Stories by Nathan Bernier, KUT
Austin's airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) is gearing up to add at least 20 new gates, expanding capacity at the overcrowded airport as it struggles to serve millions more passengers each year than it was designed to handle. The planned gates will…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Apr 16, 2024
New federal cash paves way for East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge over Lady Bird Lake
Facing a steep climb in costs for a long-planned pedestrian bridge on the eastern edge of Austin’s most popular trail, the city has finally found a path forward with a $4 million cash infusion from the federal government. The new money will…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Apr 10, 2024
New Cap Metro train station opens at Q2 Stadium as ‘quiet zones’ take effect
Editors note: Since this story published, Capital Metro’s operations chief, Andy Skabowski, said he was mistaken about when quiet zones would take effect. In an interview with KUT, Skabowski apologized for his statements and clarified the quiet zone would start in six…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Feb 26, 2024
Your ultimate guide to the I-35 expansion through Central Austin
Austin’s Interstate 35 – the spine of the region’s roadway grid – is about to undergo the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. Brace yourself: Construction could last a decade. This time it’s for real. The money –…
Roads • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Feb 23, 2024
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Dirty Martin's would be spared under new concept for light rail
A 98-year-old hamburger restaurant wouldn’t be flipped off the map to make space for Austin’s new light-rail system under conceptual plans revealed by the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the local government corporation building the 10-mile transit system. But the owner…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Feb 8, 2024
Fresh details on Austin's light-rail plans emerge as officials chase federal cash
Lee esta historia en español Austinites curious about the city’s light-rail future are being offered fresh details as the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) launches an in-depth environmental review in a bid to qualify for billions in federal cash. The new…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Feb 5, 2024
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I-35 expansion sparks civil rights complaint and another lawsuit
Opponents of the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) plans to widen Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. 290 East are taking their fight to federal court. The legal complaint echoes calls heard at rallies and from local elected officials against…
Roads • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 29, 2024
Austin confronts legal challenge to 10-mile light-rail plan
City Council and the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) are firing back against a lawsuit aiming to terminate the vision for a 10-mile light-rail network – the single most ambitious public transit project in the city’s history. In legal filings in…
Courts • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 10, 2024
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Weather observers at Austin's airport have no windows or internet access
Professional weather observers inside the air traffic control tower at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) have no windows or internet access to check the weather radar, satellite imagery or other conditions across the region, according to federal documents. The weather observers…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 9, 2024
Austin's shift to electric buses is plagued by vehicle glitches and supplier bankruptcy
Capital Metro’s drive to electrify its entire fleet of buses is coming with some hard lessons about the high costs of early adoption. The transit agency’s battery-powered buses have been less reliable and harder to fix. Now, a company selling…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Dec 6, 2023
Austin airport’s safety is under scrutiny after a string of near misses
A disturbing string of dangerous incidents at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – including near misses and two tarmac deaths this year – has elected officials clashing with city staff over safety at an airport where passenger volumes have more than doubled…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Nov 8, 2023
Records show first responders in Austin struggling to respond to Cruise's self-driving cars
Austin’s first responders grappled with how to manage Cruise’s robot cars and their “alarming” behavior, records obtained by KUT show. An internal reporting system used by Austin firefighters and police describes Cruise cars coming within inches of parked fire trucks,…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Oct 31, 2023
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