Campbell River will be receiving $15-million of the $160 million announced recently by a provincial and federal government partnership for regional transit projects.
This new money will be used to build a new operations and maintenance facility to improve the community’s transit infrastructure as the city moves forward on its Transit Future plan.
“This investment in a new transit operations facility for Campbell River is a key component for the growth of our community and our ability to implement community-identified priorities in our Transit Future Plan,” says Mayor Andy Adams. “We are also excited by the investment in technology enhancements that will support our continued focus on a safe and efficient transportation network.”
The new operations and maintenance facility will be built, according to Maureen Sheehan of BC Transit, to allow for future growth, as Campbell River currently has 14 buses in operation and is expecting that number to double over the next 25 years.
Campbell River transit busses are also being outfitted with “technology enhancements” according to the government release on the funding announcement.
“Modernizations to buses include closed circuit TV to increase the safety of passengers and drivers, and automatic passenger counters that will enable BC Transit to optimize service delivery based on informed data,” the release states.
The Campbell River transit funding is part of the first phase of the federal/provincial government’s partnership to fund public transit infrastructure projects. The federal government has committed to supply $90 million over the next three years of the plan, with the provincial government pitching in $67.8 million and local governments contributing an additional 17 per cent to fund new capital projects.
BC Transit has not determined what the next phase of improvements will look like, but says it will be working with local governments to identify priority projects going forward.