CATS Highlights Projects on Tour of Bus Rapid Transit Route

November 08, 2021

 

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Capital Area Transit System (CATS) and its project partners hosted a bus tour today of the bus rapid transit project highlighting the numerous planned projects along the route. The tour featured proposed residential and commercial developments, regional medical facilities, governmental centers, grocery stores, educational institutions, and civic projects that will all be connected by the new premium transit service.

“The entire Baton Rouge area benefits from large scale transportation investments such as this that spur economic growth and new private sector investment,” said Bill Deville, CATS CEO. “In total, our transit investments over the next ten years will generate $1.6 billion in economic returns to the greater Baton Rouge area. But let me be clear, without the renewal of our local millage on November 13, CATS will be unable to tap into federal funding to benefit our community, and projects such as bus rapid transit will be in jeopardy.”  

CATS Highlights Projects on Tour of Bus Rapid Transit Route

The bus rapid transit project is underway through a partnership with City of Baton Rouge, Build Baton Rouge, Capital Region Planning Commission, DOTD, and CATS. The service will provide access to high frequency bus rapid transit services for the 28,000 people who live within a half-mile of the 22 bus rapid transit stations. The new bus rapid transit system will provide high frequency service with buses operating every 15 minutes during the day and connect over 39,000 jobs for 11,000 low-income households and 2,000 zero car households along the bus rapid transit route.

"With the bus rapid transit project, East Baton Rouge is leading the way for innovation and creativity in Louisiana," said Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. "Increasing access to transportation presents economic opportunity and enhanced quality of life for citizens." 

"If you want a city where economic development continues for years, you must have a reliable transit system," said Baker Mayor Darnell Waites. "Transit moves cities forward, and I am really excited that the joint vision for Baton Rouge and Baker is coming into fruition." 

"This project is an opportunity to actualize our collective vision to heal gaps between north and south Baton Rouge," said Chris Tyson, president and CEO of Build Baton Rouge. "Transit-oriented development along the corridor will present new sites that appeal to developers and investors, generating economic growth." 

Plank Road is one of CATS’ highest ridership corridors, serving a high percentage of transit-dependent passengers. The bus rapid transit route was carefully chosen to run along Plank Road, Florida Boulevard, and Nicholson Drive to link the neighborhoods of north and south Baton Rouge to the City-Parish’s largest employment centers, institutions, commercial centers, and cultural destinations. The nine-mile route will transform Baton Rouge by providing high-quality, high-frequency, and high-capacity transit service connecting North Baton Rouge, downtown, and the Louisiana State University campus.

For more information about CATS’ commitments for the next ten years, visit www.brcats.com/connects.

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