Transit users looking forward to new Scotia Square terminal

Downtown Halifax transit users say they cannot wait for the municipality to reopen the transit terminal at Scotia Square.

The city announced Thursday the new bus terminal on Barrington Street will open on Dec. 16, completing a milestone in the Cogswell District project.

 “I’ll be thankful when it’s back,” said transit user Scott Hearn.

Transit user Melissa Gray agreed.

“They had to reroute everything, so hopefully it’ll make things a little more streamlined again,” said to The Signal about the new terminal.

Deborah George, another transit rider, said, “Hopefully, it will be better, and traffic will be reduced. I’m just waiting to see how it turns out.”

Halifax Transit rerouted 30 bus routes in June that formerly used the Halifax Transit Terminal at Scotia Square. The bus bays on Barrington Street were relocated to narrower locations on Granville Street, Albemarle Street, and further south on Barrington Street during construction.

More than 9,000 riders passed through the Scotia Square terminal each weekday in 2023, according to the transit service. 

HRM announced Thursday the new terminal “will include new heated shelters, additional seating and waiting space for passengers, wider sidewalks and an additional bus bay.”

The opening of the new bus terminal will happen the same day Cogswell Street from Brunswick Street to Upper Water Street will be opened.

Valour Way and the roundabout with a temporary connection to Nora Bernard Street also will be fully operational on Dec 16.

The new terminal is only one part of the Cogswell District project, which municipal officials say “will convert 16 acres of road infrastructure into a mixed-use neighbourhood.”

The project is estimated to cost $138.1 million and is expected to be completed next December.