Why Byron Bay’s new $8.4 million bus stop is important
The project has been touted as “another transformative step” for the town.
Byron Shire
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The completion of a new bus stop has marked a "transformative step" for Byron Bay.
The new Byron Bay bus interchange, on Butler St, cost $8.4 million, 50 jobs were involved in its construction and it will take "hundreds of buses" off Jonson St, member of the Legislative Council and parliamentary secretary for energy and the arts Ben Franklin said when he officially opened the facility on Monday.
Mr Franklin, who was representing Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole at the opening, applauded the end result of the interchange, which follows the completion of the Byron Bay Bypass, which opened in February after 30 years of planning, and the award-winning changes to Railway Park.
Construction was undertaken by Hazell Bros and the first buses are set to operate there from 5am on Wednesday.
"It's a big project, it's an important project and for an iconic town like Byron Bay it is so important to get this right because we will all hear about it if it's not," Mr Franklin said.
"I think I've had three different conversations with people who've said this is the most impressive interchange that they've seen in NSW and it's because of the design."
He said the project was another big step toward the council's masterplan vision for the town's CBD being more pedestrian friendly, with fewer vehicles.
"This is yet another transformative step in this town but a step that is totally in alignment with the community expectations and community values," he said.
Transport for NSW executive director of transport partnership Barbara Wise said the facility had put on show "a really fantastic partnership between Byron Shire Council and Transport".
"It's a great feature for the town," she said.
"It'll be so good to have the main street returned to the people and the buses have their own spot."
Mayor Simon Richardson has heralded the interchange as another major step in the realisation of the council's Byron Bay masterplan vision.
"It's a really exciting morning I think for so many of us who've spent years walking around town and feeling the way the town worked didn't reflect the values of the people who lived here or even of those who came and visited," he said.
"We've really shown what can happen when you've got relationships across different levels of government.
"If there was a traditional silo approach it would have been far more clumsy, far more delayed and far less successful.
"But I think there was a real commitment by everyone involved to get something impressive here."
He said the council's masterplan process, which began about six years ago, had a strong focus on removing traffic from the CBD.
He said the new interchange would help to achieve this while the "industrial transport history of the town" was honoured in the landscaping.
Work from Arakwal woman and artist Nickolla Clark has also been featured on the site.
Originally published as Why new $8.4 million bus stop matters for the whole region
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