LA: New Orleans moves a step closer to its first rapid transit bus system. But barriers remain.

New Orleans has inched closer to realizing rapid public transit, as officials have signed off on the design of a swift bus system that would connect New Orleans East to the Central Business District and Algiers.

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority in November agreed to pay local engineering firm Aecom $5.7 million to construct preliminary designs for a 15-mile East-Westbank bus rapid transit system, which is designed to run at a faster clip than the RTA's traditional buses.

Buses would run every 15 minutes or less, outpacing the RTA's existing bus lines, which vary in frequency but typically run every 30 minutes.

But the system's eventual rollout depends on whether the federal government will fund its total $326 million price tag. The RTA is applying for $120 million in Federal Transit Administration grants and will use bond proceeds and a mix of local and state funds to cover the remaining costs if those grants are approved.

If all goes as planned, the system would be built by 2029, officials said. Years in the making, the system aims to reduce commute times and expand access to jobs, health care and other basic resources for thousands of riders who use public transportation daily.

"With design work set to begin, we're moving from vision to reality, bringing New Orleans one step closer to a faster, more connected future," RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins said in a recent news release.

A rising transit mode across the U.S., bus rapid transit typically has longer operating hours than traditional bus lines. It is meant to function like a rail system, but without the tracks. Large double-decker buses travel on dedicated street lanes and receive traffic signal priority, such as longer green lights and shorter red ones.

If built, the system would align New Orleans with 43 other major U.S. cities that have bus rapid transit networks, according to local transit advocacy group RIDE New Orleans.

Years in the making

The move follows years of attempts by local officials to improve transit reliability, especially for riders that live furthest from the economic hub of downtown New Orleans.

In 2019, as the RTA transitioned from its decade-long private management model to public control with a new governing board at the helm, the agency started planning for a full bus network redesign, complete with new routes, schedules and infrastructure. That system, dubbed New Links, was viewed as "the region's best chance to comprehensively increase transit riders' access to jobs and other services in the next decade," said a 2019 RIDE report.

It was crafted in response to the changing needs of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, RTA officials said Friday. Riders needed more midday and weekend service to meet work schedules. There was also a need to move away from tourist-oriented routes and improve service on the busiest residential corridors such as in Algiers, New Orleans East and Gentilly.

The plan led to increased ridership. But two years after its implementation, the average rider could only access 33% of jobs within an hour, a drop of 13,000 jobs compared to 2022, according to RIDE data.

"New Links was a bus service plan that was not addressing one of the biggest causes of slow and unreliable service, particularly for long commutes — sitting in regular traffic," an RTA spokesperson said Friday.

Now, officials are prioritizing rapid transit service, mentioned in passing in that plan as a potential long-term solution. Officials said Friday they that envision New Links and the rapid transit line to work as parallel systems.

RIDE New Orleans also praised the RTA's move as "the first of several steps needed to achieve world-class transit for the New Orleans region."

24-hour route

The RTA hopes to fund the full project through the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grants Program and through future bond sale proceeds, according to the agency's five-year strategic plan.

The selection of an engineering firm comes two years after the RTA board first approved a route for the new rapid line.

The route would take riders from Read Boulevard in New Orleans East, through Lake Forest Boulevard and Chef Menteur Highway before crossing the Danziger Bridge. It would then hit Elysian Fields and North Claiborne avenues, outside the French Quarter along Basin Street and run through the CBD before crossing the Crescent City Connection. It would end at a park-and-ride lot near General de Gaulle Drive and Wall Boulevard.

It would run 24 hours, and stop at various locations including New Orleans East Hospital, Dillard University in Gentilly, the Caesars Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, RTA officials said.

To maximize efficiency, the route would require 18 two-section buses built to accommodate more passengers compared to a standard bus, according to RTA documents. The design phase is anticipated to take between 10 to 14 months.

The project's total anticipated cost has edged up some since an initial $300 million estimate two years ago.

Planners have also identified other challenges. Congestion and a concrete barrier along the Danziger Bridge limits space for a designated rapid transit lane and aging underground utility systems throughout the city —many of which are not easily identifiable, Aecom's proposal states—can lead to construction delays and drive up costs.

Furthermore, the RTA's plans to use a Crescent City Connection HOV lane for buses has stirred public opposition from residents who fear the system will add to existing traffic woes, the firm noted. No residents showed up at the RTA's November board meeting to protest the firm's selection.

Still, public transit leaders say the proposal could be a boon for riders in New Orleans East, where distance from the city's center has long tied into poor access to jobs, retail and education opportunities, among others. For New Orleans East residents, only 2% of jobs are accessible by transit within 30 minutes, according to the proposal.

Tony Guidry, a musician who takes the 61- Lake Forest and Village de L'Est bus downtown for gigs, is one such resident. Guidry said his bus mostly comes on time, but there have been times in recent months where its been 20 or 30 minutes behind schedule.

"I need to see it to believe it, but if this thing gets me there [to work] faster, I'll be happy," Guidry said.

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