Plans to build a rapid transit system for buses in the city of Syracuse continue in earnest as Centro cobbles together funding for the $35 million project. But the project is getting closer to reality after an additional $3 million from the recently approved federal spending bill.
Planning for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) dates back at least five years, when the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council released a study identifying the two corridors criss-crossing the city. But funding has always been the biggest challenge. Centro CEO Brian Schultz said there are several pieces that need to fit together.
“Construction costs, shelters, new buses, maybe some curb cuts…these are all things that will be identified in updating this study,” Schultz said. “So it’s a process that will take place over a period of a couple of years. “
He expects BRT to be up and running by 2026 at the latest. Schultz said they hired a transportation consultant to revisit the study and update it with more recent ridership numbers. The ultimate goal, Schultz said, is to increase ridership by making it easier for people to move around the city.
“One of the things you look at is frequency,” Schultz said. “If the frequency just isn’t there to make it a comfortable ride, chances are you’ll find another mode of transportation.
Instead of driving 30 to 40 minutes between buses, Schultz said BRT would cut times to 12 to 18 minutes.
Since the study was completed, there have been several new developments that could impact public transport and its users. Among them: Amazon’s new warehouse in Clay, the state’s final decision to replace the I-81 viaduct with a community grid, and Micron’s $100 billion investment. Schultz said the study update will take into account the newer developments, but they have a negligible impact on BRT routes.
“I don’t think they’re going to have a huge impact on BRT,” Schultz said. “The BRT route has already been established. It’s the ‘X’ that sort of runs through the city.”
A line of the X-shaped route connects Eastwood to Onondaga Community College; the other connects University Hill to the regional transportation hub, with the two meeting at the main downtown hub. Schultz said Centro will share more information with the public when the BRT plans come together in the coming year.
Central Regional Transportation Authority of New York (Centro)
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centro.org
Syracuse’s Centro Bus Transit shows an X-shaped intersection of bus lines.
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