ORBT - Omaha Rapid Bus Transit

[stadsborgare]

This deserves its own thread, right?

The 90th & W Dodge (westbound) ORBT station looks to be closest to completion, of the several under construction right now.

[Jkalasek]

Wish it would also go from Westroads to MCC in Elkhorn.

[Padre]

Wish it would also go from Westroads to MCC in Elkhorn.

Give it time. This is a demonstration to show what it can do. If it’s successful, then maybe they will expand it.

[Busguy2010]

The first ORBT bus has arrived! Per Metro's Facebook page. And it looks GOOD.

[ita]

The first ORBT bus has arrived! Per Metro's Facebook page. And it looks GOOD.

Nice, I really like the color scheme and exterior design they went with.

[skinzfan23]

The bus looks great....but you think they could probably teach the driver how to use a turn signal and also how to properly use a turning lane. It drives my nuts to see people turn like this all the time when there is a center turn lane.

Edit: the funny thing is the Facebook comment from Metro states that this wasn't one of their drivers and this was delivered straight from KC.

[Busguy2010]

The bus looks great....but you think they could probably teach the driver how to use a turn signal and also how to properly use a turning lane. It drives my nuts to see people turn like this all the time when there is a center turn lane.

Edit: the funny thing is the Facebook comment from Metro states that this wasn't one of their drivers and this was delivered straight from KC.

Yes the driving was something you could expect from the Husker football team. And according to Metro, this wasn't a driver of their own. I guess they were excited about their new delivery and wanted to share it with Omaha. Too bad the Facebook comment section has been focusing on the driver and not the bus. Understandably so I suppose.

On the plus side, ORBT will only make 1 left turn at 10th & Dodge, in which 40mph oncoming traffic probably won't be an issue.

[Busguy2010]

If I was Metro I'd be a little messed up about the delivery driving.

[ThatGuy]

I'm a fan of this concept, but having a lane closed for over 6 weeks at the busiest intersection in the city with no end in sight is ludicrous! Does anybody know when they are planning on opening it?

[Busguy2010]

I'm a fan of this concept, but having a lane closed for over 6 weeks at the busiest intersection in the city with no end in sight is ludicrous! Does anybody know when they are planning on opening it?

I'm sure they don't even know for sure. But on the plus side, the one at 90th has been the furthest along of them all throughout the process. It looks close. It probably just depends when they will be getting the canopy. The only indication of a time-frame I could see was "Sidewalks could remain closed through December, weather permitting." But I'm sure they're talking about all eight stations they're concurrently working on. It is my assumption they will push to finish the current eight before winter weather is here to stay, and not start work on the other 18 until the spring.

[stadsborgare]

Ah, I've been wondering about this. The platforms will be heated in winter!

[Busguy2010]

For those who don't receive the newsletter, as of December 11th "all stations" were in the stage of installing the heating system, and 90th street was paved over. Assuming that since the update was 9 days ago, more stations are probably paved, maybe. And they did start construction at two more sites, 19th & Douglas and 15th & Douglas. That surprises me. And I'll speculate that means two of the stations (I'll guess 90th and 62nd) must be all but complete and awaiting installation of the canopies for them to allocate labor to two additional stations.

They also made a Facebook post showing closer pictures of the ORBT vehicles, and it looked like they have at least three now.

[Busguy2010]

[Louie]

They are all still in construction phase, but its nice to see how fast these are going up and all at once.

[Lillian Bean]

Does anyone know how ORBT will impact the existing traffic lanes? Their site describes "semi-dedicated bus lanes." It also identifies a bus lane "along the right hand curb of Dodge and Douglas Streets." Are these streets losing a lane completely? Only during certain hours?

[Busguy2010]

Does anyone know how ORBT will impact the existing traffic lanes? Their site describes "semi-dedicated bus lanes." It also identifies a bus lane "along the right hand curb of Dodge and Douglas Streets." Are these streets losing a lane completely? Only during certain hours?

My understanding is it will be BAT (Business Access & Transit) lanes from 11th to Turner Boulevard on both Dodge and Douglas. The BAT lane, as far as my understanding goes, Is only used for buses and for cars making right turns (I don't know if its all right turns allowed, or only into businesses. Maybe that is yet to be decided). So yes, regular traffic will be losing a lane along that section.

[Busguy2010]

According to an update by Metro today, the platforms at 90th, and now 84th are both complete and awaiting installation of the canopies. What isn't clear yet is when the canopies will be installed. Dimensional Innovations unveiled their first ORBT station a few months ago. I wonder where they are being stored. In Omaha or in KC? Anyway, I had assumed they would be installed as the platforms are completed, but it appears there's some rub that would prevent that, at least at this point.

[ita]

https://www.wowt.com/content/news/ORBT- ... 69031.html

Per the above report, orbt is nowbslated to begin operation in the fall. No mention in the article or email update what the cause of of delay is except that metro reevaluated after the first building season a more accurate completion date.

[Busguy2010]

I knew it. "Spring" sounded ambitious, even if they took it to the technical end of spring on June 20th.

Got a newsletter from them saying that all the stations on the north side should be complete soon. All they have to do is pour the concrete and need a few days above freezing. Also all of the canopies are complete.

[BRoss]

According to the OWH, "the utilities under the street were more complicated than expected."

[skinzfan23]

This seems like it has been taking forever. I read in the article that they expected each station to take roughly 40 days but they are taking longer than 3 months. That is ridiculous....2 1/2 times longer. I am glad that I don't have to drive down Dodge often because this has really disrupted the flow of traffic for a long time. Why is it that road construction projects in Omaha seem to take longer and end up costing more than originally estimated?

[buildomaha]

This is getting ridiculous for a project that consists of putting in a few bus stations on a single straight road... I don’t even want to think about how streetcar construction would have been had it been put into reality.

[skinzfan23]

This is getting ridiculous for a project that consists of putting in a few bus stations on a single straight road... I don’t even want to think about how streetcar construction would have been had it been put into reality.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I was in KC when construction was going on and it was a little bit of a mess. Milwaukee is doing the same and it really affects traffic downtown. But at least those cities get it done. In Omaha it might take 3-5 years to do construction of a small streetcar line.

[Omahacritic]

Typical Omaha government ... Overpromise and under-deliver.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Typical Omaha government ... Overpromise and under-deliver.

I mean that’s typical of most municipal governments. And developers for that matter. Unfortunately there’s not a precise database of all necessary knowledge to build things.

[Busguy2010]

Typical Omaha government ... Overpromise and under-deliver.

I mean that’s typical of most municipal governments. And developers for that matter. Unfortunately there’s not a precise database of all necessary knowledge to build things.

Right, its not like there has ever been a BRT built in Omaha. I understand the frustration, but there has to be some leeway because this is the first time.

[Omahacritic]

Typical Omaha government ... Overpromise and under-deliver.

I mean that’s typical of most municipal governments. And developers for that matter. Unfortunately there’s not a precise database of all necessary knowledge to build things.

Right, its not like there has ever been a BRT built in Omaha. I understand the frustration, but there has to be some leeway because this is the first time.

Gee ... isn’t that the Overpromise part? You anticipate delays ... and it is built into the promise. You don’t make a promise built on the LEGO precision.

Local Government is the source for the old phrase, Excuses are like rectal orifice ... they always have one.

[Busguy2010]

Gee ... isn’t that the Overpromise part? You anticipate delays ... and it is built into the promise. You don’t make a promise built on the LEGO precision.

Local Government is the source for the old phrase, Excuses are like rectal orifice ... they always have one.

I think estimate is the better word than promise. Estimate has leeway built into it. And that's all this construction timeline is is an estimate. I dont care if it's not running until December, it will be the valuable investment it was promised to be.

[almighty_tuna]

This is getting ridiculous for a project that consists of putting in a few bus stations on a single straight road...

I couldn't agree more. No pun intended, but ORBT isn't exactly reinventing the wheel here. It's a short 9 mile overbuilt route with EIGHTEEN STOPS! There's nothing rapid about that when downtown has eight stops within 4 or 5 blocks of each other.

In comparison, Minneapolis is putting together a 17mi BRT route with a scant twelve stops to get from downtown to Burnsville that also hits many major employment centers along the way.

[Busguy2010]

What works in one city doesn't have to work here.
ORBT is thirteen stops, eleven if you don't count the endpoints. Imagine all the things around each ORBT stop and you realize the ORBT route is adequate, and eliminating any choice stop would eliminate a group of potential riders.

I challenge you to redesign ORBT with six stops (same ratio of stop per mile as the Minneapolis route you mentioned) and hit all the bases.

[Omahacritic]

The number of stops is usually a political decision. Logic is never 5he sole determinant.

And ... sorry Busguy. A couple weeks is a delay. A couple months is an stupidity. Didn’t I see a post where the vehicles are already bought and sitting in a garage somewhere? That is tax money gathering dust.

[Coyote]

[youtube][/youtube]

[Busguy2010]

I'm surprised, Metro just today has said they plan to eliminate route 2 altogether once ORBT starts running. I thought they would just reduce route 2 to once every half hour or hour. One of my main concerns was the distance between the 72nd and 84th street stops due to that stretch being historically one of the most important business stretches the buses have always served. Looks like they kinda sorta might think about adding a ORBT stop around 76th street after it starts running. If they're going to eliminate route 2 altogether, then this needs to happen.

Another stretch somebody else brought up was from 49th to 62nd. There are a lot of neighborhood streets that feed directly onto Dodge that would be eliminated. Although, in Metro's defense, this stretch probably hasn't had much ridership anyway.

[Busguy2010]

Into here : http://www.ometro.com/index.php/orbt-to ... P9APxBsmVY

[ScrattyB]

lol, omg. That's one way to dramatically boost the ridership numbers.
I guess I'm okay with the addition of 77th and Dodge, but this has to be the only new addition along the route.

[Taco]

lol, omg. That's one way to dramatically boost the ridership numbers.
I guess I'm okay with the addition of 77th and Dodge, but this has to be the only new addition along the route.

Agreed - this is already turning out to be hardly BRT as is.

[Busguy2010]

lol, omg. That's one way to dramatically boost the ridership numbers.
I guess I'm okay with the addition of 77th and Dodge, but this has to be the only new addition along the route.

I agree, that should be the only addition. I was always surprised they didn't plan for a stop around 76th from the beginning and I feel this "addition" should have been planned for from the start.

Agreed - this is already turning out to be hardly BRT as is.

We have exclusive buses, some really good stations on the way, streetlight preference, limited stop service... The only thing missing is exclusive lanes. I couldn't imaging the uproar about the cost of that.

I just don't get the criticism of the stop distance in further above posts. Alright, its stops 12 times between endpoints. The stops should be maybe 10 seconds a piece and the whole trip is supposed to take about a half hour. Big deal. The stops will be integrated into the travel time. So to compare, if someone drives their car from Westroads to 10th and Douglas, It's supposed to take them almost a half hour (believe it or not) if you're going the speed limit. Okay, okay, I know driving the speed limit is unrealistic, but driving 45+ on Dodge east of 84th is downright dangerous if not disgusting, and I see it every day. But the fact that on a good day you can get from Westroads to the River in 20 minutes or less doesn't make this bus route inefficient or lesser BRT, especially when you factor in how little it will cost (relatively).

If you want to see hardly BRT, look no further than Kansas City. If we're going to complain about this before it even comes to life, I'd have to point out from the look of it, Metro has done a great job of working with what they have, and made a concerted effort of doing it better than KC.

[Taco]

lol, omg. That's one way to dramatically boost the ridership numbers.
I guess I'm okay with the addition of 77th and Dodge, but this has to be the only new addition along the route.

I agree, that should be the only addition. I was always surprised they didn't plan for a stop around 76th from the beginning and I feel this "addition" should have been planned for from the start.

Agreed - this is already turning out to be hardly BRT as is.

We have exclusive buses, some really good stations on the way, streetlight preference, limited stop service... The only thing missing is exclusive lanes. I couldn't imaging the uproar about the cost of that.

I just don't get the criticism of the stop distance in further above posts. Alright, its stops 12 times between endpoints. The stops should be maybe 10 seconds a piece and the whole trip is supposed to take about a half hour. Big deal. The stops will be integrated into the travel time. So to compare, if someone drives their car from Westroads to 10th and Douglas, It's supposed to take them almost a half hour (believe it or not) if you're going the speed limit. Okay, okay, I know driving the speed limit is unrealistic, but driving 45+ on Dodge east of 84th is downright dangerous if not disgusting, and I see it every day. But the fact that on a good day you can get from Westroads to the River in 20 minutes or less doesn't make this bus route inefficient or lesser BRT, especially when you factor in how little it will cost (relatively).

If you want to see hardly BRT, look no further than Kansas City. If we're going to complain about this before it even comes to life, I'd have to point out from the look of it, Metro has done a great job of working with what they have, and made a concerted effort of doing it better than KC.

I don't disagree with you on that. Like you, I am a big supporter of public transportation and am will be happy to try ORBT when it finally opens. My frustration has been with the lack of political will that has resulted in a scaled-back, much delayed product. To put it simply, full-scale BRT has full signal priority and designated lanes the whole way, ours does not.

Btw a quick google maps search shows it as exactly 20 minutes from 10th/Douglas to Westroads on the proposed route right now. YMMV with time of day, but the bus trip length will change as well.

[Busguy2010]

To put it simply, full-scale BRT has full signal priority and designated lanes the whole way, ours does not.

Btw a quick google maps search shows it as exactly 20 minutes from 10th/Douglas to Westroads on the proposed route right now. YMMV with time of day, but the bus trip length will change as well.

I did from 102nd & Nicholas east to 10th & Douglas along the route last night and it told me 27, now today it says 22, so who knows how they calculate that.

On signal priority, ORBT does have that. One thing they did eliminate that was part of the original plan was jump lanes at 72nd and 90th (maybe 84th, too). My guess is they eliminated them for some reason to do with the funding (again, this is the major constraint. In Nebraska, transit funding MUST be kept to a bare minimum). Yes, ideally BRT would have dedicated lanes, but this would be impossible along dodge as there isn't enough room to work with. One thing I always suggested they could do with Dodge is make the curb lanes alternating transit only lanes. Eastbound curb lane in the morning and westbound curb lane in the evening. Buuuuut, I think we all know how well that would go over. And for what its worth - which isn't much - there will be dedicated lanes on Dodge and Douglas east of 30th.

[S.O.Boy]

They say this will double the ridership of the #2 route.