Pierce Transit puts troubled Bus Rapid Transit project on hold and turns to quicker fix
Pierce Transit has hit the pause button on its ambitious Bus Rapid Transit project and will instead bring what it calls an enhanced bus service to the Pacific Avenue/state Route 7 corridor.
The agency’s board of commissioners voted unanimously on the shift in direction during a meeting Monday.
Now, Pierce Transit will initiate an enhanced bus service along the route that incorporates some of what BRT set out to accomplish.
“Our long-term vision remains implementation of a full-service Bus Rapid Transit project that can address the needs of our rapidly growing community, but we know riders deserve high-quality transit now,” Pierce Transit board chair Kristina Walker said in a statement.
What went wrong?
The earliest projections in 2017 had the $150 million BRT project up and operating in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and inflation became hurdles for the project, but even bigger roadblocks appeared.
The various agencies that have jurisdiction along the 14-mile-long route — the state Department of Transportation, the city of Tacoma, Pierce County — didn’t always see eye-to-eye on overlapping facets of the project. Business and home owners who stood to lose property and access along the route, sent planners back to the drawing board.
Earlier this year, the project had ballooned to $300 million and was years behind schedule.
Enhanced bus service
Pierce Transit’s Route 1 will continue along the corridor when the new enhanced service begins as early as March 2024, Pierce Transit said.
The service will use only 14 existing bus stops, saving 28 minutes of round-trip travel time between Spanaway and Tacoma Dome Station. It also will use existing 40-foot-long buses.
The system will be integrated with traffic lights. When a bus nears an intersection, traffic lights will stay green long enough to allow the bus to pass through.
The future
Pierce Transit said pausing the BRT will allow the agency to better coordinate overlapping aspects of the project with other agencies and municipalities.
WSDOT is planning safety and connectivity-focused improvements along SR 7 as part of its Complete Streets program.
The City of Tacoma is creating its Picture Pac Ave vision. The decades-long growth and development plan will guide future investments along Pacific Avenue from approximately I-5 to South 96th Street.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
