Press release from the city of Asheville:
The first phase of ART Transit Station improvements are about to begin! On Monday, April 15, local contactor NHM Constructors will bring their crew in to mobilize for the stormwater drainage improvement project to the bus travel lanes and sidewalk.
The construction crew will begin on the north side of the bus travel lanes.
While we had been told that passenger impacts would begin around April 22, the contractor moved ahead on the first day, April 15.
Passengers looking for buses that park on the Post Office side of the platform — W1, W2, W3, W4, W5. S1, S5 and S4 — will find that these routes will load on Asheland Avenue, starting today, April 15.
- Look for an ambassador at the station to direct you, to help guide riders to the temporary loading zone.
- iRide and ART text alert subscribers will receive notifications about the construction impacts.
- ART staff is working on signage at the station and will be using traffic barriers to direct passengers to the loading zone on Asheland Avenue.
The ART Station waiting room and restrooms will remain open. Riders will load onto the southbound travel lanes as usual during this phase. For safety, a fence will be put in place to separate riders from the construction.
Once the northbound lanes are completed, they will be reopened and the southbound lanes will be fenced off for the stormwater work. Passengers who ride buses normally on the northbound lane will then get on the bus on Asheland Avenue.
The City will make every effort to mitigate impacts to our valued riders and the buses will run as scheduled.
This portion of the station renovation is expected to last about three months.
Once the stormwater installation is complete, bus operations will return to normal before the station renovation will begin this summer, 2019. The renovation will improve the passenger experience by updating digital displays, renovating the passenger waiting area and bathrooms and updating the lighting. Of note, this phase of the project will also incorporate the installation of solar panels on the ART Station passenger canopy, making this the City of Asheville’s first fully renewable energy project.
This phase of the project is expected to begin in the later part of June and last through the end of the year, possibly into winter 2020. Again, the City will make every effort to mitigate impacts to our valued riders and the buses will run as scheduled. Again, riders will at times need to be loaded onto buses on Asheland Avenue.
We appreciate your patience — and especially your ridership — while we make these important upgrades and renovations to the ART Bus Station. Funds to pay for both Capital Improvements Projects were allocated in the Adopted Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Budget.
Find more information at this link on the City of Asheville website.
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