Arlington County officials say they reduced costs by 40 percent on a plan to build almost two dozen bus stops, following public outcry when the prototype stop cost more than $1 million.
At a news conference Tuesday, County Manager Barbara Donnellan said the county now expects the project to cost $12.4 million, rather than an earlier estimate of $20.9 million.
That still works out to $469,000 for each standard-size bus stop and $362,000 for each smaller bus stop in the project, which is supposed to help revitalize the county's Columbia Pike corridor.
The prototype $1 million “super stop” prompted outrage last year from taxpayers and commuters who noted that the sweeping design failed to even protect users from the wind and the rain.
