The City of Sarnia is preparing to shift its transit routes as the new $3 million Clearwater Terminal officially comes online this month.
The facility, which comes online May 27, replaces the existing Murphy Road terminal and will function as the community’s first full-sized terminal, in line with the City’s Transit Master Plan.
It also coincides with the recent opening of a new Lambton County Library at the arena, “part of an ongoing effort to transform the Clearwater site into a community hub serving diverse recreation and leisure needs,” the City stated in a news release.
“The facility provides space for up to eight buses allowing riders to transfer safely and conveniently between routes while providing capacity for future growth in the east end of the community.”
The project was jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Sarnia, including $1.19 million in federal funding, and $999,065 in provincial funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. Funding for the new Clearwater Terminal also included $696,753 in provincial Gas Tax funding.
“This is a huge step for us as we continue our work to deliver reliable transit service that meets the needs of our riders and provides connections across the community, including areas that are poised to grow in the years to come,” said David Jackson, the City’s general manager of engineering and operations. “The space wasn’t there to expand services at Murphy Road so this was essential for us to continue that commitment to our residents.
“Utilizing Clearwater not only makes us future ready but means our riders can access Clearwater Arena and its facilities while they connect to employment, recreation, shopping, and education destinations.”
The opening of the new Clearwater Terminal will result in changes to routes and schedules. The City has developed a new interactive online transit map, reflecting the new routes that will come into effect starting May 27.
The new tool allows users to browse evening, weekday and weekend routes and schedules alongside detour information from a single portal at www.sarnia.ca/TransitMaps. The tool is now available for riders to familiarize themselves with routes before the transition to the Clearwater Terminal.
Sarnia Transit will continue stops for several routes at the Murphy Road location.
Printed maps are also available at City Hall customer service.