5 Infrastructure and Cultural Resources

suggest that the population in the site is homogenous, in general this could mean they share common interests and ideals, which makes the group stronger. Finally, the education level for population over 25 years and over (next table) we can see that in general, Austin is better educated than the Census Block Groups that contain the Wells Branch Site Area.

Above ground infrastructure within the Wells Branch Site Area is sparse. Although the area is lightly developed, it is not devoid of infrastructure. State Highway 130 runs through the site, and large electric towers dot the landscape.

The primary, current activity center for the study site is the Austin Executive Airport, which opened in 2011. The airport is a privately owned and operated airport that services mostly small airplanes on its two runways. Despite its small size, it currently serves about 40,000 flights annually and serves as the primary hub for activity within the site.

5.1. TRANSPORTATION

Aside from the airport, transportation infrastructure in the area is primarily limited to roads and private vehicle transportation. Currently, there are no public transportation routes or stops located within the study site. Figure 5 shows the state of the transportation network within the study site. However, approximately one mile south of the study site there are bus stops for the 990 and 470 buses. In terms of road infrastructure, the roads can be described as discontinuous. There is about 35 miles of roadway within the study site, but very few roads run through the site boundaries. Pedestrian infrastructure and bike lanes in the study area are also very limited. There are only 2.5 miles of sidewalks within the Wells Branch site currently, and all are clustered along the site boundaries near the developed areas. There is one bike lane which runs along East Howard Lane and totals 1.5 miles in length.

Figure 8: Transit Network of the Study Site

5.2. UTILITIES

Sewer is not currently provided to the site. The houses that sit on the development site are mostly if not entirely operating on septic systems. The site falls entirely within the City of Austin’s water service boundary, however. Thus, if the site begins to develop more in the future, the City of Austin will have to run sewer lines out to the site. In terms of power, the site is within a shared service zone between Pflugerville and City of Austin.