING WAS CARRIED THROUGH. NOW WITH THAT, THE TXDOT COMMISSION, THEY RELEASED THE PROGRAM RULES LAST FALL, AND IT WAS UNDER VERY A VERY SHORT TIMEFRAME. AND THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS ONCE THE LEGISLATURE RELEASES THESE FUNDS, THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY GET IT OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES SO THEY CAN DISPERSE IT AND START WORKING ON PROJECTS. NOW, PROJECTS DO NOT HAVE TO BE PROJECT READY. THEY CAN BE CONCEPTUAL, THEY CAN BE DIFFERENT KINDS OF IDEAS. BUT IT WAS A CALL FOR PROJECTS THAT WAS RELEASED IN OCTOBER FOR A PRELIMINARY APPLICATION. MANY COMMUNITIES APPLIED FOR IT, INCLUDING US, AND IT WAS VERY HIGH LEVEL AND CONCEPTUAL. AT THAT POINT. WE WERE APPROVED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE DETAILED APPLICATION, WHICH IS ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE SEEING HERE NOW. AND SO WE ENGAGED WITH KIMLEY-HORN AND WORKED WITH CAPMETRO TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL FEASIBILITY SOLUTIONS TO HELP WITH THE RAILROAD CROSSING AT CRYSTAL FALLS PARKWAY. NOW, THE REASON WHY THAT INTERSECTION WAS SELECTED FOR THIS POTENTIAL PROJECT IS BASED ON TEX-DOT DATA. TEX-DOT LOOKS AT TRAFFIC COUNTS AND THIS IS INCLUDED IN THE GRANT PROGRAMS. THEY'LL LOOK AT THE DATA FOR EACH INTERSECTION WHERE THE RAILROAD CROSSING IS, AND WHEN LOOKING AT THE TEX-DOT DATA, TRAFFIC COUNTS FOR HEREAWAY SAN GABRIEL PARKWAY, OUR 2243 CITY DRIVE CRYSTAL FALLS PARKWAY WAS THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC COUNTED AREA. AND SO IN ORDER TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE GRANT, THAT WAS THE MOST, YOU KNOW, MOST LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR THE POTENTIAL PROJECT. AND SO WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO HAND IT OFF TO LANCE, AND HE'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT FEASIBILITY OPTIONS AND THE PROPOSED DESIGNS. AND KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS STILL ALL A PRELIMINARY CONCEPT. YOU KNOW, NOTHING HAS BEEN NO PROJECT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL. SO THE TYPE OF THE WAY THAT GRANT PROGRAM WORKS AND OTHER TXDOT GRANT PROGRAMS IS, YOU KNOW, IF A PROJECT WAS, YOU KNOW, AWARDED, THEN IT WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING THE FUNDS. AND FROM THERE, THERE'LL BE DISCUSSION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE AMOUNT THAT WAS AWARDED, YOU KNOW, IS WORTH [00:05:02] CONSIDERATION. AND EVEN THEN, IT'S A VERY HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PROJECT. AND SO THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE CITY MIGHT NOT GET FUNDED FOR THE, FOR THE PROJECT. AND SO JUST KIND OF WANT TO START OFF WITH THAT. YEAH. GREAT. I CAN JUST USE THIS ONE. THANK YOU. AND KEEP THAT IN CASE I NEED TO HELP OUT WITH A QUESTION OR ANYTHING. THANK YOU KENT. AGAIN, LANCE BALLARD WITH KIMLEY-HORN HAVE BEEN KIND OF QUARTERBACKING OUR TEAM WHO HAS BEEN HELPING WITH THE GRANT APPLICATION, BOTH OF THEM, AS I'LL SPEAK TO. AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT PROJECT ORIGIN, LIKE KENT MENTIONED. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE GRANT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL. WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT IS A GRADE SEPARATION. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT. WHAT DOES IT DO. WHY IS IT BENEFICIAL AND WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT FOR US? 183 AND CRYSTAL FALLS. AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS FROM FROM THERE. THIS PRESENTATION IS GOING TO LOOK REALLY FAMILIAR. IF YOU'RE HERE LAST NIGHT, I MIGHT GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON A FEW OF THE ASPECTS. YES. GO AHEAD IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AS WELL. THIS IS BEING RECORDED. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE READ THE QUESTIONS TO THE MIC. SO PLEASE WRITE THEM DOWN. AND YOU CAN EITHER HAND THEM TO MAUREEN OR MYSELF UP HERE. AND WE'LL WAIT TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. AND THEN ALSO LANCE TYLER FROM KIMLEY-HORN, MYSELF AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS WILL BE HERE, SO FEEL FREE TO GRAB US AFTER THE PRESENTATION. WE'RE HAPPY TO TALK WITH YOU ALL ONE ON ONE. YEP. THANK YOU. SO WE LED THE US 23 CORRIDOR STUDY. IT WAS FINALIZED JUST ABOUT A YEAR AGO. A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THAT CORRIDOR WITHIN THIS PROJECT AND WITHIN THAT STUDY, AND ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS WAS GRADE SEPARATION, SPECIFICALLY AT THREE LOCATIONS SAN GABRIEL, HERO WAY AND CRYSTAL FALLS. AS KENT MENTIONED, THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES AT CRYSTAL FALLS, THE SOUTH SIDE OF US 183 CLOSER TO CEDAR PARK ARE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THEY ARE IN THE NORTH INTO THE CORRIDOR. THEY JUST KIND OF GROW AS YOU GO DOWN BECAUSE IT'S CATCHING TRAFFIC TO AND FROM LEANDER AS IT TRAVELS TO THE NORTH. SO CRYSTAL FALLS HAD THE GREATEST NEED AND HIGHEST PRIORITY. WHEN YOU CONSIDER TRAFFIC DEMAND DELAY, CONGESTION AND SAFETY. SO WHAT IS THE GRADE SEPARATION? IT'S REALLY WHERE YOU'RE REMOVING AN INTERSECTION BETWEEN TWO ROADWAYS OR RAILWAYS OR SOME SORT OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITY BY RAISING AND ELEVATING ONE OR DEPRESSING ANOTHER, RIGHT, SO THAT THEY'RE NO LONGER AT THE SAME GRADE. SO ONE'S GOING OVER, ONE'S GOING UNDER. YOU STILL NEED TO MAKE SOME SORT OF CONNECTIONS. IF IT'S TWO ROADWAYS LIKE YOU SEE IN THIS IMAGE HERE. SO THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A TYPICAL KIND OF URBAN SUBURBAN SETTING FOR A GRADE SEPARATION. IT'S NOT ON A FREEWAY OVERPASS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. YOU DO SEE A RAIL GOING OVER A ROADWAY THAT WAS DEPRESSED UNDER THIS PARALLEL ROADWAY TO THIS RAILROAD HERE WITH A CONNECTION TO THAT ROADWAY, SO THAT IF YOU WANTED TO TRAVEL FROM ONE TO THE OTHER, YOU CAN IT REMOVES A LOT OF THE CONFLICTING TRAFFIC THAT ARE TRAVELING THROUGH IN EACH DIRECTION, THEREBY IMPROVING TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND REDUCING THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTING POINTS OF TRAVEL, RIGHT NUMBER OF VEHICLES CROSSING PATHS, AND THEREFORE IMPROVING SAFETY. SO CRYSTAL FALLS REALLY COULD USE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. A LOTS OF DELAY DUE TO ONE CAPACITY LIMITATIONS AT THAT INTERSECTION, JUST NOT ENOUGH LANES FOR ALL THE TRAFFIC THAT IS TRYING TO GO THROUGH THERE, AND ALSO A LOT OF INTERACTION WITH THE RAIL. SO EVERY TIME A TRAIN GOES THROUGH THERE, ROUGHLY EIGHT EVERY PEAK PERIOD IN THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON ON WEEKDAYS CAUSES A LOT OF DISRUPTION IN THE COORDINATION OF THE TIMING ALONG US 183 AS WELL AS THERE'S JUST TIMES WHERE TRAFFIC ALONG US 183 IS STOPPED TO ACCOMMODATE A TRAIN COMING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THE TRACKS ARE CLEAR. ALSO, THERE'S JUST SAFETY CONCERNS WHEN YOU HAVE A RAIL CROSSING A ROADWAY. ANYTIME A RAIL HEAVY TRAIN IS INVOLVED WITH A CRASH WITH EITHER A VEHICLE OR A PEDESTRIAN, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE TYPICALLY SERIOUS INJURY OR FATAL CRASHES. AND SO WE TRY TO AVOID THOSE BENEFITS. ARE YOU GREATLY DECREASE THE RISK OF THOSE CRASHES, SOME SORT OF GRADE SEPARATION HERE WOULD ALSO ALLOW FOR NEW TURN LANES, NEW CAPACITY TO BE ADDED TO THE INTERSECTION SO THAT IT COULD REDUCE DELAY AND IMPROVE OPERATIONS, AND ALSO THE ABILITY TO GO AHEAD AND PUT IN A SHARED USE PATH. ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE RED LINE TRAIL OPTIONS AND INTERACTIONS THAT WOULD BE FREE OR SORRY, INTERSECTIONS THAT WOULD BE FREE OF INTERACTION WITH THAT RAIL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT, LOOKING OUT TO KIND OF A HORIZON YEAR OF 2030, WE DID THIS AS A PART OF THE US [00:10:02] 183 CORRIDOR STUDY AT THE INTERSECTION 183 AND CRYSTAL FALLS. IF YOU WEREN'T TO DO ANYTHING, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SIGNIFICANT MULTIPLE MINUTES OF AVERAGE DELAY FOR VEHICLES TRAVELING THROUGH THAT INTERSECTION WITH THE GRADE SEPARATION AND WITH THE ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN, YOU'RE LOOKING AT OVER 100, SOMETIMES 100 AND 50S OF POTENTIAL DELAY SAVINGS PER VEHICLE ON AVERAGE DURING PEAK PERIODS. AND WHEN YOU TAKE THOSE DELAY SAVINGS JUST FOR THE PEAK PERIODS, MULTIPLY IT BY THE VOLUME AND THE ROAD USER COSTS OF PEOPLE'S TIME AND FUEL AND ALL OF THAT BEING ON THE ROADWAY. YOU GET CLOSE TO $12 MILLION PER YEAR IN DELAY SAVINGS ANNUALLY AT THAT POINT, SO COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CONGESTION. SO KENT TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SENATE BILL 1555. IT'S BEEN A TWO STEP PROCESS. SO IN NOVEMBER WE SUBMITTED A PRELIMINARY APPLICATION. THEY RECEIVED $2.5 BILLION WORTH OF REQUESTS. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW MANY WERE MOVED ON FORWARD TO THE DETAILED APPLICATION, BUT WE WERE SELECTED PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS. THERE'S DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT TEX-DOT IS USING TO DETERMINE WHICH PROJECTS THEY WANT TO FUND. SOME OF THOSE ARE JUST STRICTLY DATA THAT TXDOT IS ANALYZING THEMSELVES. NUMBER OF VEHICLES TRAVELING THROUGH THE INTERSECTIONS, NUMBER OF CRASHES IN THE PAST, NUMBER OF THE RAIL USE, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO TEXAS HAD ALREADY INDICATED IN MEETINGS WITH WITH CITY STAFF AND KENT THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE SCORES. WELL, ALONG A LOT OF THOSE CATEGORIES, AND IT'S ONE OF INTEREST TO THEM. AND SO IT WAS SELECTED. WE'VE MOVED ON TO THE DETAILED APPLICATION. WE'VE GOT MOST EVERYTHING KIND OF PUT TOGETHER FOR THAT. IT GOES IN BY JANUARY 19TH, LIKELY TO BE SUBMITTED NEXT WEEK. AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE BENEFIT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, PROJECT READINESS, FEASIBILITY, COMMUNITY SUPPORT, PARTNERSHIP AND COORDINATION WITH PARTNER AGENCIES, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COORDINATION, ONE WITH TXDOT WHO IS. SERVING THE PROGRAM FOR THE GRANT CAP METRO, LOTS OF ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS, MEETINGS, TALKING ABOUT EVEN GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF PRELIMINARY DESIGN TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS REALLY FEASIBLE, MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RAIL LINE AND EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE PLANS ALONG THE CORRIDOR. THEY'RE IN FULL SUPPORT. WE PULLED IN A TEAM OF EXPERTS, BOTH IN RAIL, ROADWAY TRANSPORTATION WITHIN OUR FIRM TO SUPPORT THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND GRANT APPLICATION. AND THEN JILL FINNEY WITH LANGFORD COMMUNITY SERVICES HAS BEEN KIND OF HELPING ORGANIZE ALL OF THAT, ALONG WITH KENT, TO GET THE APPLICATION READY. SO WE'VE ALREADY BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT. THE GOALS ARE TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS, IMPROVE SAFETY, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DIFFERENT OPTIONS. YOU HAVE TO GRADE SEPARATE THE RAILWAY AND CRYSTAL FALLS AND THE FEASIBILITY OF THOSE. AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU WE'VE DECIDED THE ELEVATING THE RAILWAY OVER CRYSTAL FALLS IS THE MOST FEASIBLE ONE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHY AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE COST WISE AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE. SO FIRST WHEN YOU WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE ELEVATED RAIL FIRST. ONE OF THE BIGGEST SELLING POINTS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROS FOR THIS ALTERNATIVE IS REALLY IT SHOULD BE LIMITED RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE VERY LITTLE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS BECAUSE THE RAILWAY STRUCTURE IS GOING TO EXIST SOLELY WITHIN THE EXISTING RAIL RIGHT OF WAY. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE NEEDING TO MAKE ADDITIONAL NEW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO ROADWAYS. ANY RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS WOULD BE VERY MINIMAL JUST TO ACCOMMODATE TURN LANES AT THE INTERSECTION FOR A SMALL WIDENING, LIKELY MOSTLY JUST DRAINAGE STRUCTURES THAT WOULD GET ADJUSTED OR LANDSCAPED BUFFERS. AND WE'LL SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE ON SOME OF THESE RENDERINGS WHEN WE PUT THEM ON THE BOARD AS WELL. AND YOU CAN WALK AROUND LATER AND VIEW THEM A LITTLE MORE CLOSELY. IT STILL REMOVES THE RAILWAY INTERACTION. NO MORE DELAYS EIGHT TIMES PER PEAK PERIOD. WHERE VEHICLES ARE STOPPED WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO CROSS. LIKE I SAID, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL LANES, WHICH IS GOING TO VASTLY HELP THE SIGNAL OPERATION THERE. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AT A HIGH LEVEL, IT'S THE MOST FEASIBLE FROM A COST AND CONSTRUCTABILITY STANDPOINT. WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES WITH THE OTHER OPTIONS IN A MOMENT. IT DOESN'T SEPARATE THE TWO ROADWAYS, SO YOU WILL STILL HAVE AN INTERSECTION OF CRYSTAL FALLS AND US 183. YOU WILL HAVE IMPACT TO VIEW SHED IN THE AREA. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE UP BETWEEN 17 AND 20 ISH FEET IN THE AIR. AND THEN YOU WILL NEED TO BUILD A TEMPORARY RAIL CROSSING TO ACCOMMODATE THE CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT ADDS TO THE COST OF EVERYTHING TO GET IT BUILT. SO [00:15:06] YOU THINK ABOUT, OKAY, WELL, WHAT IF INSTEAD OF BRINGING THE RAIL UP IN THE SKY, LET'S DEPRESS CRYSTAL FALLS UNDERNEATH THE RAIL LINE AND UNDERNEATH US? 183 BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO ONE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THE OTHER BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSE PROXIMITY. PROBABLY THE BEST LEVEL OF SERVICE, BEST DELAY SAVINGS, BEST INTERSECTION OPERATION, BECAUSE YOU NO LONGER HAVE AN INTERSECTION DIRECTLY BETWEEN THOSE TWO ROADWAYS. BUT YOU DO HAVE TO MAKE A CONNECTION SOMEHOW. I'M GOING TO SHOW HOW THAT'S DIFFICULT. PROBABLY THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SAFETY, BECAUSE THERE'S MORE CONFLICTS THAT ARE REDUCED, BUT YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAJOR MODIFICATIONS NEEDED FOR US. 183 SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES, A HIGH COST FOR ALL OF THAT, AND THEN CONSTRUCTABILITY ISSUES AS WELL, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN TRAFFIC ALONG US. 183 WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THIS AS WELL AS THE RAILWAY. SO IT GETS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX. SO THIS IS AN IMAGE, AN AERIAL IMAGE OF THE INTERSECTION WITH ANOTHER SIMILAR INTERSECTION SUPERIMPOSED ON TOP. SO YOU KIND OF SEE THAT DIAMOND SHAPE INNER SNIP THAT WE'VE TAKEN OUT SCALED AND THEN PLACED ON TOP JUST TO SHOW WHAT COULD OPTION TWO LOOK LIKE. AND SO YOU SEE HERE LIKE CRYSTAL THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. IT'S AN INTERSECTION IN COLLEGE STATION. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE NARROW SMALLER FOOTPRINT GRADE SEPARATIONS YOU'RE GOING TO SEE. MANY OF THEM ARE MUCH LARGER THAN THIS. AND WE SAID WHAT CAN WE FIT A TIGHT ONE IN HERE. YOU'LL SEE. THIS WOULD BE CRYSTAL FALLS GOING UNDERNEATH BOTH THE RAILWAY AND US. 183 YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME SORT OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO, RIGHT. SO THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS ACROSS THE TWO INTERSECTIONS. LOTS OF TURNING MOVEMENTS THAT STILL NEED TO BE ACCOMMODATED SOMEHOW. BUT YOU'LL NOTICE THESE ARE PRETTY LARGE. IF WE MAKE THAT KIND OF SEMI-TRANSPARENT, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE MAJOR IMPACTS TO PROPERTIES ON MULTIPLE QUADRANTS OF THE INTERSECTION, MULTIPLE CORNERS WITH THE GAS STATION. I BELIEVE THIS IS A BANK. AND SO A LOT OF RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED TO BE BOUGHT. BUSINESSES AND THINGS THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED. YOU DON'T IT'S NOT REALLY FEASIBLE TO MAKE THE CONNECTIONS ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE RAILWAY, BECAUSE IF YOU HAD THIS SAME FOOTPRINT WHERE CRYSTAL FALLS IS GOING UNDERNEATH AND US 183 WAS GOING OVER AND YOU WANTED TO TRY TO MAKE THESE CONNECTIONS TO THOSE ROADWAYS, YOU'RE NOW CROSSING THE RAILROAD AGAIN IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES. AND SO THE MOST FEASIBLE OPTION WOULD BE TO THE WEST. AND THAT HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO PROPERTIES. SO YOU THINK, OKAY, WELL WHAT IF WE DID A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. WE RAISED THE RAILROAD A LITTLE BIT AND DEPRESSED CRYSTAL FALLS A LITTLE BIT SO THAT YOU HAD YOU DUG DOWN A LITTLE HALFWAY AND RAISED UP HALFWAY. WOULD THAT BE MORE FEASIBLE? WOULD THAT BE CHEAPER? YOU STILL ARE GOING TO HAVE MAJOR MODIFICATIONS NEEDED FOR US. 183 TO ACCOMMODATE THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO BASICALLY HAVE TO BRING THAT INTERSECTION DOWN TO TRY TO MEET THE NOW SLIGHTLY DEPRESSED CRYSTAL FALLS. THAT HAS A LOT OF DRAINAGE ISSUES. YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS FOR THAT ON EITHER SIDE TO TRY TO GO DOWN UNDERNEATH THE RAILWAY AND BRING THE RAILWAY UP. SO YOU KIND OF HAVE A LOT OF THE COSTS FROM OPTIONS ONE AND TWO WITHOUT AS MUCH OF THE BENEFIT. AND SO THAT'S NOT THE MOST FEASIBLE OPTION EITHER. AND THEN ALSO BROUGHT UP IF YOU BROUGHT CRYSTAL FALLS OVER THE TOP, YOU HAVE TO GO QUITE A BIT HIGHER OVER A FREIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR. ALSO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK DOWN. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SIMILAR CONNECTION POINTS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO IT WOULD BE EVEN MORE UNFEASIBLE THAN THE DEPRESSED, DEPRESSING CRYSTAL FALLS OPTION TWO. TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ARE NOT THE ONLY FACTORS WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. IN ADDITION TO COST. IT'S ALSO YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE VISIBILITY IN AND CHANGES IN WHAT THE STRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE THERE, WHAT THE VIEW SHED LOOKS LIKE. THE NOISES WOULDN'T CHANGE IN THE SENSE THAT THE SOURCE OF OF NOISE FROM THE TRAIN IS STILL GOING TO BE THE SAME, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE ELEVATED. AND SO THAT CHANGES KIND OF SOME OF THE PROFILE. SO YOU DO WANT TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT IN THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING IS BUILDING THE STRUCTURE TO THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE RAIL RIGHT OF WAY. SO IT'S FURTHER AWAY FROM THE HOMES IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THIS INTERSECTION. YOU SEE THAT ON THE DIAGRAM IN THE BACK. WE'LL ALSO BRING IT UP ON THE PRESENTATION. AND THAT ALSO PROVIDES A BIT MORE ROOM FOR POTENTIAL SCREENING OPTIONS. THESE ARE USUALLY DESIGNED AND STUDIED DURING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PHASE OF OR THE EARLY ENGINEERING PROCESS. AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS IN TERMS OF NOISE BARRIERS, ORGANIC STRUCTURES LIKE LANDSCAPING BUFFERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO ASSIST THAT. SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. WE HAVEN'T DETERMINED THOSE YET. AND THEN [00:20:05] PEDESTRIAN ACCOMMODATIONS, ALL OF THE OPTIONS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WOULD PROVIDE NEW SHARED USE PATHS AND CONNECTIONS TO TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT SEPARATING THE TWO ROADWAYS, 183 AND CRYSTAL FALLS WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE THOSE PATHS MORE COMPLICATED, BECAUSE YOU GOT TO GET UP AND DOWN GRADE IF YOU'RE GOING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER BY KEEPING THOSE THAT INTERSECTION HOW IT IS TODAY, YOU CAN MORE EASILY CROSS, BUT ALL WOULD HAVE SIMILAR PEDESTRIAN ACCOMMODATIONS. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FEASIBILITY, YOU LOOK AT TRAFFIC SAFETY, HIGH LEVEL COST, JUST GENERAL FEASIBILITY. AND REALLY A LOT OF THE THE PROPERTY IMPACT IS A BIG DIFFERENTIATOR BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS. WE WORK TO DECIDE TO SAY THE ELEVATED RAILWAY OPTION WAS THE ONE WE WANTED TO PURSUE FOR THE GRANT APPLICATION. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL COST, I'LL GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT GOES INTO THE 103 MILLION THAT YOU SEE THERE. THE OVERALL CONSTRUCTION IS ANTICIPATED TO BE ROUGHLY $56 MILLION, WITH ENGINEERING UTILITY RIGHT OF WAY, UTILITY RELOCATION, RIGHT OF WAY, ROUGHLY 7 MILLION. I'M GOING TO SKIP DOWN TO THE CAPMETRO SAFETY AND SECURITY INSPECTION. THEY'RE GOING TO OPERATE THIS FUTURE RAILWAY, RIGHT. SO THEY THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT THEY WILL NEED TO DO TO ACCOMMODATE THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THAT'S $7 MILLION. TXDOT HAS A FLAT RATE OF 15% FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE GRANT. AND A LOT OF THE OVERSIGHT OF THE PERMITTING AND PRODUCTION AND ACCOMMODATION OF THE GRANT, MAKING SURE THE PROJECT'S MOVING FORWARD. THAT'S ROUGHLY $8 MILLION AND A 30% CONTINGENCY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COVERING ALL OF OUR BASES AT $24 MILLION. TO ADD UP TO THAT 103 TIME ESCALATION. WE DO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT, BECAUSE IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO DELIVER A PROJECT LIKE THIS. AND THAT WOULD BE ROUGHLY WHERE ACCOUNTING FOR ROUGHLY $15 MILLION WORTH OF JUST INCREASES IN PRICES, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO GET TO PROJECT DELIVERY AND BE SURPRISED THAT ALL OF THIS COSTS MORE A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, THE POTENTIAL GRANT AWARD WE HAVE HEARD IS UP TO $40 MILLION PER PROJECT. THEY HAVE A TOTAL OF VALUE OF 250 MILLION THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO DISTRIBUTE, AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE A LOCAL CONTRIBUTION OF 10%. SO 4 MILLION TO GET THE $40 MILLION FOR THE GRANT. THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER GRANT FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO WORK WITH THE CITY'S GRANT ADMINISTRATION TEAM TO IDENTIFY AND PURSUE FOR ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING. BETWEEN THAT 40 MILLION OVERALL COST. I'LL LIST A FEW HERE. WE HAVE A MORE DETAILED LIST, BUT THERE'S A FEDERAL RAILROAD CROSSING ELIMINATION GRANT PROGRAM THAT TARGETS PROJECTS EXACTLY LIKE THIS. THERE'S A CONSOLIDATED RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM BY THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION AS WELL. THE USDOT BUILD GRANTS. THEY HAVE A FEDERAL HIGHWAY, FEDERAL RAIL HIGHWAY CROSSINGS PROGRAM THAT IS VERY SIMILAR TO TRYING TO REMOVE RAIL CROSSINGS FOR SAFETY AND TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS. MULTIPLE CAMPO GRANTS WOULD BE APPLICABLE HERE AS WELL. SO A LOT, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHER ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT YOU CAN STACK ON TOP OF THESE. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED ROADWAY LAYOUT. WE HAVE A BIG ROLE. PLOT OF IT WHERE YOU CAN LOOK A LOT MORE CLOSELY IF YOU WANT. HERE'S JUST A SNIP ON THIS VISUAL. LET ME LAY IT OUT FOR YOU WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT UP AND DOWN THE PAGE HERE IN THE MIDDLE. THAT'S US. 183 NORTH IS TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE. CRYSTAL FALLS RUNNING EAST AND WEST. SO THIS IS THE PROPOSED BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE FUTURE INTERSECTION WE'VE DEVELOPED IN PRELIMINARY DESIGN. THIS ORANGE STRUCTURE IS THE OR THIS ORANGE AREA IS THE RAIL STRUCTURE. SO THIS IS THE BRIDGE SHOWING THE RAILWAY THAT WOULD BE GOING OVER CRYSTAL FALLS. IT ALL FALLS WITHIN THE EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY OF THE CAPMETRO RAIL. THROUGH THIS AREA YOU WILL SEE THAT WE'RE GOING FROM THREE LANES APPROACHING 183 FROM THE WEST AND FROM THE EAST TO FIVE IN EACH DIRECTION. SINCE WE'RE DOING THIS PROJECT, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE INTERSECTION THAT WILL MODIFY THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL HERE, PROVIDE TWO LEFT TURN LANES, TWO THROUGH LANES, AND A RIGHT TURN LANE IN EACH DIRECTION, AND ALSO SOME POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE SOME RIGHT TURN LANES ALONG US. 183 THE GREEN IS JUST MEDIAN. A LOT OF THAT IS STILL CAN CHANGE QUITE A BIT BETWEEN NOW AND DELIVERY OF DESIGN, AND THE PINK IS A SHARED USE PATH TEN FOOT WIDE I BELIEVE IS WHAT WE SHOWED TYLER. YEAH, ALONG THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE CORRIDOR WITH ACCOMMODATIONS FOR FUTURE POTENTIAL, TRAIL CONNECTIONS FOR FUTURE PROPOSED RED LINE [00:25:05] TRAIL IN THE AREA. THIS SHOWS THE RAILWAY LAYOUT NOT AS MUCH TO THIS ONE, IT JUST SHOWS WHERE THE STRUCTURE BEGINS AND ENDS, AS WELL AS AN ELEVATION THAT SHOWS HOW IT GOES UP OVER CRYSTAL FALLS AND THEN BACK DOWN TO GRADE. THE EXISTING GRADE HERE IS IN THIS GREEN DASHED LINE. YOU CAN KIND OF SEE YOU'RE GOING UPHILL TO THE NORTH, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT SHORTER ON THE NORTH SIDE. AND WE DID THE ENGINEERING TO LOOK AND SEE HOW FAR CAN WE TAKE EARTHEN STRUCTURES, BERMS, YOU KNOW, TO RAISE BASICALLY THE EXISTING GRADE TO A CERTAIN POINT TO WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO BREAK OVER. AND ACTUALLY IT'S MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO BUILD A ACTUAL BRIDGE STRUCTURE FOR THAT. AND THIS HEIGHT DISTANCE, I BELIEVE, IS 17.5FT TO ACCOMMODATE FREIGHT AND ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO FOR CRYSTAL FALLS PARKWAY. ALL RIGHT. LET'S LOOK AT SOME VISUALIZATIONS. WHAT COULD THIS LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE? WE HAD OUR TEAM DRAW UP SOME 3D VISUALIZATIONS. THIS IS JUST FLIPPING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN EXISTING AND PROPOSED. SO YOU'LL SEE THE EXISTING GATES GO AWAY. TRAFFIC SIGNAL IS GOING TO GET MODIFIED A LARGE BRIDGE STRUCTURE HERE GOING OVER CRYSTAL FALLS AND NEW TURN LANES. RIGHT NOW WE'RE SHOWING IT TO THE NORTH SIDE. AND A LOT OF THAT IS STILL TO BE DETERMINED. IN THE FUTURE. IT COULD SHIFT SLIGHTLY TO THE SOUTH. TO NORTH. IT SEEMS LIKE THE NORTH IS PROBABLY MORE FEASIBLE, BUT A LOT OF THAT GETS FINALIZED AS YOU PROCEED WITH FURTHER DESIGN PHASES. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUST GO THROUGH A FEW OF THESE. THIS IS A BIRD. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO GO THROUGH? A WE'LL CONTINUE GOING UNTIL WE FINISH PRESENTATION. AND WE'LL BE HERE A WHILE TO HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS. IT WILL BE AT THE IT'LL BE AT THE END. SO LET'S LET'S PLEASE GET THROUGH THE PRESENTATION FIRST PLEASE. WE GOT PROBABLY JUST A COUPLE MORE MINUTES. SO HERE'S THE IMAGES I'LL RACE THROUGH THEM. YOU CAN COME SEE THEM UP AT THE FRONT. YOU WILL NEED TO MODIFY THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WE'VE ACCOUNTED FOR THAT IN THE COST. AND JUST SOME MORE BIRD'S EYE VIEW. SO ANTICIPATED AWARD IS IN FEBRUARY MARCH OF THIS YEAR. PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL LIKELY TO TAKE A YEAR IF IT'S A CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY A HIGHER LEVEL MORE DETAILED DOCUMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IF REQUIRED, IT MIGHT TAKE MORE LIKE TWO YEARS, YEAR AND A HALF TO TAKE DESIGN ALL THE WAY TO FINAL THREE YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION. YOU'RE LOOKING AT 2031, 2032 FOR A POTENTIAL OPENING GIVEN ALL THAT. SO NEXT STEPS ARE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION ON BY THE 19TH AND SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF AWARD BY THE END OF FEBRUARY. THANK YOU. I DO HAVE ONE THING. IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK A FEW SLIDES. YEAH. ABOUT THE APPROACH THAT THAT ONE. YEAH. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THE APPROACH WHERE IT BEGINS AND WHERE. YES. ELEVATES AND THEN ENDS. THANK YOU. YEAH I MENTIONED THAT LAST NIGHT BUT I FAILED TO TONIGHT. SO THE START OF THE STRUCTURE IS A LITTLE WAYS NORTH OF COUNTY GLEN. THAT WOULD BE UP INTO THE LEFT OF THE PAGE OFF THE PAGE THERE. AND THEN IT WOULD RETURN TO GRADE WELL BEFORE YOU REACH THE CHURCH GRADE CROSSING TO THE NORTH WHICH IS SOUTH OF SUNNY. AND SO REALLY, IT'S ITS OWN EXISTING, ITS OWN MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE STRUCTURE THAT WOULDN'T NEED TO TIE IN TO ANY OTHER POTENTIAL FUTURE STRUCTURES IN THE AREA. IT CAN KIND OF STAND ALONE BY ITSELF AND DOESN'T AFFECT ANY OTHER GRADE CROSSINGS. THANK YOU. AND I DO HAVE SOME COMMENT CARDS HERE WITH QUESTIONS. SO I THINK WE'LL KIND OF TAG TEAMS IN THE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL READ THEM OUT. SO THE FIRST QUESTION MANY BUSINESSES DEPEND ON STEADY, PREDICTABLE MONTH TO MONTH INCOME TO SURVIVE. CAN YOU SHARE WHETHER ALL BUSINESSES WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF THIS INTERSECTION, LIKE AUSTIN, TELCO, STARBUCKS, VIERA, ETC. HAVE BEEN CONTACTED ABOUT THIS PROJECT? SO WE DID REACH OUT TO THE RESIDENCES AND THE BUSINESSES WITHIN. I BELIEVE IT WAS A ONE MILE RADIUS OF THE INTERSECTION PROJECT. AND YOU KNOW, THE TIMING OF THIS PROJECT IS NOT IDEAL BECAUSE IT HAPPENED AROUND THE HOLIDAYS BETWEEN THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS. AND SO WITH THE TIMING, I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO AUSTIN TELCO, LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE PROJECT. ALSO, ACROSS THE AUTO, THE AUTO SHOP ACROSS THERE AS WELL. I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM A LOT OF THE OTHER BUSINESSES, BUT FOR THE ENGAGEMENT PIECE FOR THIS, IT REALLY IS FOCUSED ON THE GRANT. SO FOR A PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE, WHAT HAPPENS IS IF THE PROJECT IS A GO AND THERE'S FUNDING FOR IT, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE COMMUNITY [00:30:04] STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT AND DEFINITELY ENGAGEMENT WITH ALL THOSE PROPERTIES WHO ARE ALONG THE VICINITY OF THE PROJECT. AND WE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT, YOU KNOW, TO THOSE ON OPPOSITE SIDES TO OF THE THE PROJECT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT FEEDBACK OR, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES, PROVIDE THEM LINKS TO THE WEBPAGE AND EVERYTHING, AND PROVIDED CONTACT INFORMATION AS WELL. AND SO THAT'S STILL IS A CONTINUING EFFORT. SO NOW THAT WE'VE HAD THE PRESENTATIONS AND THINGS ARE RECORDED, WE'LL BE REACHING BACK OUT TO THEM. AND YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO ACCESS THINGS AND TALK TO US DIRECTLY. WE HAVE QUESTIONS. THE NEXT QUESTION, WHAT ANALYSIS HAS BEEN DONE ON THE LONG TERM ECONOMIC IMPACT THIS PROJECT MAY HAVE ON THESE BUSINESSES OVER ITS FULL DURATION? AND SO READING THIS QUESTION FOR PURPOSES OF THE GRANT APPLICATION, THERE IS AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS THAT'S PART OF THAT THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING CONDUCTED. AND WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR GRANT CONSULTANT ON THAT. WE'RE GETTING INFORMATION FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN ALSO ONE OF THE THINGS TOO IS MAKING SURE WE GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THOSE BUSINESSES IN THE AREA THAT WE'VE REACHED OUT TO TO SEE KIND OF WHAT ARE THEIR OPERATIONS LOOK LIKE, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY CLOSER TO THE CURRENT INTERSECTION. AND SO ALL THAT STUFF IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO FOR THE ECONOMIC PIECES. NEXT QUESTION. WHAT ARE THE ANTICIPATED IMPACTS TO HORIZON PARK PROPERTY VALUES? I KNOW LOOKED AT THAT SPECIFICALLY. SO EXISTING RAILWAY THERE RAILWAY WILL CONTINUE TO BE THERE AND OPERATE INTO THE FUTURE. IT WOULD JUST BE NOW AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE NEXT TO IT. BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THAT SPECIFICALLY I DON'T KNOW. YEAH I THINK AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, NOT JUST FOR THAT WHOLE INTERSECTION, WE COULD LOOK AT TO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMING NOT JUST NORTH SOUTH, THEY'RE COMING EAST AND WEST ACROSS THE OTHER SIDE, YOU KNOW, OF CRYSTAL FALLS ALL THE WAY OVER TO 183 A. AND SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL IMPACT TO THE CITY AS PART OF THE APPLICATION TO ON THAT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IS LOOKING AT THINGS FROM A THREE AND A HALF MILE TO A FIVE MILE RADIUS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS TAKEN A TOUR OF LEANDER AROUND THE WHOLE CITY LIMITS, BUT IT'S PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL. AND SO THAT'S THAT'S DEFINITELY A GREAT SUGGESTION. AND WE WANT TO LOOK AT HOW THOSE ARE AFFECTING NEIGHBORHOOD VALUES AS WELL. SO. HOW MUCH HIGHER IS THE RISK TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN THE EVENT OF A DERAILMENT. THE QUESTION? I'LL BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY METRO PARTNERS MIGHT HAVE BETTER INSIGHT INTO THAT. YEAH. AND WE CAN DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. WE HAVE OUR METRO PARTNERS HERE. AND THEN WE CAN ALSO DO SOME RESEARCH ON OUR END ON SOME OTHER CITIES WHO HAVE THESE ELEVATED RAIL STRUCTURES. AND SO I DO HAVE YOUR INFORMATION ON HERE. SO WE'LL DEFINITELY REACH BACK OUT TO YOU AND DIG SOME MORE INFORMATION. BUT THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION TO SEE WHAT OUR KIND OF IMPACTS VERSUS ELEVATED VERSUS AT GRADE, YOU KNOW, DERAILMENTS. THE INCREASED GRADE SOUTH OF CRYSTAL FALLS MEANS THE LOCOMOTIVES WILL BE PRODUCING APPROXIMATELY 120DB. WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR ABATEMENT? SURE. YEAH. SO NOISE IS A PART OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY. AND SO THAT WOULD BE LOOKED AT DURING THAT PHASE. AND THEN THEY LOOK AT ARE THEY WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LEVELS? IF NOT, WHAT SORT OF MITIGATIONS MIGHT YOU NEED TO MAKE. GET THAT DOWN TO ACCEPTABLE LEVELS. SO THAT'S A PART OF A FUTURE PHASE. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PROJECT STARTS? BUT WE DON'T GET THE ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDING OR OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES COME THROUGH. SO THAT IS DEFINITELY A A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. AND SO SAY THIS PROJECT IS AWARDED. WE TAKE IT TO THE COUNCIL AND WE THE CITY DECIDES TO ACCEPT THE FUNDS AND WE PURSUE ALL THESE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE AND WE DON'T GET THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS. WELL, THAT'S DEFINITELY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION THAT THE CITY STAFF WOULD NEED TO HAVE WITH COUNCIL. AS PART OF THAT AWARDING. RIGHT. AND SO IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN TO PRIORITIZING. HOW ARE WE PRIORITIZING THIS WITH OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE? LOOKING AT THE LIKELIHOOD OF WHAT THOSE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ARE? AND LANCE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF THE PROJECT SCHEDULE. SO THIS IS A MULTI YEAR KIND OF LEVEL PROJECT. AND I'VE LIVED THROUGH ONE IN THE DALLAS AREA. AND EVEN MY [00:35:01] EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER CITIES IS WITH THE MULTI YEAR PROJECT. YOU KNOW THE PIECES OF FUNDING THAT COME THROUGH CAN GET STARTED TO AT LEAST HELP WITH THE ACTUAL PRELIMINARY TO FINAL DESIGN. RIGHT? SO EVEN WHEN WE GET SAY TWO, 3 MILLION AND THAT MONEY CAN BE USED JUST TO CREATE THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND GET THROUGH TO THE FINAL DESIGN AND CONTINUE THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AT LEAST THAT GIVES A PLAN, RIGHT, THAT THIS PROJECT COULD BE POTENTIALLY READY, PROJECT READY IN THE FUTURE FOR CONSIDERATION. SO I THINK THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT IT. AND I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY ABOUT STRATEGY. AND HOW DO WE WANT TO STRATEGIZE THAT OVER A MULTI YEAR PROCESS. AND SO IT'S DEFINITELY A CONVERSATION THAT YOU KNOW WE'LL NEED TO HAVE WITH COUNCIL IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW HOW BIG A PRIORITY OF THIS IS. AND YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE COMING. HAVE WE NOW STARTED A PROJECT THAT THE CITY HAS TO FIND FUNDING FOR? IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT, AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS STILL CONCEPTUAL PROJECT. THIS PROJECT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED TO MOVE FORWARD. AND SO WITH THAT, THE CITY WILL NOT START A PROJECT. IF THERE IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN FUNDING APPROVED AND APPROPRIATED BY THE COUNCIL. SO THIS IS A, I WOULD SAY, A POTENTIAL IDEA PROJECT IDEA THAT WE BROUGHT FORWARD TO COUNCIL WITH THE STATE PROVIDING POSSIBLE FUNDING FOR. AND SO IT WAS A DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE HAD WITH COUNCIL, AND THIS IS A PROCESS FOR A LOT OF OTHER PROJECTS. IF THERE'S A PROJECT OUT THERE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THAT BEFORE COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY FOR EVERYBODY'S INPUT, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A VIABLE PROJECT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THERE'S SUPPORT FOR IT, AND THERE'S ALWAYS CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT. AND SO WE I KNOW WITH OUR CITY MANAGER, WE'RE DOING A LOT OF FISCAL FORECASTING FOR THE FUTURE AND DEVELOPING REALLY LONG TERM 30 YEAR FINANCIAL PLANS FOR THE CITY. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY KIND OF PROJECTS WE'RE NOT ONLY CONSIDERING FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, BUT FOR FUTURE FISCAL YEARS AND THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S GOING TO BE A MULTI YEAR PROJECT THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN IDENTIFY AND STRATEGIZE FUNDS FOR. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY OUR APPROACH THAT WE'RE TAKING ON THE CITY MANAGEMENT SIDE AND HOW WE APPROACH IT WITH COUNCIL AS WELL. WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE PROJECTS AND IDENTIFY POTENTIAL FUNDS FOR. I'LL MAKE ONE OTHER NOTE. GRANT AWARD ALSO DOESN'T OBLIGATE THE CITY TO ACCEPT THE GRANT. SO THAT WOULD YOU WOULD ENTER INTO A YOU'D HAVE TO ENTER INTO AN ACTUAL AGREEMENT AFTERWARDS BEFORE THAT WOULD BE BINDING. WILL THAT MONEY NEED TO COME FROM LEANDER TAXPAYERS? SO AS LANCE MENTIONED, THE TEX-DOT GRANT REQUIRES A 10% LOCAL MATCH. THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS THAT LOCAL MATCHES CAN COME FROM. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS RAISED ON THE CALLS FOR THE PROGRAM WAS, CAN THE LOCAL MATCH COME FROM DONATIONS? CAN THE LOCAL MATCH COME FROM OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS? RIGHT. AND SO THERE'S DIFFERENT AVENUES TO GO ABOUT THAT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE OFFSET TO HELP WITH THAT. TYPICALLY IN CITIES, WHEN THEY DO RECEIVE A GRANT, ESPECIALLY FROM TXDOT, IT IS A LOCAL MATCH FROM THE CITY, WHETHER IT'S FROM THE GENERAL FUND OR, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER FUND THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS IT. AND SO THAT MONEY DOES COMES FROM THE CITY. AND SO THAT'S ALSO A DISCUSSION THAT WE WOULD HAVE WITH THE COUNCIL. IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE AMOUNT, IF WE WERE TO BE AWARDED, IF IT WAS UP TO 40 MILLION. AND SO IF IT WAS A MINIMAL AMOUNT LIKE 1 MILLION, THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE WITH COUNCIL AS TO WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, IS THIS WORTH GOING MOVING FORWARD FOR THAT FOR SUCH AN AMOUNT. RIGHT. AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE WANT TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH. IF WE WERE TO BE AWARDED AND IF THE GRANT FUND FUNDING AGREEMENT DOES COME FORWARD. DID YOU EVALUATE A CONFIGURATION WITH A DEPRESSED CRYSTAL FALLS PARKWAY AND CENTER RUNNING RAMPS TO SLASH FROM US 183, I.E. WITHIN EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY? AND THERE'S A VERY NEAT PICTURE HERE. SO I'M GOING TO SHOW IT TO YOU, LANCE. AND THEN MAYBE AFTERWARDS WE CAN KIND OF LOOK AT THAT IDEA. SURE. YEAH. MAYBE MAYBE SOME MORE DEEPER DISCUSSION TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ESSENTIALLY WIDENING US 183 AND CREATING A MEDIAN, AND THEN HAVING TWO RAMPS IN THE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT MEDIAN TO GO DOWN TO CRYSTAL FALLS. WE DID NOT EVALUATE THAT SPECIFICALLY. I THINK IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THAT, YOU'D HAVE TO WIDEN US 183 PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY, WHICH WOULD HAVE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS TO ACCOMMODATE TWO CENTER RUNNING LANES FOR THAT, AS WELL AS NEEDING TO WIDEN FURTHER BACK TO ACCOMMODATE, YOU KNOW, THAT DEPRESSION OF THOSE TURNING MOVEMENTS. WE DIDN'T EVALUATE THAT SPECIFICALLY. I THINK AT A HIGH [00:40:02] LEVEL, FEASIBILITY WOULD HAVE MORE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS THAN THE ELEVATED RAIL STRUCTURE. WHERE IS THIS PROJECT LOCATED? IN EITHER THE TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN AND OR THE CIP PLAN. SO LIKE I MENTIONED, THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY CAME OUT, WAS APPROVED THROUGH THE STATE LEGISLATURE LAST MAY. WITH THAT. THIS PROJECT, YOU KNOW, HAS NOT BEEN ON THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION, PREVIOUS TRANSPORTATION PLANS OR CIP PLAN AS IT HAS FINALLY GOTTEN SOME MOMENTUM AT THE STATE LEVEL TO ACTUALLY GET FEDERAL OR GET STATE FUNDING TO CITIES. AND THAT WAS A HUGE, I WOULD SAY, HUGE, YOU KNOW, HELP FOR A LOT OF CITIES WHO ARE NEEDING THIS KIND OF ASSISTANCE. AND SO WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF RIGHT NOW OF UPDATING OUR CIP PLAN. AND SO WE'RE WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT TYPES OF PROJECTS LIKE THIS GET INCLUDED. WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE UPDATING OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH INCLUDES OUR TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN AS WELL. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IS THAT IS LOOKING AT THESE TYPES OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BEING INCLUDED. I THINK WE DID THE FIRST STEP LAST YEAR. I THINK IT WAS AROUND FEBRUARY. KIMLEY-HORN CONDUCTED OUR US 183 CORRIDOR STUDY, WHICH RECOMMENDED RAIL GRADE SEPARATION PROJECTS FOR THREE INTERSECTIONS CRYSTAL FALLS, HARAWAY AND SAN GABRIEL PARKWAY, AND OTHER SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL ALONG THE CORRIDOR. AND SO WE HAD THOSE INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS. IT WAS KIND OF GOOD TIMING THAT WE HAD THAT READY. SO WHEN THE STATE CAME OUT AND PUSHED THIS BILL, IT WAS KIND OF A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY PURSUE A POTENTIAL PROJECT FOR CONSIDERATION. AND SO THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INCLUDE WITH OUR UPCOMING UPDATES TO THE PLANS. I'LL ALSO NOTE THOSE THREE PROJECTS. THE THREE GRADE SEPARATIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND ACCEPTED INTO THE MPOS REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN. SO THEY ALSO SHOW UP THERE, WHICH ALSO MAKES THEM STRONG CONTENDERS FOR GRANT FUNDING BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS A REGIONALLY SIGNIFICANT PROJECT THAT THE MPO IS INTERESTED IN. IF IT IS NOT, WHY ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT WHEN WE HAVE OTHER PRIORITIZED IDENTIFIED NEEDS IN THE CITY? SO THAT'S ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION. YOU KNOW, THROUGH THIS YEAR, THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD RESET, I WOULD SAY, FOR THE CITY. WE HAVE A NEW CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM. WE ESSENTIALLY HAVE HAVE A BRAND NEW COUNCIL ON BOARD. AND SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. AND UPDATING OUR CIP PLAN AND UPDATING OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND REALLY TAKING THAT OUT WITH OUR COUNCIL AND TO THE Y'ALL, TO THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY IDENTIFY THOSE PRIORITIZATIONS OUT THERE. AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE A PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ONLY BUILDING, YOU KNOW, REALLY BUILDING WHAT WE NEED NOW, BUT ALSO FOR THE FUTURE. SO REALLY LOOKING LONG TERM AT WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM IMPACTS, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IS ABOUT HOW IS THIS IMPACTING THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN OTHER AREAS, OTHER BUSINESSES. THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS AND UPDATING OUR PLANS THAT WE ARE BUILDING SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO LAST AND GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL, YOU KNOW, FOR FUTURE, FOR YOUR FUTURE FAMILIES, FOR YOUR FUTURE FRIENDS, FOR FUTURE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO MOVE HERE. AND SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE DEFINITELY HAVE SOME UPCOMING. I THINK WE'RE BRINGING FORTH OUR CIP TO COUNCIL PRETTY SOON, AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP START THAT PRIORITIZATION PROCESS, ALONG WITH IDENTIFYING OUR TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN AND LAND USE PLAN AND ALL THOSE GREAT THINGS THAT COME WITH THE COMP PLAN. AND THAT'S GOING TO INVOLVE A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT. SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT FOR SURE. WHY ARE WE ONLY LOOKING AT ONE INTERSECTION WHEN WE HAVE SIX RAILROAD CROSSINGS IN THE CITY? AND SO WE TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. LANCE MENTIONED TXDOT AS PART OF THIS GRANT PROGRAM. THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THEIR TRAFFIC DATA, AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY GO ONLINE AND ACTUALLY SEARCH IT. IT'S PRETTY COOL. SO IF YOU JUST GOOGLE JUST TEXT DOT TRAFFIC COUNTS, IT'LL TAKE YOU TO THEIR WEBSITE AND IT'LL TAKE YOU TO, I WOULD SAY KIND OF SEARCH MAP ENGINE. AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY TYPE IN A LOCATION OR ACTUALLY ZOOM IN ON ANY KIND OF INTERSECTION, STATE, STATE INTERSECTION, AND IT'LL SHOW YOU THE VEHICLE COUNTS FROM THE MOST RECENT FULL YEAR AND PREVIOUS YEARS. AND FROM THERE, THAT'S THE KIND OF DATA THAT TEXAS IS LOOKING AT FOR COMPETITIVENESS IN THIS GRANT PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE. I KNOW CIBOLO HAS SUBMITTED FOR THE GRANT HOUSTON, BUDA, I THINK. AND SO THERE'S A WHILE. I DON'T THINK THEY GOT THE DETAILED. YEAH, YEAH. SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITIES OUT THERE. SO TEXAS IS REALLY LOOKING AT THEIR TRAFFIC DATA AND CRASH DATA FOR THESE TYPES OF GRANT PROGRAMS. IF THE GRANT IS AWARDED IN 2026, IS THIS A [00:45:02] TIME LIMIT FOR CONSTRUCTION TO BE COMPLETED? DOES IT EXPIRE? SO THE GRANT PROGRAM AND FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN. LANCE. IT'S FOR A TWO YEAR PROGRAM. LIKE I SAID, THEY HAVE A VERY SHORT TURNAROUND TIME FOR THIS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROJECT. I MEAN, I'VE WORKED ON OTHER TECH STOCK GRANTS AND PROJECTS BEFORE, AND THIS IS A VERY QUICK ONE. AND THEY DID AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. AND SO THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO PUSH OUT THESE FUNDS TO COMMUNITIES. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, HOUSTON WAS A HUGE DRIVER AND REALLY PUSHING AND ADVOCATING FOR STATE FUNDS TO BE ALLOCATED TO CITIES. AND SO THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THESE FUNDS ARE OUT TO THOSE COMMUNITIES AND THEY'RE OUT SPENDING IT. AND LIKE I MENTIONED, THIS IS A MULTI-YEAR PROCESS. YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, IF A PROJECT LIKE THIS WERE TO MOVE FORWARD, IT I KNOW IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COMPLETED IN TWO YEARS. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH SO MUCH ENGINEERING AND PRELIMINARY TO FINAL DESIGN WORK AND A LOT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AS PART OF THAT PIECES. LANCE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ROADWAY LAYOUT. THAT'S A COMPONENT OF IT, RIGHT, THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WITH THE COMMUNITY IN DEPTH. AS WE TRY TO NARROW THE PROJECT, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SHARED USE PATHS. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES THE LANDSCAPING LOOK LIKE? HOW IS IT AFFECTING THE BUSINESSES RIGHT THERE? RIGHT. WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE ELEVATED RAIL. YOU KNOW WE MENTIONED IT POTENTIALLY COULD START AT COUNTY LAND AND THEN GO OVER CRYSTAL FALLS AND DECELERATE FROM OR ELEVATE FROM THERE. AND SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT THAT. YOU KNOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BERMS. IS THAT REALLY FEASIBLE SCREENING WALLS FOR NOISE. THERE'S BEEN COMMENTS OUT THERE ABOUT CONCERNS FOR NOISE. SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT KIND OF IMPLEMENTATION HAS BEEN DONE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES TO HELP WITH THAT. AND I THINK THERE'S SOME GOOD EXAMPLES OUT THERE THAT WE CAN HELP SHOW THE COMMUNITY. IF THIS PROJECT WERE TO MOVE FORWARD AND KIND OF LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT IDEAS THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF THE APPLICATION IS SCHEDULE. SO WE'LL BE SUBMITTING WHAT WE THINK IS A REASONABLE AND FEASIBLE SCHEDULE FOR THE PROJECT. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THEY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. AND SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT THAT SCHEDULE COULD LOOK LIKE. VARIOUS STREETS NEED TRAFFIC LIGHTS TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS. THE SPENDING ON THIS ONE PARTICULAR CROSSING VERSUS 50 TRAFFIC LIGHTS. HOW ARE WE DETERMINING THE REAL VALUE? I'M TRYING TO THINK OF HOW BEST TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT PRIMARILY KIND OF ASKING ABOUT THE PRIORITY AND THE PRIORITIZATION OF SPENDING FUNDS HERE VERSUS OTHER POTENTIAL NEEDS. YEAH. AND I'LL. YEAH. YEAH, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS HERE ABOUT THE CIP, ABOUT HOW WE IDENTIFY AND SCHEDULE PROJECTS. SO ONE OF THE TOP ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH OUTSIDE OF WATER HAS BEEN TRANSPORTATION, PARTICULARLY EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY. WE ARE IN THE NEW DRAFT CIP THAT WE'VE GOT ABOUT TWO, $2.5 MILLION THAT WE'RE PLANNING TO ALLOCATE EVERY YEAR THAT GO TOWARDS FUNDING UPGRADES TO AND INSTALLATION OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE STAFF IS WORKING ON IS A POLICY THAT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE NEEDS THAT ARE OUT THERE TO PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE THOSE INTO, SCHEDULE THOSE OUT AS THEY AS THEY MOVE FORWARD. SO WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MAYBE 4 TO 5 TRAFFIC SIGNALS THAT WE WOULD TRY TO TARGET TO START, DESIGN AND BEGIN EFFORTS TO TO PROGRAM IN AS WE BEGIN MOVING FORWARD. AND THAT STARTS WITH THIS FISCAL YEAR. THERE'S NOT A CURRENT POLICY IN PLACE TODAY. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING TO COUNCIL, THAT COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER AND INCLUDE AS PART OF THEIR OVERALL POLICIES AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS AND OUR CAPITAL BUDGET DISCUSSION ON THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF PROJECT. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO FIRST IDENTIFY IF IT'S FEASIBLE, THEN TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE, AND THEN TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES ARE BEFORE WE PROGRAM IT INTO THE CIP, PARTICULARLY SOMETHING OF THIS NATURE. IF WE ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING GRANT FUNDS TO GET IT DONE, THEN WE HAVE TO LOOK AT AND DECIDE WHETHER WE HAVE LOCAL DOLLARS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN OR OTHER PARTNERS THAT CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. IF THOSE DOLLARS AREN'T THERE, THEN COUNCIL HAS TO PRIORITIZE. OKAY, IS THIS PROJECT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE THERE, WHETHER THEY'RE PARKS, STREETS, OTHER GENERAL FUND TYPE OF PROJECTS? FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WE'VE CREATED A A SCORING MECHANISM THAT ALLOWS COUNCIL TO PRIORITIZE A GRADE SEPARATION OVER A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, OVER A PARK IMPROVEMENT. SO ALL THAT IS INCLUDED IN CFP IN THAT ROLLS TOGETHER INTO AN OVERALL PLAN THAT'S THERE AS WE [00:50:01] SCHEDULE THE CIP. WE'RE LOOKING RIGHT NOW AT FIVE YEAR FUNDING WINDOWS. IF WE DON'T HAVE FUNDS IDENTIFIED CONCEPTUALLY OR A GOOD IDEA THAT WE CAN GET THOSE FUNDS, WE WILL NOT PROGRAM THOSE INTO THAT FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR FOR PROGRAMING AND CONSTRUCTION. SO HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS. THANKS, TODD. AND I'M GOING TO PUT IN A PLUG FOR NEXT TUESDAY. WE DO HAVE A LET'S TALK SESSION ON TRAFFIC SIGNALS ROADS AND WATER. AND IN THAT IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT CIP AS WELL. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE NEXT TUESDAY JANUARY 13TH AT 6 P.M. AT THE SENIOR CENTER. SO AND WITH THAT THERE WASN'T A QUESTION RAISED HERE, BUT I, I'VE BEEN BEEN SEEING A LOT OF COMMENTS TOO ABOUT TRAFFIC SIGNALS AT THAT INTERSECTION. AND LANCE, CAN YOU KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP AND HOW THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS WORK AND COORDINATION WITH THE RAILROAD CROSSING, AND WHAT KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE WITH THAT? YEAH, I'LL KIND OF HIT IT QUICKLY. AND IF ANYONE HAS MORE DETAILED QUESTIONS WE CAN SPEAK AFTER. BUT ESSENTIALLY ANYTIME A RAIL, A TRAIN IS COMING THROUGH, THERE ARE THINGS CALLED SHUNTS THAT DETECT THEM AND TALK TO THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL THROUGH A WIRE THAT INTERCONNECTS THE TWO AND SAYS, HEY, TRAIN'S COMING, YOU NEED TO CLEAR THE TRACKS SO NOBODY'S IN THE WAY. AND THEN WE CALL THIS RAILROAD PREEMPTION THE ESSENTIALLY, THE SIGNAL STOPS WHAT IT'S DOING NORMALLY AND RUNS THIS VERY SPECIFIC SEQUENCE FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY TO CLEAR PEOPLE OUT. AND THEN LEANDER ACTUALLY HAS AN ADDITIONAL, MORE SOPHISTICATED CONNECTION THAT ONCE THE ARMS ARE DOWN, IT WILL STOP THAT TRACK CLEARANCE PHASE AND START RUNNING US 183 BUT WHILE THAT TRACK CLEARANCE PHASE, THE ONLY DIRECTION THAT'S ABLE TO GO IS WESTBOUND CRYSTAL FALLS. I'M SURE THEY ENJOY THAT. WHENEVER THE TRAIN COMES THROUGH, THEY'RE ABLE TO CLEAR OUT A LITTLE BIT, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE IS WAITING. AND SO IT'S REALLY DISRUPTIVE. AND THEN WHEN IT'S TAKES A FEW MINUTES TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WHEN IT COMES BACK OUT, IT HAS TO TRY TO GET BACK IN SYNCHRONIZATION, SYNCHRONIZATION WITH ITS NEIGHBORS. AND THAT CAN TAKE FIVE MINUTES OR MORE FOR THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROLLER TO GET SYNCED BACK UP. AND AND THEY'RE AT A RATE SO OFTEN THAT ONCE THEY'RE BACK IN SYNCHRONIZATION, IT'S SOMETIMES ONLY FIVE TEN MINUTES BEFORE ANOTHER ONE COMES. AND I THINK THE US 183 CORRIDOR STUDY TALKED ABOUT SIGNALIZATION AS WELL. SO PLEASE GO TO GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT THAT 180 THREE QUARTER STUDY. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR EVEN FEEDBACK ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW THE CITY IS ALWAYS HERE. WE'RE ALWAYS HAVING, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS SEEKING INPUT ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND WITH THAT, I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. WE ARE GOING TO OKAY, I DON'T THINK WE'RE TAKING PUBLIC COMMENTS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T POST FOR THAT. BUT IF WE YEAH, WE CAN. YEAH, YEAH. WHAT'S THE WHAT'S STILL BE HERE. SO YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. CAN YOU COME SPEAK TO. SOMETHING AND NOT JUST TELL US WHAT IT IS? YEAH. IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK INTO THE MIC. SO THAT WAY IT'S RECORDED. YEAH. SO YEAH MY NAME IS MIKE SANDERS. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY FIRST OF ALL THAT THERE, THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS AT THE INTERSECTION OF CRYSTAL FALLS AND AND 183 THAT NEED TO BE FIXED. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THE THE WHEN WHEN THERE'S NO TRAIN COMING ACROSS THE TRACK, WHEN THE TRAFFIC IS HELD UP DURING DURING RUSH HOUR FOR VERY LONG DISTANCES BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THAT INTERSECTION WAS CONSTRUCTED. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS, IS THAT WHEN THERE'S NO TRAIN COMING, WE STILL HAVE PROBLEMS OF TRAFFIC FLOW THROUGH THAT INTERSECTION. THE OTHER PROBLEM SEPARATE FROM THAT IS WHEN THE TRAIN IS GOING THROUGH. HOW THAT AFFECTS EVEN MAKES WORSE, EXACERBATES THE PROBLEM OF OF TRAFFIC GETTING THROUGH THAT INTERSECTION. SO THERE'S TWO TOTALLY SEPARATE PROBLEMS. AND THE SECOND PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US WHO ARE SITTING THERE WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO COME BY OR TO GO THROUGH, WE'RE WATCHING AND WE SEE AN EMPTY TRAIN GOING BACK AND FORTH, YOU KNOW, 16 TIMES A DAY AND, AND HOLDING UP OUR TRAFFIC FOR CARRYING NOBODY. THE TRAIN, IF THE TRAIN HAS 2 OR 3 RIDERS IN IT, THAT'S THAT'S USUALLY THE MAX MANY TIMES DURING THE DAY. AND ALL THE CITIZENS OF LEANDER SEE THIS WITH THEIR OWN EYES. WITH OUR OWN EYES. WE KNOW THIS TO BE THE FACT, THE TRUTH. AND SO THAT THAT'S ONE THING THAT I ONE THING I WANTED TO MENTION THE OTHER. THE LAST THING. AND I'LL FINISH HERE. THE LAST THING IS THAT LAST NIGHT THE CITY COUNCIL TALKED ABOUT TAKING OUT A LOAN FOR $60 MILLION TO PUT TOWARDS THIS PROJECT, BASICALLY A GIFT TO CAPMETRO, BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT'S BUILT ON THAT TRAIN TRACK BELONGS TO CAPMETRO. THIS BRIDGE INCLUDED THIS RAILROAD TRESTLE. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GIFTING $60 MILLION TO OF TAXPAYER MONEY TO CAPMETRO PLUS [00:55:03] INTEREST, WHICH IS ANOTHER $60 MILLION IN ADDITION TO THAT, FOR A TOTAL OF $120 MILLION OF TAXPAYER FUNDS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GIVING THIS TO CAPMETRO. SO THAT, IN MY OPINION, IS A HORRIBLE IDEA FOR PEOPLE TO, FOR FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THAT WITHOUT TAKING IT TO THE CITIZENS FOR A VOTE FIRST, AND THEN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, $100 MILLION TO BUILD THIS BRIDGE WITHOUT AMOUNT OF MONEY, WE COULD BUY ALL THE LAND AROUND THAT INTERSECTION AND WE COULD MAKE AN INTERSECTION, A HUGE INTERSECTION THERE THAT WOULD ALLEVIATE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. $100 MILLION IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO TO WASTE, IN MY OPINION, ON ON THIS RAILROAD TRESTLE. THANK YOU FOR. JACK. DID YOU WANT TO. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS CLEAR. YEAH THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WOULD IT POTENTIALLY LOOK LIKE IF YOU LOOKED AT ANNUAL DEBT SERVICE ON 60 MILLION? BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL TALKED ABOUT WAS LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES. WE TALKED ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THIS SETTING US UP TO BE ABLE TO MAKE APPLICATION FOR SOME OF THOSE FEDERAL FUND PROGRAMS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED TONIGHT. SO SO IT'S NOT A PRESUMPTION AUTOMATICALLY THAT THE CITY WOULD PUT ITS DOLLARS INTO THIS PROJECT EITHER. SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. SO. HI. MY NAME IS LAURA DAVIS. I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS ARE THINKING AHEAD. I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE, THAT A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED, I THOUGHT THERE WERE REALLY GOOD, AND SOME OF THOSE WERE THINGS THAT I HAD ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO. YOU ANSWERED THEM BRIEFLY, BUT IS THERE A WAY THAT MAYBE YOU COULD CREATE A DOCUMENT THAT GOES A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THOSE QUESTIONS, THAT YOU COULD POST THAT SO WE COULD ACTUALLY HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE DETAIL. AND THEN MY QUESTION WOULD BE, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT CAPMETRO COULD PAY FOR THIS? I MEAN, WE GIVE THEM OVER 10 MILLION A YEAR. COULD THIS BE SOMETHING IF IT IS BELONGING TO THEM, THAT WOULD BE AN INVESTMENT FOR WOULD THEY VALUE THAT AND WANT IT? SO FOR YOUR FIRST QUESTION, WE CAN DEFINITELY PUT TOGETHER AN FAQ. AND ACTUALLY ONE OF THE THINGS TOO, WE WANTED TO DO WITH THE SURVEY AND WITH THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS IS AS WE'RE GETTING ALL THE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF FORMULATE ALL THOSE. AND SO WE COULD DEFINITELY POST A FAQ AND POST ON THE WEBSITE, AND WE'LL ALSO SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TOO. AND MARINA IS REALLY GOOD ABOUT SHARING THINGS WITH THE HOSE. AND ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS WILL DO THAT FOR THE CAPMETRO PIECE. THAT IS DISCUSSION THAT WE WOULD DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE WITH CAPMETRO IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP IN SOME CAPACITY. AND SO WITH THAT, I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THINGS COULD LOOK LIKE LONG TERM IF THIS PROJECT WAS, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY APPROVED BY TEXDOT, AND KIND OF SEE HOW THAT PARTNERSHIP LOOKS LIKE. SO I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AND CONTINUED PARTNERSHIPS TO TALK ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS. SO. IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OH, YEP. YOU KNOW, AND I BELIEVE THIS SECTION OF TRACK IS ACTUALLY A CAPMETRO OWNED CORRECT SECTION TRACK. HOWEVER, CAPMETRO IS NOT THE ONLY USER OF THIS TRACK. SO YES, WE'VE GOT METRO RAIL. IT'S THERE, BUT THERE'S ALSO INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL RAIL ON THAT FACILITY. SO WHAT THE PLAN IS, IF CAPMETRO ISN'T THERE, WE STILL HAVE THAT USE THAT'S THERE. AND CONCEIVABLY THERE COULD BE A GROWING COMMERCIAL USE ON THAT SECTION OF TRACK AS WELL. SO THERE'S A A LONG TERM SUSTAINED IMPACT TO TRAFFIC WITH RAIL THAT WILL CONTINUE TO CROSS WHETHER METRO'S THERE OR NOT. SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IS IS THIS A GIFT TO CAPMETRO? YES, THIS IS THEIR FACILITY. THESE ARE DOLLARS THAT WOULD GO IN TO ELEVATE THAT. BUT THERE IS A BROADER NEED THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS ONGOING TRAFFIC THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE THERE ALONG THAT SECTION. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YOU DIDN'T MENTION HOW COOPERATIVE THE RAILROAD IS ON THIS PROJECT? DO THEY SUPPORT THE PROJECT? ARE THEY WILLING TO ALLOW DURING CONSTRUCTION TO SHUT DOWN THE RAILROAD ENTIRELY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD? YOU HAVE TO IMPLEMENT IN PHASES. AND THEN PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS ALSO THE TRAFFIC CIRCULATION IN THE CITY. THIS LOCATION IS GOING TO GET WORSE OVER THE NEXT FIVE, TEN YEARS. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. IN FACT, ALL LOCATIONS ARE. BUT IF THIS IS DONE, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THE TRAFFIC THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THIS IS GOING TO ACTUALLY DRAW A LOT MORE TRAFFIC AND ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE OTHER LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, 5 OR 6 YEARS AFTER THIS IS DONE, THAT TRAFFIC STUDY OUGHT TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN THIS SHOULD SHOW HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THIS LOCATION AND THE OTHER ONES ALONG THE LINE. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION TOO. SO AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THIS PROJECT AND THE POTENTIAL, IF IT DOES GET AWARDED, I THINK A LOT OF THAT STUDY ANALYSIS IS GOING TO COME [01:00:06] WITH THAT WHOLE PRELIMINARY DESIGN PHASE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THAT INFORMATION ON HOW IS THAT IMPACT. LOOK AT THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE CITY, RIGHT. HOW IS THAT IMPACTING OTHER INTERSECTIONS? SO I DEFINITELY THINK WE HAVE THE GREAT START OF THE 183 CORRIDOR STUDY. AND WE COULD DEFINITELY KIND OF LOOK DEEPER INTO THAT. AND IF A PROJECT LIKE THIS WERE TO MOVE FORWARD AND ANY OTHER ROADWAY, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIAL ROADWAY PROJECTS, RIGHT. WE WANT TO LOOK AT HOW THAT IMPACTS THE OTHER WAY. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY A GREAT SUGGESTION. AND YOU KNOW, CAPMETRO, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SERVICE TO DISRUPT POSSIBLE SERVICE DISRUPTIONS, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE GRANT. DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. YEAH. YEAH. SO TO BUILD THIS STRUCTURE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ACCOMMODATED WITHIN THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN IS A TEMPORARY, WHAT THEY CALL A SHOOFLY TRACK, A TEMPORARY TRACK TO THE EAST TO MAINTAIN RAIL OPERATIONS. WHILE SECTIONS OF THE BRIDGE ARE CONSTRUCTED. AND WE DISCUSSED THAT WITH CAPMETRO. THEY'RE IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT AND WORKED OUT, YOU KNOW, ONE THAT WOULD BE A PRELIMINARY DESIGN THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH THE CITY AND METRO'S OPERATIONS AT THIS INTERSECTION, AND ONE FOR THE TRAFFIC CIRCULATION. YEAH. DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT EVERY OTHER INTERSECTION. BUT TO THINK ABOUT IT AT A HIGH LEVEL, IN THEORY, YOU ARE ADDING MORE GENERAL CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE MORE VEHICLES, WHICH OVERALL SHOULD IMPROVE THE NETWORK AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. THANK YOU. I HAVE LOTS OF COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AND SOME EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA, BUT THE ONE OVERRIDING QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS WHY ARE WE DOING THIS PIECEMEAL? I MEAN, WE'VE GOT ALL THIS RAIL THAT RUNS UP AND DOWN. WE'VE GOT ALL THESE CITIES, WE'VE GOT ALL THIS TRAFFIC EVERYBODY'S GOING TO IS EITHER NOW OR SOON WILL BE THINKING OF LIBERTY HILL FACING THE SAME PROBLEM. WOULDN'T IT MAKE BETTER SENSE IF WE WENT WITH A MORE OF A COUNTYWIDE OR A BROADER APPROACH AND EVERYBODY JOINED TOGETHER? BECAUSE I JUST THINK THIS PIECEMEAL THING IS NOT GOING TO GO ANYWHERE, AND IT'S REALLY NOT GOING TO SOLVE SOLVE THE PROBLEM. CERTAINLY NOT HERE IN IN LEANDER. I MEAN, SOMEBODY QUOTED LAST NIGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST CITY OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN. AND THIS IS JUST NICKEL DIME STUFF COMPARED TO WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. I CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE PROJECT EXTENTS AND WHY IT SORT OF STANDS ALONE TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. SO JUST LOOKING AT THE PROJECT DISTANCE FOR THE RAIL TO GET THE GRADE FOR THE RAILWAY UP AND OVER CRYSTAL FALLS, THE NEED TO HAVE A BRIDGE STRUCTURE, WHICH IS THE MOST ARGUABLY THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF THE CONSTRUCT. YEAH, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS PROJECT. WHY DON'T WE HAVE A BROADER VIEW OF WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO, IS MAKE USE OF APPROPRIATE ALONG THE ENTIRE PATH OF THE TRAIN, AT LEAST IN OUR OWN COUNTY, AS OPPOSED TO THE CITY BY CITY, JUST INDIVIDUALLY. YEAH. AND I'LL SPEAK TO THAT TOO, AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE RAIL LANDSCAPE IN TEXAS. IT IS DEFINITELY, I WOULD SAY, A, A NOT AS BIG AS A PRIORITY, RIGHT, FOR THE STATE. THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITIES OUT THERE, BIG GROWING COMMUNITIES, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE, I WOULD SAY ARE MORE BUILT OUT IN LIKE THE NORTH TEXAS AREA IN DALLAS. AND A LOT OF THEM DON'T HAVE THE ELEVATED. YES. YEAH. OH, GREAT. YEAH. I'VE I'VE BEEN THERE. SO. YEAH. AND SO A PROJECT OF THAT MAGNITUDE AND WE, WE HAD HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW WHY WHY WOULD WE FOCUS ON ONE INTERSECTION, YOU KNOW, TO IMPROVE ONE INTERSECTION WHEN WE CAN LOOK AT IMPROVING THE WHOLE THING. COST IS DEFINITELY A FACTOR. THE COMMITMENT TO THAT AS WELL. AND ALSO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE OTHER INTERSECTIONS AS WELL, ONCE YOU GET TOWARDS I THINK LIKE 22, 43 AND HERE AWAY, THE LANDSCAPE AND THE AMOUNT OF LAND THERE THAT'S AVAILABLE MAKES IT DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE STATION IS NOT TOO FAR OFF FROM HERE AWAY. AND NANCY, THE STATION IN HERE AWAY IS FAIRLY CLOSE. SO THE INTERACTIONS THERE COMPLICATE MATTERS A LITTLE BIT HERE AWAY. I'M SORRY. WHAT? WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY AFTER THIS. WE LET'S DEFINITELY CHAT. AND I KNOW I GOT YOUR CARD LAST NIGHT AT THE COUNCIL MEETING, AND SO LET'S DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, CHAT AND, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW HOW THAT SO SO I THINK THE PLAN IS TO SAY WE WE HAVE A BROAD SYSTEM IN THE COUNTY. AND SO WE [01:05:02] HAVE ALL THESE LINKAGES. WE HAVE THESE TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIONS TO MAKE. I THINK PART OF THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THE WAY THIS GRANT PROGRAM CAME TOGETHER, IT CAME TOGETHER FAST. SO THERE'S ONLY $250 MILLION STATEWIDE. AND IF YOU LOOK AT 40 MILLION APIECE, THAT'S LIKE SIX PROJECTS AND CHANGE. YEAH, EXACTLY. SO, SO REALLY, THE WAY THE TIMING GOES, HOW FAST THE TURNAROUND WAS FOR THESE GRANT SUBMISSIONS, IT'S REALLY NOT SET UP TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE REGIONAL KIND OF PLANNING EFFORTS. BUT YOUR POINT'S VERY WELL TAKEN. WE NEED TO LOOK AS A REGION, AT LEAST AS A COUNTY, IN TERMS OF HOW ALL THIS NEEDS TO COME TOGETHER. AND THIS IS. YEAH. AND I KNOW THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY THEY'RE, THEY'RE I BELIEVE THEY PUT TOGETHER A TRANSPORTATION FOCUS GROUP. AND SO I DEFINITELY THINK THERE'S SOME CONVERSATIONS AND YOU KNOW, KIND OF I WOULD SAY ADVOCACY ABOUT KIND OF THE THINGS WE'RE FACING HERE WITH ALL THE RAILROAD CROSSINGS AND DEFINITELY LOOKING AT A COUNTY, BUT ALSO REGIONAL APPROACH. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH. YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THIS AFFECTING? AND YOU'RE RIGHT, ALL THE WAY UP TO LEANDER AND THEN ALL THE WAY BACK DOWN, I MEAN, HOW DOES THAT LOOK LIKE LONG TERM? SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. AS TODD MENTIONED, THE WAY THIS GRANT CAME ABOUT CAME ABOUT FAST AND FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE. FIRST, TO REALLY FUND SPECIFIC INTERSECTIONS AS OPPOSED TO LONG RANGE, LONG RANGE PLANS. SO I DEFINITELY THINK WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT HOW THAT DOES LONG TERM. ONE QUESTION I DON'T KNOW, WHAT ARE THE PRIORITY LIST OF PROJECTS OF CITY OF LEANDER? WHERE DOES THIS STAND CURRENTLY? YEAH. SO WE MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR CIP OR CIP THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED RIGHT NOW. AND SO THAT'S BEING DRAFTED AND BEING PREPARED TO COUNCIL TO ACTUALLY PRIORITIZE ALL THOSE PROJECTS, EVERYTHING FROM ROADWAYS TO INFRASTRUCTURE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO PARKS, ALL THOSE THINGS. AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. YEAH. IT'S IT'S WE HAVE OUR CURRENT ONE THAT'S ON THE WEBSITE. THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S BEING UPDATED. THIS HASN'T BEEN INCLUDED BECAUSE THIS WAS JUST THIS WAS JUST LAUNCHED THIS PAST YEAR THROUGH THE STATE LEGISLATURE. AND SO THIS IS A BRAND NEW KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIAL PROJECT. AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH OUR CIP. AND THEN IF YOU COME TO THE NEXT SESSION NEXT WEEK, WE'LL ACTUALLY DIVE INTO SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS AND EVERYTHING FROM THE SIGNALS TO ROADS AND WATER SYSTEM. YEAH. HI, ANNETTE SPONSELLER, THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE WON'T GET THE GRANT MONEY FOR THIS PROJECT. SO WHAT WOULD THE CITY'S PLAN B FOR THIS INTERSECTION IF WE DON'T GET IT? I'LL LET TODD HAVE IT. SO ONE OF THE THINGS ONE OF OUR MAJOR INITIATIVES THIS YEAR IS A BRAND NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH WILL BE LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR LAND USE. IT'LL ALSO LOOK AT OUR OUR THOROUGHFARE PLAN. THAT THOROUGHFARE PLAN WILL BE DOING AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS THAT LOOKS AT CAPACITY AND LOOKS AT POTENTIAL FAILURE ISSUES. SO THIS WILL BE, I PRESUME, A CRITICAL PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL BE EVALUATING. AND THEN THERE'LL BE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON THINGS THAT ARE NEEDED TO DO TO ADDRESS THE CAPACITY IN THAT AREA. IS ANYONE HERE FROM CAPMETRO? SO WHAT IS CAPMETRO DOING TO INVEST IN LEANDER OR AUSTIN TO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE? I MEAN, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE VERY LIMITED STATIONS AND AS I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED, LIKE WE SEE CAPMETRO GOING UP AND DOWN LIKE WHICH IS EMPTY, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING TO MAKE IT MORE SUSTAINABLE FOR PEOPLE TO USE CAPMETRO IN A LONG TERM BASIS? HI, EVERYBODY. STEPHEN ELLIOTT FROM CAPMETRO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. CAPMETRO COMPLETELY BELIEVES IN INVESTING EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE CAN BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY OF LEANDER THROUGH THE CENTRAL TEXAS PROGRAM AND WHAT THE BUILD CENTRAL TEXAS PROGRAM IS, IS ESSENTIALLY IT IS BEING ABLE TO IT IS THE COST OF SERVICE WITH THE IT IS THE COST OF SERVICE WITH THE SALES TAX, MINUS THE COST OF SERVICE AND THE AND THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT IS ALLOCATED BACK INTO THE CITY OF LEANDER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, FOR TRANSIT, SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THERE ARE CURRENTLY PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH LEANDER TO BE ABLE TO INVEST THE, THE, THE, THE MONEY BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY, MAKING THAT DOLLAR WHOLE. AND THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE ACTIVELY BEEN [01:10:01] WORKING WITH THE CITY TO, TO FILL, FILL SOME OF THOSE GAPS. BUT IT IS A GOAL AND PRIORITY OF THE CITY OF CAPMETRO TO BE ABLE TO INVEST BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY OF EACH OF OUR MAJOR CITIES ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS. AND THANK YOU. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS MEETING IS FOCUSED ON JUST THE RAIL GRANT PROJECT. AND SO WE TRY NOT TO STEER AWAY. SO JUST THIS IS IN REGARDS TO THE PREVIOUS GENTLEMAN WHO WAS SAYING A BIG STRATEGY VERSUS JUST MEAL PIECING IT. SO MY QUESTION IS THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT FOR THIS PARTICULAR INTERSECTION, WOULD YOU CLASSIFY THIS AS A BAND AID OR A STRATEGIC PROJECT? MEANING IN TEN YEARS ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO REVISIT THIS OR ARE WE ARE WE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE OF, YOU KNOW, THE EXPANSION THAT WE WILL HAVE AND THAT IT'LL BE BIG ENOUGH? SO, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, I, I DEFINITELY THINK IT IS A STRATEGIC APPROACH FOR THE FUTURE AS WE TRY TO IMPROVE THE INTERSECTION, WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PAST, I THINK THREE YEARS, TEXTILE DATA SHOWED 28,000 TO OVER 31,000 VEHICLES AT THAT INTERSECTION EACH DAY. AND SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW. WE'RE ALMOST 100,000 AS WE GET TO 150,000. I MEAN, THAT THAT CAN REALLY BE A CONCERN. AND SO THOSE ARE ONE OF THE DEFINITELY THINGS WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS LONG TERM. RIGHT. AND SO AS WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR CIP AND OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT'S COMING AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO GO FOR COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY AND GET Y'ALL'S FEEDBACK ON WHAT DOES THE LAND USE LOOK LIKE, WHAT DOES OUR CURRENT ZONING LOOKS LIKE? WHAT IS THE CURRENT RATIO OF RESIDENTIAL VERSUS COMMERCIAL LOOK LIKE? RIGHT. WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF THAT? THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP GUIDE US FOR THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS. AND SO THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WANT TO LOOK AT LONG TERM IN TERMS OF MINIMIZING THE TRAFFIC THERE AT THAT AREA, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE EAST AND WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH THROUGH I MEAN, WE HAVE A LOT OF ECONOMIC CENTERS COMING UP. WE HAVE CRYSTAL VILLAGES, AND I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL SEEN ROADHOUSE, BUT THAT WHOLE AREA IS ALREADY BOOMING. AND ONCE THAT GETS DEVELOPED, I MEAN, YOU'RE HAVING PEOPLE COMING ACROSS STRAIGHT THERE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UP TOWARDS NORTHLINE ON HERE, AWAY ACROSS FROM HEB. THAT'S GOING UP PRETTY FAST. AND SO PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET THROUGH AROUND TOWN AND THEY'RE FINDING ANY KIND OF WAY. RIGHT. AND SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO LOOK AT HOW THIS KIND OF PROJECT, YOU KNOW, MITIGATES THIS INTERSECTION, BUT OTHER INTERSECTIONS AS WELL TO HELP PEOPLE FLOW THROUGH. SO GOOD QUESTION. HI ANITA, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION BECAUSE THE GENTLEMAN JUST TALKED ABOUT THE BUILD CENTRAL TEXAS. I SAW THAT WE HAD CAPMETRO FEES IN PART OF THE COST FOR THIS PROJECT. WOULD THOSE FEES BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE THE BUILD CENTRAL TEXAS. SO YOUR QUESTION WAS THE IF THE THE THE FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT THAT WOULD COME UNDER CENTRAL TEXAS OR THE COST. THAT'S THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE OVERALL COST FOR LIKE SAFETY INSPECTION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT WE'LL NEED A CHECK TO THE BILL. CENTRAL TEXAS IS UNDER AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, AND IT SPECIFIES CERTAIN CERTAIN PROJECTS UNDERNEATH THERE. AND SO THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT AS WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OTHER KIND OF FUNDING OPTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE. AND SO WE CAN TAKE UP TO TWO MORE QUESTIONS. I DEFINITELY WANT TO HAVE A BREAKOUT TO ALLOW Y'ALL TO GO LOOK AT EXHIBITS AND ALSO SPEAK TO US ONE ON ONE. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR COMING. FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO STICK AROUND WE'LL BE HERE A WHILE. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS HERE. AND SO WE'RE HAPPY TO CHAT ONE ON ONE WITH Y'ALL. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. PLEASE LET LANCE KNOW. AND PLEASE TAKE THE SURVEY. SO THAT WAY WE CAN DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. AND YOU KNOW, AS THINGS MOVE IN THE FUTURE, WE WE HAVE THAT * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.