New Downtown Transit Station Opens Nov. 10

Manatee County Area Transit buses will begin picking up riders at the sparkling new downtown transfer station on Nov. 10. A ribbon cutting for the new facility is open to the public and will be held Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m.

Buses will stop picking up riders at the long-time location west of the Historic Courthouse on Friday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m.

The new station is located between Sixth and Eighth Avenues on 13th Street West, downtown Bradenton. MCAT buses will begin picking up riders at the new station at 5:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 10.

“The new transfer station provides a safe, off-street facility for transit customers,” said William Steele, interim director of Manatee County Area Transit. “It is a beautiful facility and fits really well with downtown redevelopment.”

Buses from five MCAT routes – 2, 3, 4, 9 and 99 – will pick up passengers Monday through Saturday at 10 minutes before the hour and at 20 minutes after the hour, from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The new station includes public restrooms, an information and ticket booth and an automatic ticket vending machine. It also includes five public art display sections designed to represent the region’s natural landscape.

Manatee County Area Transit worked with the City of Bradenton, the Bradenton Downtown Development Agency and project architects and engineers to design the new facility. Manatee County Property Management Department managed the construction which began in July, 2011.

The $2.4 million project is largely funded by a $1.5 million Federal Transit Administration grant. The remaining $955,070 is being split evenly between the Florida Department of Transportation and local funding. Land for the new facility was provided by the City of Bradenton.

For more information on the transit routes or mass transit in Manatee County, visit www.mymanatee.org/mcat      

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.