The Fort Worth Transportation Authority board today will consider buying 30 new shelters, to help its riders escape the heat, rain and other elements while waiting for a bus. A common complaint at the T is that there aren't enough shelters, especially on neighborhood routes. The T last year installed new bus shelters in the downtown area.
The new shelters that the T board will consider today cost about $419,000. Of that, 80 percent would be covered by federal transit enhancement funds, and the remaining 20 percent would come out of the T's capital budget. The T board meets at 4 p.m at 1600 E. Lancaster Ave., and will consider awarding the contract to Tolar Manufacturing Co. The contract includes enough supplies to build 30 shelters, and spare parts to make repairs on them for years to come, T spokeswoman Joan Hunter said.
If the item is approved, the new shelters likely will be installed by early summer, officials said.
Improving passenger comforts is a priority for the agency, according to its long-term strategic plan approved last year. And when it comes to shelters, the task ahead is gargantuan. Fewer than one in 20 bus stops in the Fort Worth area has a shelter, T records show.
Of the 2,604 stops on T bus routes, only 141 have shelters, and 419 have benches.
-- Gordon Dickson
, gdickson@star-telegram.com
Photo: This portrait of T board member Reby Cary (right) was taken by the Star-Telegram's Rodger Mallison, at a southeast Fort Worth bus stop in November.
