EmX History

An Investment in the Future

Discussions about new transportation options began in 1996 as part of a regional transportation plan update. During the update process, several transit options were considered, analyzed, and discussed in public forums. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) emerged as the clearly preferred transit strategy. It was seen as a way to significantly enhance transit service and achieve many of the benefits of light rail without the high cost. As a result, BRT was approved in 2001 as a key element of the new transportation plan by Eugene, Springfield, Lane County, and LTD.

LTD favored the BRT concept because it is appropriate in scale and cost for a community our size, it results in more efficient transit operation, and can be developed one line at a time, as warranted by community demand and as allowed by funding. BRT is a system that the community can grow around.

EmX is an investment in the community’s future. As the metropolitan area grows, EmX will play an increasingly important role in providing mobility, reducing traffic congestion, and maintaining the community’s quality of life.


First Corridor

The pilot corridor, EmX Green Line, links downtown Eugene and downtown Springfield, traveling primarily on Franklin Boulevard. This corridor also serves the University of Oregon, Northwest Christian College, and Sacred Heart Medical Center. This corridor was selected because of its high traffic volume and population density, its heavy transit ridership, and the opportunity it offers to involve both Springfield and Eugene. By linking the Eugene Station and the Springfield Station, two major hubs for LTD, the Franklin EmX forms a “backbone” which will benefit all future EmX lines.

Sixty percent of this corridor consists of exclusive bus lanes which allow EmX to operate efficiently, even in high traffic situations.


an early simulation of EmX traveling on Franklin Boulevard

Public Involvement

LTD has always valued public participation in transit planning, and EmX planning and design was no exception. In addition to the public input gained from the transportation plan update, LTD staff and Board members met with hundreds of community members to discuss EmX, including civic leaders, business owners, environmental groups, neighborhood groups, and service groups. Open houses, newspaper and television advertising, printed brochures, and postcards have been used to help the community learn about EmX.

A separate, more focused public involvement process was used for corridor planning and design. Special public meetings and design workshops hosted by LTD involved community residents in the actual design of the corridor. More than 20 workshops and Open Houses were held on the Franklin EmX project. In addition, LTD staff made direct contact with every business along the corridor.

Construction

Sixty percent of the first corridor consists of exclusive bus lanes. Construction on the first corridor included undergrounding utilities, tree pruning, landscaping, curb realignments, and of course, construction of the stations themselves. LTD worked with local contractors, adjacent businesses, local governments, and other specialists to make sure the construction would cause as little inconvenience as possible.

Local experts were utilized in every phase of the project -- arborists and urban foresters, concrete specialists, traffic engineers, architects, and landscapers, to name just a few. Despite the complexities involved, the project came in on time and under budget.

Vehicles

Features of the new vehicle include:
-- Reliable 60-foot articulated vehicle
-- GM Allison hybrid-electric propulsion ... quiet and low emissions
-- Doors on both sides of the vehicle
-- Quick and easy level boarding
-- Space for two wheelchairs
-- Space for three bicycles on board
-- Six vehicles; $960,000 each

Stations

Accessibility

Funding