mConnect

mConnect is the name of the City’s first Bus Rapid Transit system. Currently in design, the system is anticipated to open for service in 2026.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems include special features that distinguish them from traditional bus routes. Generally speaking, the features help to increase service frequency, decrease the amount of time the BRT vehicles spend at stops, improve comfort and convenience, and protect the environment. Together, they give BRT many of the strengths of light rail or streetcar systems at less than half the cost.

Check out our fall 2019 online meeting for the details.

The Memphis Innovation Corridor primarily services Downtown and Midtown for the following reasons:

• Downtown and Midtown already have high transit ridership, which make them a good fit for BRT service.
• The corridor provides direct connections to 18 other bus routes, which create travel time and reliability benefits across the majority of the service area.

The design of the Memphis Innovation Corridor project will introduce a center left turn lane on Union Avenue from Manassas Street to East Parkway and convert Union Avenue from a six lane road to a five lane road. This change is expected to improve the overall flow of traffic and improve safety in the corridor.

Unlike sections of B.B. King Boulevard and Second Street, Union Avenue will not have transit-only lanes largely due to the impact they would have on traffic and the adjacent businesses.

Yes! While specifications for the mConnect vehicles have not been developed at this point, we plan to include bicycle accommodations. That is especially important because the Corridor will cross many bike routes, and will provide connections from neighborhoods to the BRT system.

The BRT stations will provide wheelchair loading areas, level boarding platforms, audible and visual real-time vehicle arrival information, and tactile strips at the edge of the station platform. Intersections that are impacted by the project will be designed with curb ramps, and intersections with traffic lights will be upgraded to provide ADA compliant audible pedestrian signals. These features will make the system easier to use for everyone.

One of the goals of the project is to create an environment that will be sustainable over the long term. To that end, the Memphis Innovation Corridor is being designed to include green stormwater infrastructure, like bio-swales, and electric buses. LED street light fixtures will be replaced throughout the corridor. Fixtures will match the current standards in the downtown area. Additional details will be developed as the project progresses.

There will be several safety and pedestrian improvements including electronic signage, pedestrian count-down signals, high-visibility crosswalks, LED streetlighting, and pedestrian alerts. The BRT Stations are to be designed to accommodate 40’ electric buses and provide a number of amenities to provide a positive customer experience. Some of the new amenities are fare vending machines, shelters, security equipment such as cameras and panic buttons, tactile strips at the boarding edge, railings, bicycle and scooter parking areas and concrete bus pads.