The Capital Area Transportation Coalition works to inform the public and our elected officials about the urgency of addressing Central Texas’ surface transportation needs. CATC serves as the collective voice of the business community by developing public and political support for mobility solutions.
- CATC represents transportation interests at the local, state and federal levels and alerts members to how they and their employees can most effectively influence public and government officials in favor of logical mobility solutions.
- CATC keeps members up-to-date on transportation decisions and policy affecting the Capital Area through our After>Action meeting report summaries and CATC>Flash communications for breaking news.
- CATC provides members and political leaders with concise and timely reports on important mobility topics with the CATC Mobility>IN>Brief series.
- CATC serves as a clearinghouse and reference for credible transportation information.
- Transportation Advocacy Plan / Take on Traffic -To ensure that Central Texans’ introduction to tolling be accurate and placed within the context of providing long-term strategies to address overwhelming transportation needs using limited resources, CATC initiated the effort to develop a public relations campaign to address misconceptions regarding tolling. The concept was expanded to a larger public education campaign regarding transportation issues and involving other major business groups, now known as Take on Traffic.
- Mobility Funding Crisis – CATC identified the magnitude of the region’s mobility crisis in 2000 at more than $2 billion, and which has now been independently verified at $10 billion by CAMPO’s Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan. In 2001, CATC’s Technical Committee developed the Mobility Action Program, a 10-year plan recommending specific actions in the next five to ten years to plug the gap between CAMPO's 2025 Plan and the three-year construction schedule of TXDOT's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). CATC’s Technical Committee is currently developing a concise yet comprehensive summary of our transportation funding crisis in light of the $10 billion shortfall in the CAMPO 2030 Plan. This "white paper" will wrap the conclusions of the CAMPO 2030 Plan, the CAMPO Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan (TMMP) with the more current studies from CRA Consulting mobility alternative financing report and the Governor's Business Council study’s potential of gas tax indexing, with an update of our own CATC 2030 Plan.
- Distinguished Transportation Speaker Series – CATC launched a luncheon series featuring national and key local speakers with acknowledged transportation expertise to increase the knowledge level of the business and community leaders as to the whole of the transportation challenge.
- Central Texas Turnpike Project (CTTP) and Phase II Tollroads – CATC coordinated support for public hearings and critical votes for all phases of the CTTP (SH 130, SH 45N, US 183A, and Loop 1N) and the Phase II tollroads. As a result, the CTTP projects garnered unprecedented funding from local, state, and federal resources for construction and right-of-way. CATC continues to raise public awareness for the projects on which construction has begun, as well as pushing for rapid implementation of the remaining segments and support for the Phase II tollroad plan.
- Completion and Upgrades of Existing Freeways - CATC has organized support for SH 45S, US 290W, SH 71, and US 183, and other critical elements that will serve to complete our basic freeway system. CATC has been a major advocate for the continued study of Loop 1 / US 183 improvements. Executive Director Bruce Byron served on the CAMPO Loop 1 – US 183 Corridors Study Special Committee. In addition, CATC is working to develop an arterial network to connect critical city, county, state and federal roads through regional cooperation.
- Local Transportation Planning Policy – CATC monitors, critiques, and provides support for regional planning policies of local agencies, such as the CAMPO 2030 Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Capital Metro’s long-range transit plan and Commuter Rail Plan, and the creation and projects of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA). CATC coordinates with other business groups such as Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), Austin Chamber of Commeruce, Home Builders Association and the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), to provide a full network of leadership and support on local issues such as transportation funding, managed lanes, intelligent transportation systems, congestion management, access management, Austin’s Downtown Access Mobility Plan, and truck lane restrictions.
- State Transportation Representative – CATC provides local contact and support for statewide transportation funding groups, such as the Transportation Funding Coalition, North American’s Superhighway Coalition (NASCO) and TEX-21, including coordinating local support of legislative initiatives for alternative transportation funding options, such as toll-equity financing, design-build legislation, gas tax increase, local option taxes, the Texas Mobility Fund, and Regional Mobility Authority powers.
- Austin –San Antonio Commuter Rail District – CATC and the Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council were major players in securing federal funding for the creation of a regional Rail District, which will alleviate congestion and truck traffic local roads by increasing freight rail capacity and the development of a commuter rail system. CATC and ASACC are also responsible initiating the freight element of the CAMPO 2025 Plan.
- Transportation Bonds – CATC provided support for the City of Austin’s 2000 $150 million bond proposal, and coordinated support for Williamson County’s 2001 $350 million and the 1999 and 2001 Travis County transportation bond proposals, which totaled over $200M, including $98 million for CTTP right-of-way. CATC continues to monitor and promote increased bond packages for transportation projects at both the county and city levels, with particular emphasis on how leaving roads out of the local transportation plans affects regional transportation planning.