The Downtown Transit Station Steering Committee has narrowed its focus to five locations for the new station, including the current bus transfer area on Vermont Street.
The next step will be for the Lawrence City Commission to review the sites during their Tuesday, Oct. 8 meeting and select three to five of them for concept designs, according to a news release from the city.
The five selected sites are:
• Site 5: City parking lot #5 — east side of the 900 block of Vermont Street
• Site 6: City parking lot #9 — west side of the 900 block of Vermont Street
• Site 18: Current bus transfer area and city parking lot #14 — 700 block of Vermont Street
• Site 25: City parking lot #8 — east side of the 800 block of New Hampshire Street
• Site 26: City parking lot #4 — west side of the 800 block of New Hampshire Street
Lawrence Transit’s Central Station at Bob Billings Parkway and Crestline Drive opened in January, but there are five bus routes that serve downtown, and the station aims to improve conditions for bus riders and drivers.
The main elements the city plans to include in the downtown station are driver restrooms, individual bus bays, next departure signs, sufficient seating, wind protection and weather protection canopies.
In addition, “As part of the 2026 Transit Department operational budget, Downtown Station is planned to be staffed with security personnel from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday,” according to the release.
After the city commission weighs in, the Kansas Department of Transportation will help the city with concept site plans and an updated cost analysis, according to the release. Commissioners in November will hold a work session to provide direction on a preferred site and take a final vote in December. Design and construction will take place in 2025-2026, according to the release.
Read more background on the site selection process in the articles at this link.
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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
