Phoenix is moving forward with a new transportation option and a commitment to community input.
The city’s first corridor for bus rapid transit, known as BRT, will run along 35th Avenue from the former Metrocenter Mall to Van Buren Street downtown and along Van Buren to Central Avenue. BRT is designed to be faster than other buses because it makes fewer stops and has its own travel lanes.
Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua said feedback will be gathered before the system is designed, “Because we want to know what the community concerns are, what the constraints are, what the big challenges are going to be for the residents, for the businesses. Once we have captured all of that we can start to have a better picture of what it looks like and we will continually be involving the community along the way.”
One major design element to be determined is whether BRT lanes run down the middle of streets or the sides. The 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street corridor will be 13.6 miles long. Conceptual designs will be presented to residents. Final design plans and bus procurement and design are expected between Fall 2024 and Winter 2026 with construction scheduled for fall 2026 to winter 2028.
BRT is part of a voter-approved proposition that extended and raised an existing sales tax to fund transportation projects through 2050.
