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“It is truly a remarkable achievement.”

The scaled-down version of BRT, with three of the original plan’s five legs, will still cost $280.5 million, with the city picking up $113.5 million, Ottawa pitching in $91.1 million and Queen’s Park providing $76 million.

But Friday’s announcement was for 10 transit projects, costing $375.2 million, that will affect just about every aspect of driving, riding, cycling and walking in the city.

“This is a great deal for London taxpayers. It will allow us to build really important infrastructure. What I’m glad about today is that between the two levels of government more than $200 million in funding is coming and we can start building now,” said Deputy Mayor Jesse Helmer, the Ward 4 councillor.

The city’s capital budget is more than $1 billion over 20 years and this is a just a part of that, he added.

Holder lauded city politicians’ “compromise” on a BRT plan that proved divisive on council and during the election, during which Holder ran on a platform opposing the original BRT model.

But he downplayed that campaign stance, saying the city, and his view, have evolved.

“I did not change my position. Part of it made sense, the part about getting people to work and back home on time,” he said of the original plan that had five legs, also going to the north and west, as opposed to the three now that extend east along Oxford Street from downtown to Fanshawe College, south to White Oaks mall from the core along Wellington Road, and the downtown portion.