TULSA, Okla. (AP) — City leaders gathered at Centennial Park recently to break ground on Tulsa's new Aero Bus Rapid Transit system.

The ceremony marked the end of years of planning and the beginning of months of construction that will culminate in late summer with what is being described as a game-changer in the city's transportation system.

"We hope that this will be a first step in a transformation for Tulsa Transit and for transit in Tulsa to become a mode that people will want to use over and over again," Ted Rieck, Tulsa Transit general manager, said to the Tulsa World.

The BRT system will run along Peoria Avenue from 54th Street North to 81st Street South. The route was chosen because one in seven Tulsans live within a mile of Peoria Avenue and one in five work within a mile of it.

The key differences between the BRT system and Tulsa Transit's existing service are the frequency and speed at which buses will travel.

Rieck said there is about a 45-minute wait between buses on the existing system but that the wait will be cut to 15 to 20 minutes along the BRT route, which will operate seven days a week.

"Trips will be a lot faster," he said.

The BRT system will include more than 50 standard or constrained bus stops with special branding. The standard bus stations will have more amenities, including larger seating areas and shelters and boarding platforms that are even with the buses' entrances. Both types of stations will have electronic signs providing real-time information on when buses will arrive.

"People who live and work in downtown will be able to go to Cherry Street or Brookside over their lunch break and get back to work on time because of this BRT," Rieck said. "It will open the entire city to tourists who attend our events in the downtown area."

Mayor G.T. Bynum said Tulsa is one of the first 12 cities in the country to adopt bus rapid transit service. Historically, bus service has been Tulsans' transportation option of last resort, the mayor said, but that could change with the frequent, reliable service BRT will offer.

"Imagine what Tulsans might step up and want to do around public transit if all of a sudden they could see what it was like to have public transit as a vehicle of choice in our city," he said.

The city is spending approximately $20 million in Improve Our Tulsa and Vision Tulsa funds to pay for the buses, bus stations and other capital needs.

Tulsa Transit expects to spend about $3.3 million in fiscal year 2020 to operate the BRT system. That figure includes the costs Tulsa Transit would have spent to operate Route 105, which the BRT system is absorbing.

About half of that cost will be paid for with Vision Tulsa funds, with the remainder from the city's general fund.

Bynum gave special thanks to former City Councilor Blake Ewing for his work in promoting the BRT system.

"I don't think we would be here today if it weren't for Councilor Ewing's passion behind this project over six years," the mayor said.

He also recognized James Wagner, the city's chief of performance strategy and innovation, for his work on the project. Wagner played a key role in getting the project started when he worked at the Indian Nations Council of Governments.

Wagner said that he expects that the new bus system will do more than get people around town faster.

"Today, Tulsans spend about a quarter of their income on transportation," Wagner said. "Think about shifting that investment over to something that is more wealth building.

"We can change a generation or two or three with an investment like this. We are changing not only the physical nature of the city but also the social fabric of the city, and I think there is tremendous value to that, as well."

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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com