Birmingham Xpress
Birmingham Xpress is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system under development in Birmingham. The first phase consists of a single east-west corridor from Woodlawn to Five Points West through the City Center. That first phase, planned to be complete before the 2021 World Games, is expected to begin service in 2020. Bus Rapid Transit has also been proposed for the U.S. Highway 280 corridor, but no specific projects have been announced.
The Birmingham City Council approved $20 million in matching funds in October 2017 to qualify for another $20 million U.S. Department of Transportation "Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery" (TIGER) grant. The city's portion of the funding was made available from the 2018 Birmingham warrant issue. The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) is responsible for a portion of the capital funding, and will take over operation of the system once it is in place.
Strada Professional Services' consulting contract with the city for project development was terminated in mid-2018, but the company was soon brought back on board for project management services. The system's development was then placed under the City of Birmingham's Capital Projects Management Office (CPMO), under deputy director Howard Richards. The name "Birmingham Xpress" was announced in January 2019.
The Bus Rapid Transit project includes the creation of dedicated bus lanes and stops along the entire route. Ten new 40-60 seat, low-floor, compressed natural gas-fueled buses will use the route, timed reach each stop every 15-minutes. City officials have discussed creating an integrated payment system that could combine Xpress and MAX fares, along with payments for ride sharing services operating in the city.
Route
The eastern terminus is set to be constructed at the site of the former Ken Del Building at 5601 1st Avenue North.
Thirty-six open air raised-platform stations will be constructed along the route.
References
- Coker, Angel (November 1, 2017) "City council approves matching federal funds for new transit system." Birmingham Business Journal
- "Birmingham's new hope for public transit." (December 7, 2018) Birmingham Business Journal
- Gonsoulin, Jennifer (January 16, 2019) "Birmingham trans gets new name, payment options." abc3340.com
- Johnson, Roy S. (January 25, 2019) "Birmingham’s Bus Rapid Transit system gets branded, plus updates." The Birmingham News
- Wright, Erica (January 31, 2019) "Plans unveiled for new inner-city bus rapid transit system in Birmingham." The Birmingham Times