New transit center opens serving South Austin

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - What was once empty space under an overpass is now the “Westgate Transit Center.” 

“It’s a beautiful change, this was just all dead space under a freeway and now it’s this beautiful transit hub,” Austin District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen said.

The center will serve South Austin. Prior to the center opening, the closest transit hub was on South Congress, 2.3 miles away and a 50 minute walk according to Google Maps. Kitchen said many of her constituents previously chose not to utilize public transit because of the inconvenient distance, and she’s hoping the new center will change that. 

“This location's gonna have 200 parking spaces, place for bikes, and we’re gonna have six roads come in here, over 200 buses a day that connect to all the major parts of the city.” president and CEO of Capital Metro Randy Clarke said.

Clarke says that means residents and visitors will be able to get where they need to go while avoiding traffic and parking problems. 

“This is the future for Austin,” Kitchen said. "You know it’s all about choices so people have a real way to choose something other than being stuck in traffic. So, places like this traffic hub make it possible and make it really easy for people to make another choice, to get on a bus."