Summary of Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines – City of Austin
5. Projects Not Warranting a Transportation Assessment or Full TIA
When a proposed development does not meet the thresholds requiring a Transportation Assessment or Full Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA), the applicant may still need to provide off-site transportation improvements. As specified under LDC Section 25-6-101, these improvements are limited in scope and intended to support pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure. Acceptable improvements include sidewalks, curb ramps, traffic signs, signal upgrades, bike lanes or facility upgrades, traffic calming measures, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian refuge islands, hybrid beacons, urban trail upgrades, right-of-way dedications, and transportation demand management strategies.
5.1 Mitigation Location Requirements
Any required improvements must be located within the project boundaries or within one-quarter mile of the development. If the improvements provide access to a school, bus stop, public space, or a major roadway, they may be located up to three-fourths of a mile away.
5.2 Cost Estimates and Street Impact Fee (SIF) Offsets
Developers must provide cost estimates for proposed mitigation. These may be high-level for simple items (e.g., sidewalks) or detailed for complex ones (e.g., pedestrian bridges). Improvements eligible for inclusion in the SIF Roadway Capacity Plan may qualify for offset credits, reducing the SIF fee required at building permit issuance. An offset agreement must be signed by the applicant and the TDS Lead Development Review Engineer.
6. TIA Compliance
For zoning or site plan applications tied to a prior Transportation Assessment or Full TIA, applicants must demonstrate compliance through a TIA Compliance Letter. This letter must include a description of the proposed development, trip generation details, data from previous applications, capacity accounting, and the status of required improvements. Trip data for previous developments must follow the ITE Trip Generation Manual version in effect at their approval, while current developments should use the latest version. Compliance Letters are submitted through the TIA Portal, and fees must be paid before approval. If previous assumptions are invalid or capacity has been exhausted, a new or supplemental analysis may be required.
7. Neighborhood Traffic Analysis (NTA)
NTAs are required when a development accessing residential streets generates 300+ daily trips or is a school project. NTAs must include traffic generation, current traffic counts, access management and queuing analysis, site access and trip distribution, and a Sustainable Modes Analysis. TDS staff author the final NTA memo based on applicant-provided data. If part of a Transportation Assessment or Full TIA, the consultant prepares the NTA as a study section. Required information is submitted to the TDS Lead Development Review Engineer and review fees must be paid.
8. Zoning Transportation Analysis (ZTA)
ZTAs are required for zoning cases generating 2,000+ unadjusted daily trips unless a TIA or Transportation Assessment is required instead. ZTAs support zoning decisions by analyzing potential transportation impacts and must include trip generation for maximum-intensity use, anticipated or actual TDM Plan measures, a Sustainable Modes Analysis, projected volume and street cross-section analysis, driveway access and safety, and ROW dedication needs. ZTAs are scoped and submitted via the TIA Portal with applicable review fees.
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