An estimated 12 buses would be needed for the nine-mile route running from a proposed multimodal station for BRT and commuter rail west of I-15 on University Parkway in Orem to Provo Towne Centre mall. The plan calls for another multimodal station at Freedom Boulevard and about 700 South in Provo, which would put it at the south end of the proposed commuter rail extension.

The corridor would feature a total of 15 stops — including the two multimodal stations and stops near Utah Valley State College, University Mall, Brigham Young University, Provo Towne Centre and Novell Inc.

"It's a great corridor because it connects two colleges, two shopping malls, a lot of student housing and a lot of jobs," Johnson said.

Cost of the project is estimated at $90 million, he said, and would require a mix of federal and local funding. Finding that funding is the next step for UTA, the Utah Department of Transportation and MAG, which teamed to conduct a feasibility study of the Orem-Provo corridor.

The soonest Utah County could possibly see Bus Rapid Transit would be 2010, Johnson said.

"There's definitely a market for it," he said. "It's just that there's not immediate funding available to do it."

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com