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FAQ about the West Eugene Eugene EmX Project   Will EmX improve traffic congestion in West Eugene? Professional, peer reviewed analysis has determined that the project will:  Reduce traffic congestion, Reduce travel times, and  Improve traffic conditions for both cars and transit along the corridor, including West 6th and 7th Avenues. What benefits will the West Eugene EmX project provide? The project will: Add 8.8 new round-trip miles of EmX service serving 25 stations along West 6th, 7th, and 11th Avenues. Result in a total of 24 round-trip miles of EmX service, representing 25% of the planned EmX network. Serve stations every 10 minutes on weekdays, and every 15-30 minutes during evenings and weekends. Provide fast, frequent, and easy transit service with convenient one-seat rides, level boarding, multiple doors on both sides, bikes on board, covered shelters, real-time passenger information, and fare vending machines. Improve transit travel time and reduces operating costs for the future. Improve traffic flow by adding capacity to eight intersections on West 6th, 7th, and 11th Avenues. Link an estimated 52,000 residents with 81,500 jobs along the route. Provide short-term economic benefits including 1,235 direct and indirect jobs during construction. Install 5.9 miles of new street pavement and 4.7 miles of new sidewalks. Install 2 new bike/pedestrian bridges over Amazon Creek (at Buck and Wallis Streets) with connections to West 11th Avenue; adds a bike lane on Charnelton Street. Move utility poles from the middle to the outside of sidewalks to improve pedestrian safety.   How will the project be funded? Planned project cost         $95.6 million Federal Small Starts          $75 million Oregon Lottery Bonds       Up to $21 million      How will LTD take care of businesses and property owners through design and construction of the West Eugene EmX route? Narrow strips of property will be purchased from property owners where portions of West 6th, 7th, and 11th Avenues will be widened to improve traffic flow and accommodate EmX. Property owners will receive market value for their land plus the value of any improvements removed. LTD will work with property owners along the corridor to develop acceptable project refinements that best meet the interests of property owners, businesses, and the project. During construction LTD and its contractors will maintain business and property access for customers, employees, and deliveries, and will minimize traffic disruptions. LTD will work at night where allowed and will complete roadwork in short sections to minimize its duration. Signage and media will be used to inform the public that businesses in the construction zone are open and accessible.   LTD also will have a contact available 24/7 to manage any unexpected issues should they arise and to help with any concerns from businesses and residents  Will West Eugene EmX improve property values? While introduction of bus rapid transit (BRT) in the United States is fairly recent and more research is needed, preliminary data demonstrates that BRT can have a positive impact on property values. Links: Bus Rapid Transit and Development Boosting Property Values Near BRT Transit-Friendly Development Euclid Corridor project helps drive $4 billion in Cleveland Development Land Use Impacts of BRT   How will West Eugene EmX better serve bicyclists? The West Eugene EmX project will add two new bridges over the Amazon Channel exclusively for bicycles and pedestrians that will connect existing trail systems with EmX along West 11th Avenue. Since EmX accommodates three bikes on board and provides more trips per day than regular buses, more bicyclists can be served by EmX. There also will be bike storage at EmX stations.   How will West Eugene EmX improve LTD’s operating costs? EmX is a more efficient service to the community. With features such as Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes and queue jumping that protects it from the impact of traffic congestion, LTD can provide better service with fewer buses stuck in traffic. Fewer buses provide for lower labor costs, and reduced maintenance and operations costs. Initially, as a result of premium transit service along the West Eugene corridor, there will be a short-term increase in operating costs that LTD will be able to cover without reducing regular transit service. Longer term, the EmX service will reduce LTD’s overall operating costs compared to standard system expansion without EmX. Thus, LTD will avoid the standard bus system expense of adding buses to keep service from degrading as congestion increases.   Will the EmX expansion affect current bus routes in West Eugene? LTD will shift regular bus service from streets that receive EmX service to enhance bus service coverage elsewhere in the community. LTD will be able to maintain the existing level of regular bus service while also providing the expanded EmX service.