MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) – After years of discussion, it appears Memphis is close to getting its very first Bus Rapid Transit system.
If approved, a dedicated lane for the BRT system will run from downtown to the University of Memphis area.
Imagine a downtown bus service that comes by every three to four minutes. It’s the vision the City of Memphis has to bolster downtown transportation.
The plan is part of the Memphis 3.0 plan to build up not out by investing in the density in the core of the city.
“To achieve the level of density that we want to see in the downtown area we need a high frequency transit service,” said John Zeanah, director of Planning and Development. “So that, that high density development is transit oriented.”
The change would create a designated bus lane in the right lane of Second Street and BB King between Union and A.W. Willis.
A non-exclusive bus lane would be found on Poplar and Union Avenue.
“Bus rapid transit in this proposal would connect not only downtown, but also the medical district and the University of Memphis,” Zeanah said.
If approved, an enforcement plan and plan for marking the bus lanes would be next on the list.
This project could receive significant funding from a federal grant the city applied for in July.
It passed in the committee meeting Tuesday, and it will go before the full council on October 9 before it goes on to TDOT.
