MATA receives $12 million grant toward Bus Rapid Transit project

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Memphis Area Transit Authority will soon be receiving a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund high-speed bus route from downtown to the University of Memphis.

There would be designated bus lanes on Second Street and B-B King to connect downtown with the Medical District.

The route would continue down Union Avenue with stops near Overton Square and the Central Library.

The line would then end at the University of Memphis campus.

Planners are calling the eight-mile route an "Innovation Corridor."

Brand-new MATA buses would run every 10 minutes during peak hours.

Plans call for nine electric buses that would provide WiFi and charging stations for passengers.

Twenty-eight new transit stations would be built along the route and it would connect to other infrastructure like new crosswalks and bike lanes

It’s unclear who will pay for the rest of this project.

Congressman Cohen says the Corridor project will cost $65 million in all, and the grant is only $12 million.

MATA declined to comment, saying they are waiting for official announcement from the Department of Transportation.

Copyright 2019 WMC. All rights reserved.