Ozark Regional Transit extends deadline 60 days for study on light-bus rapid transit

Joel Gardner, executive director for Ozark Regional Transit, wants to dig deeper into the feasibility of a light-bus rapid transit system in Northwest Arkansas.

In late January, ORT received a $140,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation for a feasibility study on the system, and KFH Group of Austin, Texas, was hired to complete the study. A report on the study was previously expected to be presented to ORT board members in July, but on Wednesday (July 26), Gardner said the new deadline for the completion of the study is Sept. 15 and a report on the study should be presented at the September board meeting.

“It’s not done,” he said. “We’re digging deeper.”

The system was planned to be an express route on Highway 71B, between Bentonville and Fayetteville, moving a lot of passengers while making few stops along the way. The transit provider’s existing routes along the highway would feed the express route.

But now, the proposed system might also include an express route on Interstate 49, Gardner said.

Potential riders for the proposed system are driving I-49, and he said he would like to see the system be at least as efficient timewise as it would be if they were driving a vehicle. He considered whether Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department would allow shoulder access for the buses in the system, and he plans to find out.

“Where can we actually bypass traffic jams?” Gardner said.

A key difference between a bus rapid transit system and the proposed light version is the previous has dedicated lanes for buses, whereas the latter uses existing roads. Other aspects of the prospered system might include signal prioritization, in which busses equipped with transponders could control traffic signals, allowing them to go through intersections without having to stop. The system might also include platforms and transit stations, digital boards counting down the arrival of the next bus, and areas accommodating park and ride, bicycles and taxi services.

When asked about how the system differs from an existing express route on I-49, Gardner said that route is geared for college students whereas the proposed one would focus on business travelers.

Gardner wants to reach out to large employers, such as Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores, to find out how many employees would be interested in using the system.

He also would like to include in the study the time it takes for motorists to travel between Fayetteville and Bentonville in existing conditions with the road construction and after the construction is completed.

Other aspects of the study include infrastructure costs, operational costs and the number of buses, either leased or purchased, that would be required to operate the system.