FTA awards $75M for Calif. BRT system

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) reached an agreement to provide $75 million to the San Bernardino, Calif.-based Omnitrans to build a 16-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line running through the center of downtown. Construction of the bus route is expected to create 230 jobs and local officials anticipate future economic development opportunities along the corridor.

The 16-station E Street Corridor San Bernardino Express Bus Rapid Transit (sbX BRT) will serve California State University San Bernardino to the north and Loma Linda University Medical Center and VA Hospital to the south, as well as the Civic Center, business offices and schools downtown.

The line will also provide access to hotels, retail outlets and restaurants along the 2.5-mile Hospitality Lane commercial area, and entertainment centers such as the National Orange Show Events Center and the Arrowhead Credit Union Park, home of the Inland Empire 66ers baseball team.

The E Street Corridor is the first line in a planned BRT network that will serve the entire San Bernardino Valley. Plans also call for an intermodal center that will connect E Street Corridor area residents directly to Metrolink commuter rail, giving them better access to more lucrative jobs in the greater Los Angeles area. The Metrolink terminal is currently a mile away from the E Street Corridor at San Bernardino's historic Santa Fe Station.

The E Street Corridor sbX BRT is being dubbed the "green line" for its environmental features, including 14 new 60-foot, five-door buses, the first of their kind in the nation to run on compressed natural gas.

Stations will be equipped with electronic display boards with real time arrival information and raised platforms for level boarding, offering accessibility to persons with disabilities. Buses will run every 10 minutes during peak periods.