Feds Put Brakes on Anderson Bus Terminal Project

(rendering courtesy of our partners at The Herald Bulletin)

Plans to build a new bus terminal in downtown Anderson are on hold for now because the federal government is requiring a third environmental impact study.  Our partners at The Herald Bulletin say the city hoped to open the new terminal next February. Now it appears the bus transit center will not be completed until the summer of 2020.

Anderson Mayor Tom Broderick told the publication an outhouse was discovered during the Phase 2 environmental study.  Old glass bottles and parts of a shoe were also found on the property where at one time houses stood. Archaeologists thought those findings might be significant.

The federal government is providing about $6 million in grant funds for the project. An environmental study is required any time federal dollars are used on a project like this.

“We’re trying to formulate a plan at the federal level,” Broderick said. “There has to be additional excavations and data collected.”

The Bulletin says construction on the site may get the green light once the Federal Transportation Administration reviews the third environmental study. The city says the study should be completed in September.

The new $8.5 million terminal will be located at the intersection of 13th and Jackson Streets in the city’s downtown.