AUSTIN (KXAN) — No through traffic on The Drag? A rail system traveling underneath Pleasant Valley Road?

These are two of the design elements Austinites will have the opportunity to weigh in on as city and transit leaders continue design work on the $7.1 billion Project Connect transit overhaul.

This spring, four key project designs from the upcoming Blue and Orange light rail lines will be discussed at community meetings and town halls:

• Riverside/Pleasant Valley Station
• The Drag
• Blue Line Bridge at Lady Bird Lake
• Crestview Station

Here’s a preview of design options under consideration and how to get involved.

Riverside/Pleasant Valley Station

Project Connect leaders will host a community workshop in May where residents can share input on two design options for the Riverside and Pleasant Valley Station.

The first option presents an underpass design, where the rail system will run beneath Pleasant Valley Road and the current road configuration will remain as is. The second option is an at-grade transit plaza, where rail and bus services will converge on the same level as through traffic. This second option would also feature the addition of a roundabout, depicted in the Option B rendering pictured below.

At this May workshop, project leaders will weigh out the construction pros and cons of each design, as well as some of the cost differences between the two options. Other elements residents will be asked to comment on include:

• Accessibility features, which would include elevators or other access services for the underpass design
• Transfers between transit modes, or how residents will safely make their way across the concourse from the rail to bus services, and vice versa
• Estimated travel times and any noted differences between an underpass and at-level design
• Placemaking features, such as community art or design elements
• Landscaping for environmental enhancements, shade

A specific meeting date and time in May has yet to be announced.

The Drag

Two design options proposed for The Drag could modify through traffic on Guadalupe Street.

Option A would include a combination of the light rail with one lane of through traffic in each direction. Under this option, that one traffic lane each way could accommodate either both buses and cars or just buses only.

Option B, dubbed a transit mall, would be a combination of light rail and potential bus services with enhanced shared use pathways for pedestrians, cyclists and other forms of mobility. This option would not include general-purpose traffic lanes, but the light rail transitway could potentially accommodate bus traffic.

Important considerations for residents and community stakeholders to weigh include smooth transfers from the rail to potential bus services or pedestrian traffic; landscaping along the streets; pedestrian and cyclist safety; as well as access to local businesses along The Drag.

A specific meeting date and time in May has yet to be announced.

Blue Line Bridge at Lady Bird Lake

Currently, the Blue Line Bridge set to cross Lady Bird Lake will incorporate the rail system as well as cyclists and pedestrians. Project officials are currently evaluating whether buses can be supported as part of bridge traffic.

Key considerations for residents and stakeholders to weigh include impacts to trails and parks in the area, the bus and surrounding transportation network and costs for the project, depending on which design elements and transit features end up incorporated.

A specific meeting date and time in April has yet to be announced.

Crestview Station

Two options are under consideration for Crestview Station: one where the Orange Line station runs along an elevated structure on Lamar Boulevard, and another where the Orange Line runs at street level.

Under the elevated design, the station’s structure would be elevated while the red line and freight line remains along the street level. If the Orange Line station is built at street level, it would be constructed as a center platform in the middle of Lamar Boulevard, slightly north of Airport Boulevard.

With the street level station proposal, the red line and freight service would run beneath Lamar Boulevard. Officials flagged that this grade separation project is under evaluation by Capital Metro and would require funding sources from outside Project Connect’s financial scope.

With both of these options proposed, trade offs and considerations noted include:

• Additional funding sources for the red line and freight service running beneath Lamar Boulevard
• Urban design elements
• Coordination with the Red Line trail
• Impact and coordination with area mixed-use development projects
• Transferring and accommodating rail, vehicular and pedestrian transit modes

A specific meeting date and time in April has yet to be announced.

For a complete look at schematics and design elements discussed Wednesday, click here.