Rapid transit seen between Downtown and Oakland
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A rare case of Cleveland envy is helping to fuel the latest proposal for improving transit service between Downtown and Oakland.
Local officials who visited that city's HealthLine, a 6.8-mile bus route with many of the attributes of a light-rail line, want to build a similar system here.
The concept has broad support in the business community, hospitals, universities and government, said Port Authority CEO Steve Bland. The authority board is expected to vote next month on a $1 million to $1.5 million study of alternatives and environmental issues.
Called rapid bus, the concept uses extra-long vehicles that travel in dedicated lanes with separate traffic signals that give them priority over cars.
In Cleveland, passengers pay their fares at 58 stations along the route, before boarding. The service operates around-the-clock, and LED message boards in the stations alert riders to the next bus arrival.
The service cut a formerly 30-minute ride to 18 minutes, boosted ridership and sparked $4 billion in investment in the Euclid Avenue corridor, according to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
Mr. Bland noted that studies and discussions of building a rail line go back more than 100 years, adding they might continue for the next 100.
One of the advantages of bus rapid transit is much lower development cost than rail -- the Cleveland corridor was redeveloped for $200 million. A Downtown-to-Oakland rail line likely would cost more than $1 billion.
Dennis Davin, Allegheny County's development director, said local officials who visited Cleveland were skeptical at first but were enthused on the ride back after touring the HealthLine.
"This had the feel and the comfort of light rail," Mr. Davin said. "This is a doable project."
"We see this as a major regional economic development and real estate project," said Ken Zapinski, senior vice president for transportation and infrastructure for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
"This is really an urban revitalization project that happens to have buses involved," said Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh.
Mr. Bland agreed, but said if the project is perceived as only a transit improvement project it will not succeed.
"For this to move forward, it has to be a partnership with all the major players in the community," he said.
Another essential will be private-sector involvement in financing. Cleveland got $82.2 million in Federal Transit Administration funds to launch the HealthLine, but that is unlikely to happen here.
"If we think we're going to get most of the money to do this from the federal government, we're deluding ourselves," said Wendy Stern, Port Authority assistant general manager for planning and development.
First Published June 16, 2011 12:51 am
