Bloomington Transit to build new facility

The Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation announced plans Friday to purchase an area of land downtown and relocate their current passenger facility. \nThe new site will be located on Third Street between Washington and Walnut streets. Current buildings on site include the old Royal Dog restaurant and the building located at 310 to 316 S. Washington St., which includes Landlocked Music and Boxcar Books. \n“The current downtown transit facility constructed in 1987 has served us well now for over 20 years and as we look to the future we see transit playing a greater role in providing mobility to the community,” said BPTC General Manager Lewis May in a press release. \nThe new facility will include expanded passenger waiting areas, public restrooms, improved lighting and security and an open plaza area, according to the press release. It would also include the space needed to double the number of operating buses. \nThe project’s total cost is expected to be about $6.5 million. Eighty percent of the total cost will be covered by federal grants, and the remaining 20 percent will come from Bloomington Transit. BT hopes to have finalized the purchase of the property by the fall, with construction beginning in the spring of 2009. Construction should be completed by early fall 2009.