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Council’s transportation committee on Wednesday approved a redesign plan for two downtown streets as the city prepares to reduce the number of buses when the Confederation Line opens.

The bus-only lanes on Albert and Slater streets won’t be necessary when the LRT line is running through the tunnel under Queen Street in November. The number of buses cutting through the downtown will be reduced by half, and more in some locations.

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Under the proposed redesign plan, separated bike lanes will be added to Albert and Slater streets. There will be more bike parking spaces and planters to improve the streetscape. The intersection of Albert and Slater streets, west of Bronson Avenue, will be transformed as part of a larger sewer and watermain project by pushing the intersection slightly east.

It will cost $26 million to reconstruct the Slater-Albert-Bronson node, but the money isn’t expected to be available until 2021. The rest of the corridor, from Bay Street through to the Mackenzie King Bridge, will cost about $6.4 million. The city expects a provincial grant will help pay for some improvements.