Three times over the last 20 years, voters in Austin have been asked about building out a light rail system. The Texas capital has been the fastest growing metro area in the U.S. for most of the last decade, a distinction that’s come with some of the worst traffic congestion. Still, in 2000 and 2014, Austinites turned down referenda aimed at boosting public transportation.
That changed on Nov. 3, when 58% of voters approved Project Connect, a $7.1 billion plan to add 27 new miles of rail service, an expanded all-electric bus system, and affordable housing along new routes.
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