Bridgeport Bus Terminal Work on Schedule

By Bill Cummings, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

Jul. 19–BRIDGEPORT — The first thing a visitor notices when entering the city’s new bus station is the windows.

Lots of windows, and light, creating a wraparound effect along three walls. To the north is the city’s new juvenile jail, still rising from its construction site. To the east, the Metro-North Railroad tracks pass by.

In between, looking west, is downtown, a mix of gleaming, modern structures and old, beat-up, unused buildings still awaiting redevelopment.

Mayor John M. Fabrizi on Wednesday offered a peek at the emerging bus station, a white, $23 million, modern structure perched near the train station on Water Street.

The bus station, under development since 1999, is scheduled to open Sept. 2., offering 17 bays. Officials said those bays will provide riders with little wait for the next bus, a stark contrast to the current station up the block on John Street, a 1950s era building that can accommodate no more than four buses at a time.

“It’s completely night and day between the two buildings,” Fabrizi said, comparing the new and old bus stations.

“The old building is very depressing,” added Ronald Kilcoyne, executive director of the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority, which runs bus service in Bridgeport, Trumbull, Stratford and Fairfield.

“The old facility looks prehistoric compared to this shinny, well-lit terminal,” Fabrizi adds, nodding in agreement with Kilcoyne.

The terminal features a wide open and sizable waiting area, and separate ticket booths for local buses and out-of-city buses like Greyhound. The upper walls will be covered with replicas of murals created by the 1930s era Works Progress Administration. The scenes depict old industrial sites in Bridgeport.

The outside bus bays sport covered areas to keep riders out of the weather.

Upstairs, there is a community meeting room, along with a lounge and private bathrooms for bus drivers. The GBTA also has a small office.

But perhaps the most significant feature is an elevated, white, covered walkway, with glass along most of the train side, that will allow people to walk from the bus station to the train platform.

Another, much longer, walkway will be built from the parking garage at Harbor Yard to the train station.

Fabrizi said no decisions have been made over what to do with the old bus station, leased by the city from a private owner.

The station is part of a larger plan to create a new intermodal transportation center to link rail, bus and taxi traffic. The centerpiece is to be a new train station, although city officials are still awaiting funding for that component. Bill Cummings, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6230.

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