These buses will move faster than traffic when $150 million project is finished
It’s not light rail but it’s close, and in 2022 it’s coming to Pierce County: Bus Rapid Transit.
The bus system known as BRT uses dedicated lanes, stations that allow level (no stairs) boarding and high-frequency service to bring buses into the realm of rapid transit.
The $150 million project will install 31 pairs of stations along with bus lanes on Pacific Avenue. The 14-mile route will run between Commerce Street in Tacoma and state Route 7 in Spanaway.
Pierce Transit wants to hear from the public on where those stations should go. The transportation agency also wants to know what the public thinks about lane configurations — whether they should be built in the center of the road or on the perimeters.
The agency is holding a public hearing on March 11 to gather input.
A NEW WAY TO ROLL
When operating, BRT buses will run every 10 minutes during morning and evening commutes and 15 minutes in off hours. As with light rail, electronic reader boards will countdown the minutes until the next bus arrives.
“The whole point is that it’s fast,” said Pierce Transit spokeswoman Rebecca Japhet. “You don’t have to look at a schedule. You just go to the station.”
The BRT buses will have multiple doors for boarding, and passengers will purchase tickets before entry (or use a fare card.) Those features eliminate the sometimes minutes-long line to get on a bus that plagues traditional systems.
Wheelchair and walker users, along with bike riders, will be able to roll on without waiting for a lift.
Japhet said the buses will hold green lights for faster travel times through clogged intersections. That could make them faster than some streetcars — like Seattle’s — that often get bogged down in traffic.
The system will run between the Commerce Street transfer center in Tacoma and the intersection of 204th Street East and state Route 7 in Spanaway. That corridor is currently served by Pierce Transit’s Route 1 — the agency’s busiest.
The BRT route will make a detour of sorts from the corridor to the Tacoma Dome Station and then back again before heading to either Commerce Street or Spanaway. The exact configuration has not been chosen. Pierce Transit is also seeking input on that.
CHOOSING A STYLE
For municipalities, an advantage of BRT over rail-based rapid transit is less demanding infrastructure.
“It’s flexible because you’re not putting down rail,” Japhet said.
If Sound Transit’s planned extension of its light rail system to the Tacoma Dome Station affects the BRT system, the bus lanes would be easier to move than rail.
Perhaps the biggest decision that needs to be made is which bus-lane configurations should be used.
The two lane-configuration choices as defined by Pierce Transit are:
▪ Curbside/business access transit lanes: Buses travel in the outside (right) lane of the roadway. Stations are located next to sidewalks.
▪ Hybrid/median: Buses travel in the center of the roadway for 3.6 miles. Transit riders would be required to cross half the roadway to access stations located in the median. In other areas, it travels in mostly mixed traffic.
A technical advisory committee has recommended the curbside alternative. Committee members said it would have less impact on businesses and has better traffic flow and travel times.
The committee also recommended a route to the Tacoma Dome Station using South 26th Street and Puyallup Avenue. The group includes representatives from government, transit agencies, universities and others.
However, some transportation advocates are pushing for the hybrid/median option, according to a fact sheet from Downtown on the Go.
“The hybrid alternative is the only alternative that creates a safe and people centered environment along Pacific/SR 7,” the Tacoma-based transportation advocacy group says.
The City of Tacoma’s transportation commission also prefers the hybrid configuration, according to Josh Diekmann, an assistant division manager with the public works department.
“During early discussions of the project, the commission was supportive of the hybrid alternative, and I anticipate the commission’s letter will generally favor the hybrid alternative,” Diekmann said in an e-mailed statement.
The commission is supportive of BRT along the corridor, Diekmann said.
Both Downtown on the Go and Tacoma say the hybrid option is safer for pedestrians and favors future transportation orientated development.
There is already $90 million committed to the Pierce Transit BRT project. Those funds come from:
▪ $60 million from Sound Transit 3.
▪ $19.2 million from state funds.
▪ $8.7 million from federal grants.
▪ $2 million from Pierce Transit matching funds.
“We are seeking the remaining $60 million needed in the form of federal grants,” Japhet said.
If fully funded, service could get underway in 2022.
This isn’t the first time Pierce Transit has sought public input on the BRT project. They’ve held open houses along the corridor since late 2017 and presented to civic groups and organizations. They’ve also gotten extensive input via online, Japhet said.
“Soon, during the design phase, we are planning to create a corridor advisory team made up of citizens that will offer input on that work and help us keep people along the corridor informed about the project’s progress,” she said.
Public hearing
When: March 11, 4 p.m.
Where: Pierce Transit Training Center, Rainier Room, 3720 96th St. SW, Lakewood.
Information: RideBRT.com.
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 10:12 AM.
