The city council voted 7-2 on Tuesday evening to approve a long-debated expansion of the public transit network, adding three new bus rapid transit corridors and extending service hours on the busiest existing routes.
Supporters of the plan say it will cut average commute times by up to fifteen minutes for residents in the fastest-growing suburbs, while easing congestion on the two main highways that funnel traffic into downtown each morning.
Funding will come from a mix of state infrastructure grants and a modest increase to the existing transit levy, which officials say will appear on tax bills starting next fiscal year.
Construction on the first corridor is expected to begin in the spring, with the full network scheduled to be operational within eighteen months.
