Byron’s new bus interchange will officially open soon
The new precinct will replace the existing Jonson St bus stop which has long been at capacity.
Byron Shire
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Byron's new bus interchange on Butler Street is on the verge of being officially opened.
Byron mayor Simon Richardson said the new facility, to replace the Jonson St bus stop, would be opened on the morning of Monday, April 26.
Work began on the site about a year ago.
Cr Richardson said this would be another "significant step" in bringing the council's masterplan process to fruition after the Byron Bypass and the award-winning Railway Park upgrade.
"I think we should be really proud about what we are doing in Byron from this document," Cr Richardson said.
"The globally and nationally known masterplan firm that we engaged years ago to run the process, at the very first meeting, shared their ... cynicism that anything will happen.
"They said everywhere we go, especially in Australia, we have masterplans and then they sit on shelves and gather dust."
He said getting buses out of the CBD was "one of the most universally agreed upon concepts" at meetings related to the masterplan.
"It's ended up landing in a footprint that hasn't stopped any return of a shuttle service or in the (rail) corridor itself and it's going to allow us to really open up this part of Jonson St," he said.
"As soon as this occurs we can get rid of the bus stop currently on Jonson St.
"We've already got plans to beautify and redesign around the information centre and really bring that out as a wider place for our community to sit and gather and chat.
"It really is another significant step in a really great path to revitalising Byron (with) cars out, people in."
Work on the interchange was put on hold for a time after a midden site was found, triggering consultations with the local Aboriginal community.
"They're pretty plentiful and some have more importance than others," Cr Richardson said.
"The local mob were satisfied this was a very minor midden; they worked with the local mob who were satisfied with the work they were doing."
He said he believed the contractors were "ticking boxes" on honouring the rail history and indigenous history of the area.
"It is ultimately a bus interchange. There's very few global architecture prize winners that are bus stops," he said.
"By its very nature is has to be more function than form, or more utilitarian than artistic, however they've certainly done a lot of landscaping, a lot of planting to soften the space."
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman recently confirmed work was close to finished on the project.
The precinct will connect with the new Byron Bypass, which opened to traffic in late February and will replace the existing Jonson St bus stop, which has long been at capacity.
According to Transport for NSW information on the project, the interchange is part of the Transport Access Program and the space will be "accessible to those with a disability, limited mobility, parents/carers with prams and customers with luggage".
Originally published as Revealed: When Byron's new transport hub will open
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