Whitehorse to get new downtown transit station, other goodies

More than $16.5 million in funding from the federal and territorial governments will mean upgrades to Whitehorse's public transportation system and city roads.

The money will pay for four new buses for the city's transit system, and it will help build a new downtown transit station with a heated waiting area, public toilets and bike racks.

"Over the years we've seen sustained growth in the number of people who use public transit," stated Mayor Dan Curtis in a news release.

"Any external funding we receive helps us improve the buses we use and the roads we drive on every day."

The money was announced in Whitehorse on Thursday. According to the news release, the federal government is contributing $13.2 million, while the Yukon government is contributing $3.3 million.

The money will also help pay for the reconstruction of Cook Street and a new multi-use trail from Black Street to Ogilvie Street.

Tlingit Street in the city's Marwell subdivision will also have work done, including road surfacing, the installation of 500 metres of storm and wastewater sewers, and the replacement of the Galena Road water main.

The City of Whitehorse is also contributing $245,000, while the Kwanlin Dün First Nation is contributing $400,000 to construction on Tlingit Street.

The federal funding comes from three sources: the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream, the Green Infrastructure Stream, and the Rural and Northern Infrastructure Stream.