City-parish officials are mulling over three short-term options to relocate the problematic downtown CATS transfer hub that’s currently located outside the Old State Capitol, and they plan to find a long-term solution through a study that will begin next year. CATS CEO Bob Mirabito outlined possible solutions to a meeting of the CATS Planning Committee on Friday.
The Metro Council has asked officials from CATS, the Downtown Development District, the city-parish Planning Commission and other organizations to discuss moving the hub after the council delayed a decision to approve routes that could lead to further congestion.
Planning Director Frank Duke, who will lead the study to find a long-term solution, has experience finessing public transit in a downtown environment, Mirabito said at Friday’s meeting. Duke helped design a solution to a similar problem in Norfolk, Virginia. Mirabito said Duke hopes to find a location for an off-street hub in a centric location. Mirabito said Duke also hopes the final destination of the CATS hub will be within a block of another downtown public transit option, like the streetcar that will connect downtown to LSU. Daily Report has the full story.
