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Halifax Regional Council unanimously decided on Monday to move forward with a plan to create dedicated bus lanes on Gottingen Street.

The bus lanes will function at peak hours (7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m., Monday to Friday) on the current transit choke point.

READ MORE: Halifax moves forward with 1.2-km protected bike lane for South Park Street

According to a staff report, Halifax found that northbound buses are delayed an average of five to six minutes during the afternoon peak hour.

The lane will run northbound between Cogswell and North streets and would result in the removal of dozens of parking and loading zone spots.

A sketch of a proposed dedicated bus lane on Halifax’s Gottingen Street. Halifax Regional Municipality

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Staff believe the required work on the project could be finished by the end of 2018.

However, there will be a few delays before the dedicated lanes are up and running.

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Staff are set to create a parking loss mitigation plan with consultation from the general public and other stakeholders. Only then will the project be tendered by the municipality.

Halifax will also explore the possibility of moving northbound express buses to a different route and moving Dartmouth-bound buses to Barrington Street via the Macdonald Bridge — which will require modifications to the bridge itself as buses are not able to handle the current angle of the turn.