Southold Town may finally get a new bus shelter
“Whenever you talk about a bus shelter in Southold, there’s usually a round of laughter,” Southold Town Councilman Bill Ruland said while discussing the topic at a work session Tuesday.
The bid for bus shelters in Southold dates back more than five years and gained momentum in 2015, when a group of North Fork students ramped up their efforts as part of “Project Bus Stop.”
Now, one may be coming in 2019.
“We are waiting for the Suffolk County Department of Public Works to award the contract for this year’s construction of bus shelters,” Southold Transportation Commission Chair Neboysha Brashich wrote in a memo to the Town Board earlier this month.
Before the shelter is constructed, officials must decide on where it should go.
Plans to place the shelter at Town Hall stalled, since the New York State Department of Transportation requires an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant crosswalk.
Now, the transportation commission is suggesting the bus shelter be placed in front of the new Justice Court, which will be housed at a former Capital One bank building the town purchased earlier this year.
“It’s at a marked bus stop, all of the crossing infrastructure is in place,” Mr. Ruland said.
Councilwoman Jill Doherty liked the idea.
“It’s in a central location in town. You can go right to the supermarket, and a lot of different places. It makes more sense,” she said.
Mr. Ruland said the board would consider the option, but with Supervisor Scott Russell absent, hold off on making a formal decision.
