What the public record shows about our street
1.268 miles. 176 crashes in five years.
We studied South First from Barton Springs Road through the Oltorf Street intersection. City crash, street, sidewalk, signal, 311, and markings records, plus CapMetro schedules, now give the conversation a factual starting point.
These are screening numbers from public data, not an engineering study. They tell us what deserves a closer look. They do not select a street design.
Read the complete baseline and method →
At or near the study corridor · 2021–2025
176crashes
92 caused a reported injury. Seven caused suspected serious injuries.
Measure first.
Decide together.
The shape of the crashes
The record points to intersections and turns.
The public crash descriptions support a closer look at turning, driveways, and signal timing. They do not prove which physical treatment will work.
crashes used an intersection-style address
Barton Springs and Oltorf each appear in 28 records. Monroe appears in 12.
named a turning movement
That is 102 of 176 records. The description is a screening clue, not a finding of fault.
specifically named a left turn
The largest single collision description was one vehicle going straight and one turning left.
serious-injury crashes involved a pedestrian
The five-year screen found eight serious injuries and no reported deaths.
What “at or near” means
The screen includes crash points within 50 meters of the official centerline, including cross-street crashes at Barton Springs and Oltorf. Of the 176 records, 134 name South First as the primary street and 42 name a cross street or nearby road. This avoids pretending the data is more precise than it is.
Named locations · 2021–2025
The endpoints lead the list. The pattern continues between them.
Barton Springs and Oltorf each account for 28 crash records. The middle of the corridor shows a repeated band of crashes at the streets people cross and turn.
City of Austin crash-level records · extracted July 27, 2026
See the annual crash totals Injuries and severity · 2021–2026 year to date
| Year | Crashes | Injury crashes | Serious-injury crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 36 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 42 | 26 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 32 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 34 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 through July 27 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
The seven serious-injury crashes, one by one Date, reported location, and mode
- Oltorf / South FirstCar and pedestrian
- Barton Springs / South FirstTwo vehicles and a pedestrian
- South First / MonroeLarge passenger vehicle
- 1300 South FirstTwo vehicles; two serious injuries
- South First / Barton SpringsLarge passenger vehicle and a pedestrian
- South First / MonroeCar and pedestrian
- 2313 South FirstCar
A street people already depend on
This is a main street, not a shortcut.
Homes, businesses, buses, signals, driveways, and public construction all share this 1.268-mile stretch.
- SignalBarton Springs
- BeaconElizabeth
- SignalMonroe
- SignalAnnie
- SignalMary
- SignalLive Oak
- SignalOltorf
Route 10 stops
The sampled Monday schedule includes 133 one-way trips and a 15-minute median headway at Oltorf.
signal or beacon locations
The inventory confirms devices. It does not confirm curb-ramp quality, crossing time, or accessible signals.
mph posted speed
Thirteen of 14 official centerline segments show 35 mph. No valid current operating-speed study was found.
The transit data describes the schedule, not the experience.
Public GTFS does not show stop-level ridership, delays, pass-ups, boarding-pad condition, or whether a stop has a clear accessible path. “Accessibility unspecified” does not mean accessible or inaccessible.
Walking conditions
The City’s inventory marks most sidewalk length deficient.
This is a GIS screen, not an ADA inspection. A block-by-block field audit still needs to test clear width, slope, surfaces, ramps, poles, and obstructions.
62%
of 11,260 feet of inventoried existing sidewalk is marked functionally deficient
See the 311 screening Requests are reports, not verified defects
| Request family | Requests |
|---|---|
| Right-of-way concern, obstruction, or construction concern | 138 |
| Pothole repair | 77 |
| Street-light issue or new light | 47 |
| Road markings or striping | 27 |
| Sidewalk repair or new sidewalk/curb-ramp route | 15 |
| Speed management | 8 |
| Bicycle or pedestrian issue | 7 |
Correcting the public story
The strongest case does not need the biggest number.
A frequently repeated claim said South First carried 22,000 daily trips. We could not verify it.
ClaimWhat we foundHow to use it
Daily traffic11,000–15,000 in the City’s published 2024 district strategy
Use the range with its date. Do not reuse 22,000 without its original source.
Historical camera screenAbout 13,400 weekday approach movements at Oltorf in summer 2022
Useful as a consistency check, not as current 2026 AADT.
Current answerNo verified 2026 corridor count
Ask the City for current counts, dates, directions, methods, and quality flags.
What the baseline means
The data supports a question, not yet a design.
- Injuries repeat.
The five-year screen found 92 injury crashes and seven serious-injury crashes.
- Turns matter.
Turning and left turns appear often enough to justify current turning counts and access analysis.
- Walking needs a field audit.
The City inventory flags substantial deficiency, but it cannot establish ADA compliance.
- Public work overlaps.
Transit, reclaimed-water, and flood work create a need for coordination.
- Which layout works.
No current capacity, queue, travel-time, diversion, or right-of-way study selects a design.
- How fast people drive.
The posted speed is known. A valid current operating-speed study is not public.
- How the bus performs.
Schedules are public. Stop-level demand, reliability, delay, and accessibility are not.
- When a decision can happen.
No public source gives a funded corridor redesign or an open design-engagement window.
Transit Enhancement Project 17
Planning work recommends access management, crossings, and bus-stop improvements from Ben White to Barton Springs. Current funding, design stage, owner, and engagement dates are not public.
South First reclaimed-water main
Construction is listed from spring 2026 through fall 2028. Block schedules, restoration limits, and coordination with permanent street work still need confirmation.
Annie Street flood work
The project includes street repairs and sidewalks. Funding and phasing remain conditional, and the exact South First tie-ins are not public.
The next evidence step
The next numbers we need, the City and CapMetro have.
The Alliance should request current traffic and turning counts, speed and travel-time studies, stop-level transit performance, crossing and curb-ramp records, right-of-way constraints, and the current Project 17 schedule. Then we should walk the corridor block by block with the people who use it.
On this street? Tell us what your block needs →Primary sources
Check the numbers. See the limits.
The complete baseline records the filters, source fields, caveats, and missing official records.
01Crash-level recordsCity of Austin · TxDOT CRIS-derived
02Street centerlineCity of Austin · corridor and posted speed
03Sidewalk inventoryCity of Austin · screening attributes
04Signals and pedestrian beaconsCity of Austin · active device inventory
05CapMetro GTFSStops and scheduled service · July 24, 2026 feed
06Austin 311 public dataService-request screening
07Long-line markingsHigh Injury Network flags and work dates
08South First Street District StrategyPublished traffic-volume range · 2024
09Complete public-data baselineMethod, tables, caveats, and records-request list
Extracted and checked July 27, 2026 · Recent crash records can lag · Public data is not an engineering study