Bus Rapid Transit Line Coming To Birmingham
A rendering of the Birmingham Xpress bus rapid transit station planned for Five Points West
A new, faster bus line is on its way to the city of Birmingham.
The Birmingham Xpress will run roughly 10 miles from Five Points West, through downtown Birmingham, to Woodlawn, connecting 25 city neighborhoods.
“This is modern transportation at its best,” said Charlotte Shaw at a groundbreaking Friday. She oversaw the project for the city. “This is like rail on wheels.”
The $40 million project is supported mostly by federal transit grants and city funds. Officials say the system should improve travel times and lower costs to make it easier for residents to move across a major corridor in the city. Much of the route follows U.S. Highway 11. The system consists of two transit centers and 16 stops in between. Buses will run at 15-minute intervals during peak periods.
“This is a game-changer,” Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority Executive Director Frank Martin said. “It’s the beginning of what I think over time will be a great public transit system for the area.”
Martin said officials are studying whether bus rapid transit is feasible for other routes.
Construction is scheduled to start in January and be complete by June 2022. Birmingham will host the World Games in July 2022.
1 student dead, 1 critically injured in shooting at Kentucky State University
Classes and campus activities were canceled for the rest of the week after a shooting that police said left one student dead and another in critical condition. Police said a suspect who is not a KSU student was in custody.
Millions of borrowers in Biden’s SAVE plan would start paying under new settlement
Legal challenges put SAVE borrowers in limbo for months, a time during which they were not required to make payments on their loans. That would change if the proposed settlement is approved.
Rising temperatures could have a chilling impact on young children
A study points to a new concern about the effect that heat can have on young children.
‘Pluribus’ star Rhea Seehorn says no thanks to a world dictated by group think
In the Apple TV series, Seehorn stars as a woman named Carol who suddenly finds herself surrounded by people who are inexplicably happy. The only problem: Carol's not interested in joining them.
Who is Danny Ocean, the pop star playing at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony?
The 33-year-old singer collaborated with Nobel Prize winner María Corina Machado during last year's highly-contested elections in Venezuela.
Believe it or not, this book makes taxes fascinating
The Price of Democracy tells the history of taxation from colonization to the present day. It's essential reading for anyone who cares about preserving democracy.
