On Jan. 30, representatives from the Via Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees and the Castle Hills City Council broke ground on a new bus shelter that will be the first of several added in this Via-member city in the coming weeks. This project is part of efforts to enhance amenities and services across Via’s service area.
“Last August, we worked with Castle Hills to identify desired transit improvements for riders while also increasing access to transit for local businesses,” said Via Board Vice Chair Steve Allison. “We committed to looking at the routing of Via buses through Castle Hills and to increasing rider amenities.”
At the beginning of January, Via modified Route 534 so that a portion of the route that formerly served the edge of Castle Hills now runs through the municipality along Northwest Military Highway. This change was made to improve access to public transportation in areas with a robust business presence and the potential for high ridership. VIA is installing bus shelters along the revised route to complement this increase in service.
“We committed to enhance the infrastructure of our system,” said Via President/CEO Jeffrey Arndt. “One of the most visible ways we are doing that is by adding new bus shelters throughout the service area. To date, we have installed new shelters at over 190 sites, and we are now making preparations for eight more here in Castle Hills, beginning with this one.”
New bus shelters will be installed or replaced at almost 1,000 locations across Via’s service area by November 2016.
