Area residents will not see signs of the first phase of Eugene’s newest transportation system, Bus Rapid Transit, until the end of the school year, because construction has been postponed until spring 2004.
The BRT system — based on the principles of light rail transportation, such as Portland’s Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) — uses busses in coordination with existing infrastructure like roads and traffic signals. BRT busses would also have an exclusive right-of-way, letting them bypass other vehicles in their own lane.
Mark Pangborn, assistant general manager at Lane Transit District, said much progress has been made in developing BRT, despite construction delays.
Pangborn said the BRT proposal is already in its final stages, and LTD is waiting for approval of building permits from the city of Eugene and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
“We’re waiting for permits on our design of the Phase 1 system,” Pangborn said. “We will probably get those during the next couple of months.”
Pangborn said LTD needed to resolve design issues before applying for permits from the city and ODOT, preventing the organization from starting construction this summer, as originally planned. He added that LTD is also waiting for the University to select a site for its new basketball arena. The University is considering building the arena at several sites along Franklin Boulevard, where the BRT will operate.
“Of course, we want to make sure that everything is settled before even starting construction,” Pangborn said.
As for cost, Pangborn said the BRT will be much less expensive to build and operate than light rail, because it doesn’t use trains and track. He estimated that building the BRT would cost $5 million to $5.5 million per mile, compared to $50 million for every mile of a light-rail system. The total cost of building the BRT will be about $20 million.
Pangborn said LTD is also in the process of purchasing University property to expand Franklin Boulevard and make room for BRT. The system will have a separate bus lane running along the existing median from Franklin Boulevard to Springfield’s Main Street. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin spring 2004, and bus operation should begin in fall 2006.
According to University Planning officials, the largest piece of property to be purchased for the route will be 15 feet of Lot 15, the parking lot located across Agate Street from Oregon Hall.
Director of University Planning Chris Ramey said parking spaces would not be lost when construction begins, because the University will reconfigure the lot’s layout.
The second and third phases of the BRT project will expand the system from downtown Springfield to the Gateway area and from downtown Eugene to Coburg Road. All three routes will connect, creating a loop around the Eugene-Springfield area.
A sleek, 60-foot hybrid-electric powered vehicle called “the Invero” will ferry passengers once the BRT system’s first phase is completed. The Invero is produced by New Flyer of America, Inc., the largest manufacturer of transit vehicles in North America, according to LTD’s Web site.
Pangborn explained that growth in the Eugene-Springfield area and increased traffic are the main reasons that prompted the LTD to consider systems like BRT.
“This is something we can start doing now so in the future we will have better transportation for the whole community,” Pangborn said.