Lethbridge City Council has approved a submission of two grant applications that, if successful, would be used to fund the construction of a transit terminal in the city’s downtown, and a regional park ‘n’ ride transit service.
Mayor Chris Spearman said that the project could help tackle several challenges the transit system faces in the city and the surrounding area.
“If we are successful in our grant applications, we can create a transit terminal that would provide ticket terminals, washrooms, protection from the weather and a safe and easy place to transfer buses – all things we are challenged to provide with our current transit system,” Spearman said.
Consultations between city administration and potential partners for the operation of the park ‘n’ ride service are still ongoing. The facility would provide a central location for transit users to park their vehicles and access regional transit services.
The location of the potential terminal is a city-owned parking lot located on 5 Avenue S between 7 and 8 Streets. It would have one-way traffic flow in and out of the site, and would have 10 drop off/pick-up locations for buses, half of which would be covered from the weather.
The city said removing buses from 4 Avenue would free up downtown parking space, as well as reduce the chance for collisions in the area.
The city will now be applying for over $11 million from Alberta’s GreenTRIP program, and $2 million from the Public Transportation Infrastructure Fund. The city said in order to complete the project, another $3.6 million would be secured from other revenue sources.
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