Lane Transit District has launched the third corridor of EmX service in west Eugene and refined several routes, making travel into and out of west Eugene more accessible, convenient and efficient. The launch follows nearly 10 years of planning, development and construction and is the largest public works project in Eugene in 10 years.
Along with the additional nine miles (round-trip) of EmX service, LTD and its partners, City of Eugene, Lane County, the Federal Transit Administration and the Oregon Department of Transportation, added much-needed infrastructure including six miles of road improvements, five miles of rebuilt or newly constructed sidewalks, two new signalized pedestrian crosswalks and three new bicycle-pedestrian bridges.
“The expansion of the EmX corridor is an opportunity to provide better connectivity to jobs, school, medical appointments and other activities for people who travel into and out of west Eugene,” said Aurora Jackson, general manager of LTD. “We are grateful to the community for their cooperation and support of the project and we hope they will find the service and infrastructure upgrades valuable.”
The cost of the project is $100 million, primarily funded through the Small Starts program administered by the Federal Transportation Administration and adds 40 percent more service to west Eugene.
“Thriving communities have robust transportation options and the new EmX service provides another important connection for people going to work, shop or play,” said Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis. “This project not only better connects Eugene, but the infrastructure improvements like new sidewalks and bicycle-pedestrian bridges provide critical upgrades and help make the city safer.”
In addition to the launch of the EmX into west Eugene, several routes were redesigned to make connections and transfers easier and more convenient for riders. The majority of these route changes take place in west Eugene with several routes being folded into existing routes. The launch event, which took place on Sunday, September 17, featured speakers such as Linda Gehrke, the regional administrator for the Federal Transportation Administration; Matthew Garrett, director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, Lucy Vinis, mayor of Eugene, Oregon and several other elected officials as well as a letter from Congressman Peter DeFazio, which was read by Aurora Jackson, general manager of LTD.
