Austin promised a big, bold transit future — and is now delivering something much smaller and sadder.
Project Connect, sold as a transformational light rail system, has been whittled down to a shadow of itself. Gone is the downtown tunnel. Gone is the connection to the airport. What’s left is a scaled-down version that’s expensive and underwhelming — far less than what Austinites voted for.
It’s a perfect example of how progressive plans — like California’s high-speed rail — fall short, as Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson describe in their new book, "Abundance."
Their thesis is simple: America is failing to build, not just trains but all kinds of systems that allow us to live abundantly, affordably and freely. Blue cities and states want progress, but they get trapped in rules, regulations and roadblocks that keep it out of reach.
From housing to highways, too many blue governments dream big but build small.
Klein and Thompson would approve of how Austin responded to the affordability crisis by building more housing, which brought rents down from their pandemic-era highs.
Project Connect is a different story. Voters wanted a better way to get around town and reduce traffic, but the project got trapped in a predictable pattern: cost overruns, gridlock, revised timelines, lawsuits — and ultimately, diminished transit and public trust.
It’s tempting to blame inflation, the pandemic and legal actors. But the truth is more uncomfortable: Many institutions are better at stopping things than building them.
President Biden wanted to Build Back Better. The truth is: We build by bureaucracy. As his former advisor Jake Sullivan told Klein, “You try to build anything, and you’re stepping into quicksand.”
Austin has been here before. Voters rejected light rail in 2000 and 2014 due to concerns about cost, routes and skepticism that anything would get built. Project Connect was supposed to be the breakthrough — the moment the city finally delivered a major transit system.
After two decades, Austinites stepped up in 2020 and said yes. Yes, to big investment. Yes, to less traffic. Yes, to accessibility. It wasn’t a narrow win. It passed with nearly 60% of the vote.
After voters approved a 20% city property tax hike, the light rail budget nearly doubled — from $5.8 billion to more than $10 billion — following environmental reviews, community feedback, rising real estate and construction costs, utility issues and design changes.
"Many of these increases are from the community input process and collaboration on the technical design and requirements with all…parties," a Project Connect official wrote in 2022.
Even with renewed public support, Project Connect couldn’t deliver. That’s the real crisis. Not just missed trains, but a missed opportunity to prove that Austin can build a better future for its citizens.
I voted for Project Connect in 2020. I saw a well-designed plan that spanned the city with an exciting downtown subway and airport line. Having lived in Spain and Washington, D.C., I love the freedom and ease of mass transit.
I wouldn’t vote for it again — and, I suspect, neither would many Austinites. Not because we don’t believe in public transit, but because we’re not sure our government can deliver on its promise.
Klein and Thompson are right: We can’t fix America’s biggest problems without embracing an abundance mindset. We have to stop getting in our way.
This isn’t just about budgets or blueprints. It’s about belief. A belief that cities like Austin can still build big public works, like the iconic University of Texas Tower, a product of the New Deal. That ambition isn’t limited to the private sector. That we deserve more than bare bones.
Although officials say Project Connect is on track, its future is not a done deal. State officials want to stop taxpayer funding, and crucial federal dollars could be at risk, too, as the Trump administration has cut funding for other rail projects.
Moving forward, Project Connect’s leaders must rebuild public trust. That starts with transparency — clear updates on progress, timelines and costs — and honest community engagement. They should complete some routes well before the 2033 first phase deadline; early wins will build confidence and momentum. They also need to secure funding for the airport connection, a top priority for Mayor Kirk Watson and local businesses. And if transit remains stuck in neutral, put it back on the ballot.
Project Connect doesn’t have to be a cautionary tale. But first, we have to stop settling for less.
Jason Thurlkill is a communications strategist and former political reporter for The Hotline and a New York Observer news site. He has lived in Austin for nearly two decades.
