City transit center construction begins

POSTED AT 10:32 PM ON Feb. 20, 2014

Bloomington Transit has started construction on a new transit center. The center will be on Third and Walnut Streets and should be completed within the next four months.

The center is a joint project between Bloomington Transit and the City of Bloomington, said Lew May, general manager at Bloomington Transit.

The building will have a second floor dedicated to the Bloomington/Monroe County 911 dispatch center, which is currently located at 223 E. Third St.

The city is paying about $2 million in construction costs and Bloomington Transit about $5 million, May said.

Money for the transit portion is coming from federal grants and local Bloomington Transit funds, May said.

May mentioned a number of components Bloomington Transit is adding to the new center.

There will be canopies outside to shelter people from rain while waiting for the buses. The canopies will reach far enough to allow passengers to get on the bus without getting wet, May said.

There will also be more passenger amenities on site, like public restrooms and air-conditioning, which the current Bloomington Transit center on Fourth and Washington Streets does not have, May said.

In an attempt to use more advanced technology, the construction staff is installing free wireless Internet for passengers waiting for buses at the center, May said, as well as digital information monitors with arrival times and bus tracking technologies.

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City transit center construction begins