| City of St. Ignace, MDOT, and Indian Trails announce opening of new transportation facility
Contact:
Janet Foran, MDOT Office of Communications, 517-335-7176
Agency:
Transportation
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WHAT: The city of St. Ignace and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), in conjunction with Indian Trails, Inc., announce a ribbon- cutting dedication and grand opening for the new St. Ignace Transportation Facility. This first-ever, permanent bus facility will handle the transfer of passengers on the state-supported intercity bus routes in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) with the state-supported intercity bus routes in the northern lower peninsula. Indian Trails plans to begin using the new station on Tuesday, Sept. 22, with the dedication and open house scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28.
WHO: MDOT, city of St. Ignace and Indian Trails staff
State, county and local legislators/officials
Business and community representatives
Interested public
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
2 p.m. (ribbon-cutting ceremony)
2 to 7 p.m. (open house)
WHERE: The ceremony will be held at the new facility, 700 West US-2 at Church Road in St. Ignace, just east of the I-75 intersection on the north side of US-2 near the Mackinac Bridge.
Special accommodations: 906-643-9671
BACKGROUND: In a unique partnership, MDOT and the city of St. Ignace built a state-of- the-art facility that will better serve customers, and also provide overnight accommodations for Indian Trails bus drivers. The $1.7 million facility was financed with a combination of state and federal funds.
The facility has a public lobby with vending machines, a 24-hour accessible foyer with Americans with Disabilities Act access, ample parking, and separate bus lanes. The city of St. Ignace owns the building and will provide a 20-year lease for the facility.
Prior to the opening of the new bus station, passengers used various other temporary bus stops located at St. Ignace businesses.
The new station is the northern-most terminal for daily bus service throughout Michigan, which links nearly 150 cities and towns throughout the state. Service is provided between St. Ignace and Ironwood (via Escanaba), and between Calumet, Mich. and Milwaukee, Wis. (via Marquette and Gwinn). Service also is provided for Alma, Mt. Pleasant, Clare, Harrison, Houghton Lake, Grayling, Gaylord, and Indian River, then connecting to the U.P. service.
Indian Trails operates seven days per week, 365 days each year. For more information about these routes, contact Indian Trails at 800-292-3831, or www.indiantrails.com. A Michigan intercity bus route map can be viewed at www.michigan.gov/mdot. Click on "Rail & Public Transit," then "Passenger Transportation" for the link.
MDOT: Working with our partners at airports, bus systems, marine and rail to find innovative solutions for Michigan's transportation systems.
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