Birmingham’s Bus Rapid Transit Project gaining speed

Say hello to new buses, Birmingham. They’ll be here soon!

The Birmingham City Council recently approved spending $20 million to construct 36 new bus stations, along with designated bus lanes. This money matches a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

In addition, the Birmingham Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT Project) will connect 25 neighborhoods along a 10-mile stretch from Five Points to the west to Woodlawn in the east.

For commuters, this modern, enhanced transit line represents big news. Its route serves major employers, like Integrated Medical Systems, UAB and Brookwood Princeton Medical Center. The route also connects 25 neighborhoods to services and opportunities throughout the Magic City.

This news goes hand-in-hand with Apple’s recent addition of Birmingham to its Apple Maps transit list. You can read more about that here.

The city will pay for its match via a bank loan and later through municipal bonds.

Project Partners

The City of Birmingham partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) for the BRT Project as a part of the overall Birmingham Transit Program.

Bus Route Details

The new transit line will travel through Birmingham’s Jones Valley along the U.S. 11 corridor. It will connect the Woodlawn community through downtown Birmingham with the West End community.

The new transit line will replace the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority’s (BJCTA) MAX bus services that currently operate in these corridors. The buses will operate in both dedicated lanes and in mixed traffic.

Bus Details

New buses will provide level boarding for all passengers, operate on 15-minute frequencies much of the day (30 minutes in off-peak periods and on weekends) and include wheelchair self-parking areas.

BRT stops will also include bicycle parking. Some stops will even host Birmingham’s Zyp Bikeshare stations. The travel time between Woodlawn and the Birmingham CrossPlex is estimated to be an hour. That’s a reduction of 20 minutes from the current system.

When?

The BRT project will be completed in 2020, in time for the 2021 World Games. We’re hosting that, btw!

For current rider information and more, check out the MAX website. It’s still the way to go for now.