Transportation and Mobility

Lubbock City Council met yesterday to review a recommended road bond and discuss potential changes to Broadway Street, primarily the use of the road’s historic bricks. Our reporter Samantha Larned has more.

Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan says research shows passengers “overwhelmingly prefer” an assigned-seat system. He also pledged to improve the airline's financial performance.

The state’s booming population, congestion problems and billions of federal dollars on the table have officials eyeing ways to boost passenger rail.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says travelers should expect delays Friday as airlines respond to the global technology outage for Microsoft Windows systems.

The Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public comment on the Draft 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and the 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program, through July 18, 2024. LMPO's executive director David Jones says the organization is looking for feedback on transit services, the street network, and the public process itself. More information and the link for online comment can be found at www.lubbockmpo.org.

The Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public comment ahead of the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and the 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Program.

The Texas Department of Transportation is accepting public comment on the Rural Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) for the years 2025 through 2028. The virtual meeting posted by TxDot will cover proposed projects for Lubbock and neighboring counties. And KERA's Bekah Morr reports on new data from the Society of Family Planning about telehealth abortion care in states which have restricted the procedure.You can watch the Lubbock TIP meeting here. And public comment can be sent via mail to TxDOT Lubbock District at 135 Slaton Hwy, Lubbock, TX 79404-5201or via email to LBB_projects@txdot.gov with the subject line FY 2025-2028 Rural TIP Comment.

Our reporter Samantha Larned has more on the city’s purchase of six new paratransit buses as the next phase of its “fleet replacement” plans. KERA's Bekah Morr reports on a growing number of abortion challenges in Texas as the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear a case about whether to restrict access to a common abortion drug.

In another step to completing Texas' Ports-to-Plains corridor, the I-27 Numbering Act unanimously passed the US House of Representatives, designating roads from Raton, New Mexico, to Amarillo through Lubbock and Midland to Laredo, as part of Interstate 27. And KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo has more after A federal judge heard testimony in a lawsuit against Texas that could lead to a partial federal takeover of its foster care system.

Our reporter Samantha Larned has more after the Lubbock Public Transit Advisory Board approved the purchase of another round of new hybrid buses. The Texas House moved forward a bill that would forbid private companies from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for employees. As KERA’s Elena Rivera reports, lawmakers against the proposal worry about its potential impact on small businesses and health care facilities.