This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The U.S. Department of Transportation report dated March 27 says that Bus Rapid Transit in Provo-Orem will require the following changes:
Widen 700 North and 1 mile of University Avenue. Build two dedicated bus-only lanes down the center of these streets. Take away most street parking and build center-of-street loading platforms to fit 60-foot buses.
The project will utilize 25 articulated buses capable of holding 200 persons each. The proposed schedule and frequency of buses, if filled once per trip, could haul 280,000 people a week, more than half of the population of Utah County. This bus route currently carries about 17,500 people a week. What about the businesses that depend on the street parking?
There will be two new traffic signals on University Avenue and one on 700 North. The buses will control the traffic lights at 31 intersections. There will be restricted left turn lanes at nine intersections. Traffic lanes on University Avenue will be narrower, and there will be 13 fewer bus stops, thus rapid transit.
This is a $190 million project to fix one bus route. You can't make this stuff up!
Phillip W. Hinckley
Provo