Lane Transit District unveiled two new design options for the EmX extension project Tuesday afternoon in the last of a series of community design dialogues. Project Manager Tom Schwetz, LTD’s Director of Development Services, fielded questions from a variety of concerned and enthusiastic citizens.
The goal of the EmX extension project is to implement high-capacity public transportation in the West 11th corridor, in the form of bus rapid transit. The project aims to connect the existing Franklin Boulevard EmX line with a new line that would extend bus service to the West Eugene area, eventually providing residents with increased access to businesses and services located in West Eugene and eliminating traffic congestion.
On its project Web site, LTD expresses the need for additional EmX lines. “You don’t have to live on West 11th Avenue in Eugene to feel the increased traffic, especially during rush hour. Commuters can count on back-ups and delays at several intersections,” the project Web site says. West 11th Avenue averages 17,000 to 25,000 vehicle trips per day, according to LTD data.
Schwetz compared the growth of the existing Franklin Boulevard EmX line with projected ridership on the new line. “That stretch was one of our most productive,” he said. The ridership has grown immensely from an average of 2,500 riders each day to a daily average of more than 6,000.
Similar to the conditions on Franklin Boulevard prior to the introduction of the quick-footed green bus, LTD says on the project Web site, “Bus service along West 11th Avenue has become inefficient. Travel time for the bus between downtown Eugene out West 11th Avenue has eroded to a point where LTD is sometimes sending out two busses to do what used to be accomplished using only one bus, all because the bus cannot stay on schedule.”
Beginning in July 2008, LTD hosted a series of community design dialogues, which introduced each of the various options for expanding the line. Broken into three segments, the proposals contain possible routing options.
The new design options introduced Tuesday are within Segment A, the Eugene downtown area west of Garfield Street. One option is a streamlined alternative for the EmX as it approaches Eugene Station from Springfield. Rather than jumping up to West 10th Avenue, the bus would continue down West 11th Avenue before entering the station. The bus would then exit the downtown area via West 10th Avenue, as it currently does. The bus would operate on the south side of the street in a mixed-traffic lane, eliminating several blocks of curbside pProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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king on the south side of West 11th but retaining parking on the north side.
At the meeting, residents asked about the impact of the EmX line on traffic flow and bike lanes and worried about the loss of parking. Stefano Viggiano, LTD assistant general manager, pointed out that the EmX would probably have a five-second head start on green lights, similar to the existing EmX on Franklin Boulevard.
“At this point we aren’t hearing a lot of concerns about this option,” he said, explaining that residents seem to be curious about the changes, if not enthusiastic.
The second design option would transform an existing travel lane on Lincoln Street into an EmX-only lane. The EmX would travel east on West 7th Avenue and turn onto Charnelton Street. Traveling west, the EmX would travel up Lincoln Street before turning onto West 6th Avenue.
Residents expressed concern about the environmental impact of transforming a traffic lane into one that is EmX-only. One resident pointed to grandiose oak trees lining Lincoln and questioned their fate. Schwetz explained that because the EmX would be taking over an existing lane, the environmental impact would be lessened than if the street were widened to accommodate an additional lane.
Another resident wondered about the quality of life impact for residents of Lincoln Street. An average of six buses an hour would be passing by her home, and she commented that although the EmX is relatively quiet, there would be no denying its presence.
Environmental impact is a subject that LTD is not permitted to take lightly. Because it will petition for federal funding for the project, LTD is required to undergo a series of intensive studies before even selecting a design option, a process LTD began more than a year ago.
“We can’t build it without federal funding,” Viggiano said. “It’s an extensive process.”
For each option, the team must explore a series of 19 areas of possible environmental impact, ranging from land use to wetland preservation. Because of the frequency of buses and the stationing of bus stops every third of a mile, the impact upon the neighborhoods and the environment is especially important for this project. LTD adopted a range of options, which includes designs presented Tuesday as well as a no-build alternative.
“One of the attractions of bus rapid transit is that it has flexibility,” said Schwetz. While he didn’t deny that light rail is an attractive option down the road, Schwetz explained that the benefit of the EmX is that routes can be altered to accommodate changes, whether environmental, business or resident-related.
LTD expects to submit a Draft Environmental Impact Statement this summer, and after soliciting public and agency comments, the project committee will select a preferred design option sometime this winter. Only after a Final Environmental Impact Statement is submitted can the design move toward realization.
Schwetz speculated that LTD could open services on the new line as soon as 2014.
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