 |
NEWS HEADLINES |
|
|
| CLASSIFIEDS |
| » The City of Fairfax, VA, is seeking a superintendent for the CUE Bus system. [More] |
| » Tennessee DOT has an opening for manager of the Office of Public Transportation. [More] |
| » The Regional Transit Authority of New Orleans is looking for vendors to supply and deliver bio-diesel and diesel fuel for its buses and leased ferries. [More] |
| View more Classified Ads » |
| TO PLACE AN AD: E-mail or fax the requested date(s) of publication to: ptads@apta.com or FAX to (202) 496-4898. Mailing address is: Passenger Transport, 1666 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.
Ad copy is not accepted by phone. DEADLINE: Noon, Monday, one week prior to publication date. INFORMATION: Phone (202) 496-4877. |
BRT Enters Service In Fort Collins, CO
Transfort in Fort Collins, CO, introduced service May 10 on MAX, the region’s first BRT line. The service is operating fare free until Aug. 24.
The five-mile MAX line serves 12 new stations along a corridor close to about 60 percent of jobs in Fort Collins. Almost three-quarters of the route operates on a dedicated guideway, and MAX has priority at traffic signals.
Transfort General Manager Kurt Ravenschlag said that planning for MAX has been in the works for close to 15 years, with construction beginning in 2012. The north-south line travels along “the spine of our community,” he said, traveling through the center of the Colorado State University (CSU) campus, and terminates at a newly built transit center.
He explained the economic development philosophy behind MAX: “We realized that our community can no longer grow outward. We had to refocus on growing inward and upward, adding capacity through public transit such as BRT. MAX also was a way to stimulate economic development, and we’re definitely seeing that, through an investment of more than $140 million before the line opened. We anticipate hundreds of millions more as the corridor matures.”
Ravenschlag concluded: “MAX is a way to deliver more transit service that meets our customers’ needs and desires.”
FTA Regional Administrator Linda Gehrke joined Fort Collins Mayor Karen Weitkunat and other local officials at the opening event at the South Transit Center.
“We applaud Fort Collins’ vision of offering truly seamless transportation choices for thousands of residents—from the new MAX BRT line to other local Transfort bus routes, regional transit, and an extensive bicycle and pedestrian trail system,” FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan said in a statement. “The future of this city, and our nation, depends on making sustained investments in projects like this one that promote economic growth and opportunity for generations to come.”
The city has seen extensive local economic development along the MAX route, including construction of hundreds of new apartment units and more than 21,000 square feet of planned retail and office space. The line itself generated approximately 1,000 construction jobs.
FTA funded 80 percent, or $69.5 million, of the total $87 million project. The balance of the funding came from state and local sources including the city of Fort Collins, CSU, and Colorado DOT.
|
|
|
Crowds board MAX BRT in Fort Collins, CO, on opening day. |
|
