Project Overview

The Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid), in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), proposes to operate a bus rapid transit system (Silver Line BRT) in the Cities of Grand Rapids, Wyoming, and Kentwood, Michigan.

The proposed Silver Line BRT project is approximately 9.6 miles in length.  The BRT vehicles would be street running along Division Avenue from the Grand Rapids Central Business District (CBD) to 60th Street (which is the current boundary of the service area for The Rapid).  In the CBD, the route includes the three highest employment concentrations, the Grand Rapids Community College, and Central Station (the downtown hub for existing radial local buses).  A key goal of the project is providing access for the population surrounding Division Avenue, an economically distressed corridor with a high percentage of transit dependent population, to job and educational opportunities especially in the Grand Rapids CBD.  This is the prime reason the routing downtown circulates directly to St. Mary’s Heath Campus, Grand Rapids Community College, Medical Mile, and the core of downtown employment.

The project would include a maximum of 18 stations.  The stations would have real-time passenger information and ticket vending machines for off-board fare collection.  South of 28th Street, the stations are spaced an average of one each mile.  North of 28th Street, the station spacing is approximately one-half mile.  Station spacing in the CBD is based on serving the employment and educational clusters. Ten low-floor vehicles are proposed for the system (including spares).  The vehicles, like the stations, would be branded.  The proposed service would operate with ten-minute headways during peak periods and 15-minute headways during weekday off-peak periods.  Traffic signal priority (TSP) is also proposed along the route.  The route would overlay with a portion of existing Route #1 as well as intercept at least three cross-town routes (Burton Street, 28th Street, and 44th Street).

Project Links

For more information, pictures and maps for the Silver Line BRT can be found at: http://rapidtmp.org/Phase_1-improvements/Bus-Rapid-Transit