Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday selected the location for the downtown Lawrence Transit station: the parking lot at the northeast corner of Eighth and Vermont streets.
Felice Lavergne, interim director of Lawrence Transit, presented the staff’s recommendation to the commission during Tuesday’s meeting.
The lot is across from the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County and the nearby Lawrence Public Library. The area has served as the de facto downtown bus hub for years, but the project in the works will add amenities for drivers and riders.
Five bus routes currently serve downtown. 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. Public restrooms are also a possibility. Plans also include security at the site from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
The plan also includes installation of a raised crosswalk near the library parking garage.
Lawrence Public Library Executive Director Brad Allen told commissioners that the library staff thought the plan really made sense, and they like that the location boosts access to the library. He said they believe safety is paramount, and the street isn’t safe right now. He said the library staff hope the raised crosswalk will help keep people safe.
Commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of the location, with Commissioner Amber Sellers opposed. Sellers was the only commissioner who indicated last month that she preferred the other finalist lot, a parking lot at the northwest corner of 10th and Vermont streets.
Next, the Kansas Department of Transportation will help the city complete necessary federal paperwork, and design for the station would begin in the latter half of 2025. Construction would begin in early 2026, and the station could be completed in the third quarter of 2026.
The cost of the station is estimated at $1.8 million, and the total project budget in Tuesday’s agenda is $2.03 million. About $1.6 million will come from federal funds, and the city will need to match $406,000, to come from local transit sales tax revenues.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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