Gateway EmX Extension

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The new route will provide convenient EmX service to many destinations, including the Gateway Mall, Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, and International Way businesses, and will link those destinations to the University of Oregon, downtown Eugene, downtown Springfield, and many businesses and neighborhoods. Service will run every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes during evenings and weekends.

“The Gateway EmX Extension is exactly the kind of shovel-ready project that will help boost our struggling economy,” said Congressman Peter DeFazio. “It will immediately put people to work and improve the local transportation infrastructure to stimulate future development in Eugene-Springfield. This project is moving this community in a positive direction.”

Gateway EmX Extension route map

(click map to enlarge)

The $41 million project will create 400 jobs during its two-year construction phase, and it will improve the transportation system in Eugene-Springfield for the long-term. Ninety-three percent (93%) of the cost will be funded by federal and state capital grants. LTD is investing a local match of nearly $3 million.


Rendering of EmX traveling on Pioneer Parkway

As with many transportation projects, several years of planning were required to develop the Gateway EmX Extension. LTD worked with the City of Springfield, Lane County, and the Oregon Department of Transportation to identify and design the EmX corridor, conduct public outreach, and obtain project approval and funding through the new Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts Program and the State of Oregon ConnectOregon Program.

“The Gateway EmX Extension is an incredible project that will connect downtown Springfield with one of the premier employment centers in Lane County,” said Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken. “It is another example of the city’s great partnerships with LTD and the Oregon Department of Transportation. We work together and get things accomplished.”

EmX offers many benefits to the community. Among them, the cost to operate EmX service is less than regular LTD bus service because EmX vehicles can carry more passengers. More passengers on EmX means there are fewer cars on the road, thereby reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. And the simplicity, speed, and style of EmX service have attracted many new riders. Since EmX service began, ridership has doubled on the route that EmX replaced.

“The Gateway EmX Extension is among the first projects to receive ConnectOregon funds aimed at improving public transit infrastructure and other transportation improvements,” said Commissioner Alan Brown, a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission. “This project is a smart investment for our state to build a better transportation system, which is key to attracting and supporting our citizens and our commerce.”