After several years in which plans to tear down and replace the 7 bus shelters on the Capital Square took numerous twists and turns, they are finally in the process of all being replaced by new shelters that are more exposed to the elements than were the old ones. The supposed reason? They are supposed to be more aesthetic and fit into the upgrade of Madison's downtown. What about providing shelter for someone waiting for a bus? Well, at least we get 7 shelters although they each cost $48,000. That is, the shelters will cost around $336,000 and the site work (demolition and installation) will cost about $436,000 for a total of close to $800,000. Metro is not paying directly for the work out of its budget. Rather, Metro faces another year of budget shortfall even as it struggles to add cameras to more buses. For a brief history of the events involved with replacing the bus shelters on the Capital Square, please see A Brief History on Bus Shelters on the Square. |