While national races remain nail-biters, the results are in (and generally positive) for several local transit and climate ballot questions. Here's a roundup of what passed, and what didn't:
Two victories in Texas
Austin, one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, finally approved a major new light rail network after failing twice before (in 2000 and 2014).
Capital Metro's "Project Connect" plan would raise $7.5 billion from local property taxes to build two new light rail lines, a new commuter rail line, a downtown transit tunnel, and a bus rapid transit network, and new e-bikes and stations for the local bikesharing system.
Austin's new "Project Connect" transit plan, which was endorsed by voters on November 3, 2020.Austin's new "Project Connect" transit plan, which was endorsed by voters on November 3, 2020.
In nearby San Antonio, voters approved a more modest transit funding package that will allocate a portion of local sales taxes to fund improvements to the city's VIA bus network.
Portland, OR votes down transit and roadway funding package
Meanwhile, voters in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region turned down a $5 billion package that would have funded a broad range of roadway and transit projects – the biggest of which would have been a new light rail line from downtown to the city's southwestern suburbs. It would have also funded bus rapid transit investments on four major corridors.
The sales tax is expected to keep trains running, and keep the electrification project on schedule.
"Post-pandemic, (the vote) will enable Caltrain to run a more frequent, Metro-style service level, running all day and night," says StreetsblogSF editor Roger Rudick.
Gwinnett County, a diverse suburban region northeast of Atlanta (and just out of reach of MARTA's existing Gold Line), is still counting ballots on its "Gwinnett Connect" transit plan, which would have levied a new 1% sales tax to fund a $12 billion transit expansion, including a short extension of MARTA's Gold Line into the county, and new bus rapid transit services to connect to it.
A previous version of this story reported that the referendum had been rejected; however, in recent days, as more mailed-in ballots have been counted, the measure's chances have improved.