Rapid Bus Transit May Become A Reality For Lansing

As civic leaders from Mid-Michigan contemplate how to make the area more vibrant and attractive to young residents, one idea that has been tossed about for a number of years is mass transit. More specifically, rapid mass transit. Mid-Michigan likely couldn't afford or sustain a light rail project as Detroit is currently embarking on. But, according to the Lansing State Journal, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a possibility that local leaders support, and think may be a viable option for the region.

The main focus of the proposed BRT is the Michigan Avenue/Grand River Avenue corridor between the State Capitol and Meridian Mall, which is currently CATA's Route 1. The idea is to install specific bus lanes along Michigan and Grand River Avenues that would allow for almost completely uninterrupted travel for BRT. The route is just over 8 miles long. The plan calls for 27 elevated stations to be built along the route. So, what would be the estimated travel time difference? Currently, Route 1 takes 45 minutes to travel one way. BRT service would shred that time to nearly 10 minutes.

According to the article, the plan is being proposed with Cleveland's HealthLine BRT in mind, which connects major health facilities with rapid transit. Lansing's BRT would connect major landmarks along CATA's busiest route with buses available every 10 minutes during peak morning hours, and every 7 to 10 minutes in evening peak hours.