At their meeting last week, the Downtown Transit Station Steering Committee selected five sites to advance for City Commission consideration. At this time, the sites are not in ranked order. They are as follows:

• Site 005: City parking Lot #5 (east side of 900 block of Vermont St.)
• Site 006: City parking Lot #9 (west side of 900 block of Vermont St.)
• Site 018: Current bus transfer area + City parking Lot #14, 700 block of Vermont St.
• Site 025: City parking Lot #8 (east side of 800 block of New Hampshire St.)
• Site 026: City parking Lot #4 (west side of 800 block of New Hampshire St.)

“The 2024 site selection process has been slow and methodical on purpose so that we could hear and vet community concerns,” said Adam Weigel, Director of Transit. “Through 3 public survey periods (436 unique respondents), dozens of emails, 8 public meetings, and the use of 14 site selection criteria to guide discussion, the Steering Committee recommendations represent an attempt to balance a wide range of community values. There is no perfect site, but we look forward to hearing more community engagement in the next few months to select a final preferred site by the end of the year.”

The City Commission will review the five recommended sites at their October 8 meeting. The next steps in the process are:

• 10/8: City Commission selects 3 to 5 sites for concept designs.
• 10/8-10/25: Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) assists in concept site plans and updated cost analysis.
• 11/5 or 11/12: City Commission has a work session to provide direction on a preferred site.
• 11/12-11/22: KDOT assists in completing a federal planning worksheet.
• 12/3, 12/10, or 12/17: City Commission votes on a preferred site.
• 12/17-1/15: KDOT assists in completing a federal worksheet for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• 2025-2026: The design and construction process occurs.

Of the 20 bus routes in Lawrence, five routes will continue to serve Downtown Lawrence. The goal of a new Downtown Station is to improve comfort and convenience for bus riders, in order to encourage more transit ridership today and in the future. The main elements that have been identified to include in the site design for Downtown Station are:

• Driver restrooms
• Individual bus bays
• Seating and wind protection
• Next departure signs
• Weather protection canopies

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.

The public process for choosing a site for a Downtown Transit Station began in January this year, with a call for Steering Committee members. Beginning in February, the group has been meeting on a monthly basis.

Lawrence Transit would like to thank members of the committee for their valuable time and effort. Representatives of many Lawrence community groups were part of the committee, including the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Lawrence, Inc., Lawrence Public Library, Senior Resource Center, Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, Public Transit Advisory Committee, bus drivers, bus riders, downtown residents, and downtown employees.

Read more about Downtown Station here: https://lawrencetransit.org/projects/downtown-station

To get help planning a trip on the bus or for more information, visit www.lawrencetransit.org or call (785) 864-4644. Find Lawrence Transit on Facebook: @LawrenceTransit.

Contact: Lawrence Transit, info@lawrencetransit.org, (785) 864-4644

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