JAMESTOWN – Chautauqua County’s CARTS (Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System), buses will continue using the area of Pine St. in downtown Jamestown as its central downtown hub until further notice.
That from the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities Director Brad Bentley, whose office oversees the CARTS operation. Bentley tells WRFA the county has asked the city to extend the length of time the buses will be using Pine St. until further notice so that a permanent solution on the CARTS bus terminal for downtown can be made.
Carts has been using the stretch of Pine Street between E. Third and E. Fourth Streets in Downtown Jamestown since June because of the street construction work that had to take place at the previous hub location along W. Second St. in front of the Gateway Train Station, which is part of the National Comedy Center (NCC). That project involved redeveloping a stretch of W. Second St. in order to create a Public Piazza for events in front of the NCC.
As part of the temporary relocation, the Jamestown City Council had to change the parking rules for the eight parking spaces along the east side of Pine St. that the CARTS buses would have to utilize. However, that change was to be in effect only until the end of August, when the construction of W. Second St. piazza project would be completed, allowing the CARTS hub to be moved back to its previous location.
As reported by WRFA in March, CARTS was required to find a new temporary hub in the downtown due to the construction and closure that took place in front of the NCC and Gateway Train Station along W. Second St., with the understanding that it would return to the NCC location at the end of August.
During the W. Second St. piazza construction, the Coach USA bus stop in front of the NCC was also temporarily moved to an area of E. Fourth St. between Prendergast and Pine Streets, but has since moved back and as of last word, will remain in front of the NCC.
WRFA reached out to city officials Friday afternoon but no word yet on whether or not the City Council will have to meet again to extend the parking rules changes beyond Sept. 1.
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