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Oct 12, 2023

Transit Center in Eau Claire still set to start service next year

Multimedia Journalist EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - The new Eau Claire Transit Center is

Multimedia Journalist

EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - The new Eau Claire Transit Center is still undergoing construction — and despite the progress made — won't fully open until midsummer of 2024.

The building is nearly complete though, and city officials plan to open the parking ramp portion later this year. However, bus services won't begin until the exterior of the apartments are done. Cory Tietz, an official from Eau Claire Community Services Department, said rising costs due to COVID-19 and inflation caused the first developer to drop out of the apartment project and a new developer was approved in February 2023. For safety reasons, the transit center can't completely open until the apartments are done.

"There's still a lot of overhead work that needs to be done to build those three stories that would go on top of this structure," Tietz said. "So there will be an overhead crane and stuff set up again and just for safety reasons of people entering and exiting that facility, it's best to stay out of it."

Officials are hopeful that construction on the apartments will start this fall as the new developer, Merge LLC., is finalizing plans for the three-story addition. Once the exterior and the foundation of the apartments are complete, the center and its bus services could be open by the summer of 2024. Tietz anticipates the apartments could finish construction in summer 2025.

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