CU seeks second option for downtown bus station

Officials intended to move the bus station to Boonville Avenue and Water Street from just west of the square, but necessary federal funding and a connected city-owned parking garage fell through, said city Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith.

Now, CU has hired Esterly Schneider & Associates Inc., which has subcontracted with Kansas City firm TranSystems, to conduct a feasibility study on potential downtown spots.

That study, estimated to cost between $20,000 and $30,000, should be finished by December, when design bids could go out, according to CU Transit Director Carol Cruise. Construction could begin next year.

Facility details haven’t been determined, except that it will have loading stations and indoor passenger amenities, such as restrooms. Other ideas have been discussed, including office space for transportation-related agencies and CU administrative personnel, and a ticket booth, Cruise said.

An early cost estimate says the facility would cost about $4 million, and Cruise said CU has applied for $3.5 million in federal funds. About $1.6 million was released by the U.S. Department of Transportation earlier this month.

Tight quarters

The current home for the transit system’s downtown station is land-locked and too confined for CU’s buses.

“A 30-foot vehicle versus a car traveling in the downtown area, it gets a little tight,” Cruise said, adding that CU plans to introduce 35-foot and 40-foot buses to its fleet soon because of rising ridership numbers.

TranSystems Vice President Ted Rieck would not disclose sites included in the study so far, but he said an ideal location would be rectangular in shape, close to popular downtown destinations and the existing transit route, and reasonably priced.

“Typically, it is hard to find locations in a downtown area,” Rieck said. “It’s dense, (and) usually, it’s more expensive property.”

CU officials are anxious to move forward on the project, as ridership numbers have been increasing every month for two years and are on pace to set a record at the end of September, when the utility’s fiscal year ends.

From October 2006 to August 2007, there were 1.9 million passengers, compared to 1.7 million riders in the same period previously. Cruise said she has no doubt the passenger total will surpass 2 million by Oct. 1.

“These kinds of ridership numbers are a transit operator’s dream,” she said. “But along with the increase come some stresses. Drivers are finding themselves having to stop more frequently, dealing with more people, more questions, actually denying rides on some days when they’re just too full.”[[In-content Ad]]