As a child living in Portland 80 years ago, we had a street car rolling by our house on tracks and overhead lines. Quite noisy but they worked just fine as they clanged their way on many, many tracks and lines.
Next came the trolley buses. These were intended to be quieter and more easily switched to other service lines. Remember when the trolley would fall off of the overhead lines and the driver had to get out and physically pull them back on? Talk about traffic jam.
Then came the gas buses. They proved to be the best of the bunch. No overhead wires or rails. They would go wherever the driver pointed them. Street construction? Go around it.
It seems to me we are going backward with the overhead-style trolley again. Instead of rails on the new bridge, why not a dedicated lane for buses? I think it would be a lot cheaper to build and ever more adaptable.
