AUSTIN (KXAN) — As part of a pilot, Capital Metro and Austin Transportation are planning to merge two bus stops near the University of Texas and put in curb extension technology at the site in order to improve service this month.
In a press release Tuesday, CapMetro said it will merge the MetroBus stop and MetroRapid station on Guadalupe and Dean Keeton streets to one stop on the northeast side of the intersection. A curb extension spanning 120 feet will then be installed on Guadalupe in the bike lane north of Dean Keeton.
The curb extension will help CapMetro buses meet the sidewalk and curb without having to pull out of a travel lane. It will also give space from the roadway for people who are walking, biking and boarding transit at the intersection.
A checkered pattern on the platform will guide bicyclists to yield to CapMetro riders who are boarding buses. These types of platforms, made by ZICLA, have helped customers in Los Angeles and New York City, CapMetro said.
The project is funded through the 2018 Transit Speed & Reliability Interlocal Agreement between CapMetro and the City of Austin.
Construction should take about a week, and the organizations will be looking at how the pilot performs over the next six months before considering a permanent solution. They hope it will keep pedestrians, cars, buses and bikes safe as well as alleviate congestion on the roads.
