Phoenix's potentially $900M rapid bus expansion moves forward
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Bus Rapid Transit is coming (eventually) to west Phoenix. Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Phoenix is moving forward on massive public transit expansion on the city's west side — adding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to a 13.6-mile stretch of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
Why it matters: The project, which the city says could cost more than $900 million, is meant to ease congestion and commutes in a populous but historically underserved area.
- The BRT project will involve adding dedicated middle lanes for city buses, which will make 17 stops between the Thelda Williams Transit Center, near the former Metrocenter mall, and downtown's Greg Stanton Central Station.
- If all goes to plan, the project would be ready to accept riders in 2031.
Driving the news: On Wednesday, a City Council subcommittee passed a request by the Public Transit Department to solicit a designer and builder for the project, which is tentatively scheduled to start construction in 2029.
- Once the full council approves — which is all but assured, given a four-member subcommittee passed it without any discussion — the city will begin its search.
Catch up quick: The City Council voted in 2021 to approve the current route, with an anticipated start to construction later this year.
- That timeline was pushed back due to "some legislation at the state level that had a ripple effect," particularly measures that wound up scuttling a planned light rail extension near the Capitol, Phoenix BRT administrator Sara Kotecki tells Axios.
- In the last year, the city chose middle-running bus lanes as the best design for the corridor, setting it up to advance.
Zoom in: The buses will have transit signal priority and queue jumping, which will allow them to pass through intersections faster than the average vehicle.
- The regular bus routes along those roads will continue.
- The buses would be operated by Phoenix but would be part of the wider Valley Metro system.
Follow the money: The city has spent $9.5 million so far on the project, Kotecki says.
- Beyond that, the city estimates that the whole kit and caboodle could wind up costing another $916 million, which would come from "various funding sources," per a city information packet.