By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Greater Grand Rapids is on track to construct the most advanced mass transit system yet in the state of Michigan, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system serving the Division Avenue corridor from downtown to the southern suburbs.
The Interurban Transit Partnership (ITP) is the first transit authority in the state to win approval from the Federal Transit Administration to apply for a $29.33 federal grant under the federal New Starts program.
“The FTA reported to congress that this project is acceptable,” says Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid. “That guarantees us the federal money faster.”
There’s $60 million in the federal pot. But the government won’t release the money for the BRT until 2009. The ITP is asking for $1.4 million the first year to pay for a preliminary design, engineering, and a federally mandated environmental study before progressing to a construction grant agreement phase.
“This isn’t just another bus route,” Varga says. “It’s a light rail service on tires.”
A dedicated traffic lane will run along Division from 60th Street, and will circle past Saint Mary’s Hospital, Spectrum Health, DeVos Place, and Van Andel Arena to The Rapid Central Station.
The hybrid buses will run every 10 minutes, will stop only at the 19 stations along the route, and will have “secondary signal preemption,” meaning traffic lights will automatically adjust to longer green lights and shorter red lights. Satellite links at each station will alert riders of the arrival time of the next bus.
“This is significant to be the first in Michigan to get New Starts,” Varga says. “It’s the beginning of Michigan's entry into what I call the modern transportation age.”
The projected cost of the BRT is $36.67 million. The remaining $7.34 million is expected to come from a state grant.
Source: Peter Varga, The Rapid
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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