NEW ORLEANS - Today, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) announced outreach plans for the region’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system at the New Orleans City Council Transportation Committee meeting. RTA CEO Alex Wiggins and staff presented the proposed BRT network plans which will enhance New Orleans’ transit network by providing a faster, more reliable, and frequent premium bus service to residents from New Orleans East and the Westbank to downtown.

“We are excited to begin our community engagement regarding the first-ever Bus Rapid Transit network in our region that will connect more people in New Orleans East and Algiers to jobs, healthcare, and education. It is the RTA’s top priority to ensure that residents in areas with an absence of large job centers have faster, reliable transit services to opportunities and employment across the region.” said Wiggins.

The project will help the RTA define BRT for future expansion throughout the region and leverage ongoing work including the New Links regional redesign study and the RTA’s Strategic Mobility Plan. RTA was awarded $550,000 in 2020 through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Program. The funding supports projects that will improve transit services or facilities in areas of persistent poverty through planning, engineering, or development of technical, or financing plans for projects.

“I greatly appreciate the thoroughness of the presentation to the Council. I am enthusiastic about the proposed project’s ability to serve citizens well and to have a significant operational and economic impact on citizens. My committee and the New Orleans City Council are poised and ready to support this important project in whatever ways are necessary. We look forward to engaging with the public as this important project develops.” said Councilmember Eugene J. Green, Jr., Transportation Committee Chair.

Along with today's presentation, the agency will host its first BRT Open House on Thursday, April 28 from 5:30 PM – 7:00PM at RTA Headquarters (2817 Canal St, 2nd Floor, New Orleans, LA 70119). The agency plans to continue community outreach with conceptual operations, design characteristics, construction costs, implementation, and funding strategies for the proposed corridor in the coming months.

For more information regarding the agency’s plan for BRT, visit www.norta.com.