LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Downtown drivers should expect some lane closures in coming weeks as crews install six new bus shelters. It is all part of the new Bus Rapid Transit Line that comes with the New Dixie Highway Project.
"About 4,000 people every day take bus route 18 which goes along Dixie Highway and into downtown," spokesperson for The New Dixie Highway Project, Beverly Bartlett said.
The RAPID will improve safety and bus service. It is the first one in the region. The project includes new shelters and new vehicles with more features.
"These are going to be branded buses so they're very attractive and they're going to be more distinctive from other TARC buses," Bartlett said.
The RAPID will run from near the Gene Snyder, all the way up Dixie Highway to Broadway, then into downtown. There's going to be 37 new stops. Crews will work on six of them in downtown for the next four weeks.
The six downtown stops will be:
- Ninth and Muhammad Ali – NB
- Ninth and Muhammad Ali – SB
- Market and Ninth – NB
- Market at Sixth – EB
- Market at Second – EB
- Jefferson at Sixth – WB
"These are going to be more contemporary-looking shelters than most of what you're used to seeing around downtown," Bartlett said.
The new shelters will have digital screens showing estimated arrival times.
"Another part of it was improving the sidewalks that go to the bus stops so that people can walk to the bus stops safely and have a safe place to walk and a safe place to wait," Bartlett said.
The new buses will also have new features allowing them to communicate with the traffic signals.
"There will be times when a bus is approaching signal and it'll stay green just a little bit longer to let that bus get through," Bartlett said. "That's better for everyone, to get that big vehicle through rather than having it sit there."
Drivers should expect lane closures through December. Final surfacing and landscaping are slated for the spring and summer of 2020.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
►Contact reporter Senait Gebregiorgis at SGebregior@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.