Construction will commence on the new Hamilton bus terminal on Sunday, July 18.

A temporary shelter has been set up on the western side of City Hall near the parking lot. The Public Transportation Department will move from the present location to the new temporary one at midnight on Saturday, July 17.

The 30-year-old terminal will be replaced and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2005.

Traffic access to Washington Street will be limited and it is expected that traffic flow will be ?marginally increased? on Victoria Street and Wesley Street.

Signs will be in place to direct the public and supervisors from the PTB will be on hand to assist commuters.

Transport Minister Ewart Brown said at a Press conference yesterday that the shelter will cost approximately $2.9 million and is a joint partnership with the Corporation of Hamilton and the Government.

He said the Central Bus Terminal was built in the 1970s and can no longer meet the needs of commuters.

?We need to keep up with the changing times,? said Dr. Brown. ?An increase in commuter demands placed on the current facility, coupled with safety issues from a design perspective make this terminal no longer viable.?

He said the new terminal will be safer and user friendly for visitors and tourists.

?Additional concerns facing the current terminal range from inadequate coverage during bad weather to a lack of capacity for buses pulling in to service over three million passenger rides annually.?

When asked about cycle parking in the area, Dr. Brown said parking for cycles will be reduced in the area. ?We ask people to bear with us and pardon our project,? he said.

Mayor Lawson Mapp said motorists will be inconvenienced at times, but he asked the public to be patient as the new terminal is expected to provide commuters with an ?end result that is well worth it?.