Lane Transit District celebrated the opening of a new bus route that extends EmX — also known as Emerald Express — service to the Gateway area in Springfield on Sunday.
Commuters enjoyed free food, prize drawings and conversations with LTD officials throughout the afternoon at Springfield, Gateway and Eugene Stations. On the EmX, a quartet from the Oregon Mozart Players played music for a crowd of confused, yet
enthusiastic passengers.
The festivities marked the end of two years of construction and nearly a decade of planning to bring the EmX to Gateway.
“It took a while to get things built,” said Andy Vobora, LTD
director of service planning, “but the city council really wanted to serve this area because it’s growing so fast. This route really opens up the Gateway district and serves a wide variety of needs.”
For University students, who can ride EmX for free with their student IDs, the area is best known for the Gateway Mall, which offers more than 60 retail stores and eateries. The area is also home to several other businesses and offices and has a high housing density.
Lane Community College student Rebecca Merrigan, who lives in the Gateway district, said the new EmX route feels like a safe environment for her and her daughter. She also said the EmX is more frequent and more reliable than regular buses.
“We didn’t really have this kind of access to Eugene before, so it’s definitely a good thing,” Merrigan said. “I don’t drive, so I know I’ll use this route all the time.”
The opening of the route also drew many people who usually don’t use LTD services.
Eugene residents Steve and Judy Longtin said they almost
always commute by car, but they decided to ride the EmX to eat at Cafe Yumm! next to the Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend, which is one of the stops on the new route.
The two were impressed by the speed of service.
“The Gateway district is a big hub for Springfield. It’s great for both cities to have this transportation system,
especially since it is so efficient,” Steve Longtin said.
The new EmX route cost
approximately $41 million to
construct, of which $38 million came from federal and state funding.
Though LTD officials are pleased to complete this project, they are already eager to begin new projects. One potential plan is expanding the EmX into West Eugene, a proposal that has been an ongoing debate. Other projects include new routes down Main Street in Springfield or River Road in Eugene. 
“It doesn’t matter too much what segment gets built next because we’re just trying to complete the system,” Vobora said. “We have 61 miles of new routes that are planned. We would like to pick up the pace in getting them built, but a lot of that depends on
funding and reaching a consensus with
 the community.”
Vobora hopes LTD’s growth will translate into a greater
interest from University students, not just for those interested in shopping at Gateway Mall but for those seeking affordable housing.
Many in the community agree, and consider the greatest value of the EmX to be its ability to assist students in exploring the rest of Eugene.
“Students shouldn’t be confined to campus,” Steve Longtin said. “They’ve got to get out, and the EmX is a great way to do it.”
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