Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Jonesboro Economical Transit (JET) bus stops will soon have a new look as work begins on the construction and installation of new bus stop shelters.

Lee Wells, JET director of transit, told JRN that a total of 45 bus shelters have been ordered, and the new shelters will be installed in 38 locations. The remaining shelters, he said, will be used for spare parts or will be installed once locations for additional stops have been evaluated.

Existing shelters will be removed and replaced with new ones, and shelters will be installed at stops that don’t have one. The order in which the shelters will be installed is up to the project’s contractor, he said.

Wells described the shelters as a “hammered blue” color, with lighting, wide roofs to protect against weather, and perforated steel walls to both protect riders and provide extra longevity. There will also be a digital message board inside the shelters, Wells said, allowing riders to see bus/trolley arrival times.

“They are very nice-looking shelters,” Wells said. “There’s more than just building the shelters. There’s also the technology piece, which will be coming [and] the software, which we’ve been working on upgrading. Once all of those things get tied together, it’s gonna really make an impactful improvement on anybody’s ability to ride the bus.”

The project is funded by a $752,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration the city accepted in 2024. The City of Jonesboro matched that with $188,000, bringing total project costs to $940,000. Crabtree and Son, Inc. is the contractor for the project.

While each stop is under construction, riders will be picked up 20 feet past the work zone, according to a JET Facebook post announcing the shelters.

“Thank you for your patience as we upgrade your transit experience – great things are coming,” the post said. “Be on the lookout for more upgrades!”