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Austin Transit Partnership "has“has selected Austin Rail Constructors (ARC) as the construction…marking another major step toward beginning construction in 2027",2027”, announced on Feb. 18, 2026 "The ATP Board'sThe board's approval of ARC at the Feb. 18 meeting enables ATP to begin pre-construction activities and advance final design for Austin Light Rail under“under the first phase of what will be a multibillion-dollar contract" -contract” — the release gives no dollar figure, so the pin's "above $8.2 billion" is not from this wikifigure ARC is "aa joint venture between nationally and locally recognized firmsof Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction"Construction and "willwill help shape and build the design and construction of nearly“nearly every aspect of the system, including the transitway,…bridges, traffic signals, utilities, drainage structures and streetscape improvements" "Austin's first light rail improvements”; the FY2026-27 budget also names Kiewit Austin Partnership (KAP) among the awarded contractors The system will featurehave 15 stations along a nearly 10-mile alignment and consist ofalignment, with all-electric trains running every 5-10 minutes throughoutthrough most of the day. Austin Light Rail is designed to be fully expandable for future extensions" - the release does not describe the pin's three-way alignment out day; the budget describes Phase 1 as 15 stops, a bridge over Lady Bird Lake and a connection to East Riverside, on a branched line of 9.8 miles north, south and east of downtown or a new bridge across Lady Bird Lake, Schedule per the approved FY2026-27 budget: preconstruction in 2026-27, construction 2027-33 and gives no opening year ARC was "identified as open for service in 2033, a planning schedule “contingent on contractor input and federal funding process”; the highest-ranked firm following a rigorous, competitive procurement process that evaluated elements including firms' experience, personnel qualifications, technical approach and design innovation", CEO says construction will begin in 2027 ARC was the highest-ranked firm after a competitive procurement that ATP completed in approximately one year, with team experience at "McKallaMcKalla Station, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and national rail projects in Arizona, Hawaii and Utah" and several Texas-based contractors among its subcontractors "ATP completedUtah The design-build model brings the procurement in approximately one year, faster than many comparable mega projects nationwide", after a Request for Information process and "Connect & Build" industry networking events for smallconstruction partner on board sooner, aiming to prevent costly change orders and delays, and ARC will competitively bid portions of the work as design advances Funding and local businesses "The design-build model ATP has chosen to employ brings the final construction partner on board sooner in the project with the goal of earlier alignment, preventing costly change orders and future construction delays", and ARC will competitively bid portions of the work as design advances ATP CEO Greg Canally: "This is status in the approved FY2026-27 budget: NEPA review is complete with an FTA Record of Decision; ATP plans $471.8M of Light Rail Capital Fund spending in FY27 ($254.5M professional services, $160M right-of-way, $53.3M administrative, $4M betterments), with $858M of board-approved light rail appropriations in total; FY27 aims to complete Capital Investment Grants Project Development before a big, important milestone for Austin Light Rail... with Full Funding Grant Agreement ATP CEO Greg Canally: “with this contract now in place, we are on track to begin construction in 2027",2027”, while Mayor Kirk Watson called the selection "a“a major step forward in delivering the voter-mandated transit system"system”
