The dirt flew at an official groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 7 for the new multimillion-dollar Santa Maria Intermodal Transit Center, to sit at the corner of East Boone and South Miller streets.
After a brief ceremony, Santa Maria City Council members, Caltrans officials, and U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) sunk their gold-plated shovels into ground to officially kick off the construction process, slated for completion in the fall.
The new center will serve as a state-of-the-art transit hub, allowing passengers to transfer among local and regional routes, including those navigated by the Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT), the Breeze, Guadalupe Flyer, and San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (SLORTA).
Unlike the current bus facility near the Santa Maria Town Center, which consists only of bus parking along the road and a handful of small bus shelters, the new center will feature 16 bus bays
“This [center] is about accessibility and the ability to be transported anywhere—and nobody will be deprived of that,” Capps said in a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Capps added that while a lot of communities are looking for answers to transportation problems, such as high gas prices and traffic congestion, “Santa Maria is doing something by building this transit center.”
In an interview with the Sun, City Transit Service Manager Austin O’Dell said the new transit center will be “very customer-focused,” with public restrooms, a park-and-ride area, a waiting area, bicycle racks, and more.
“There will also be a person there selling tickets and providing information,” he added.
This service is a big bonus for Santa Marian Carmen Warnstrom, who was present at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“It’s going to be nice,” Warnstrom said. “People won’t have to run around town looking for places to buy tickets. … I think it’s going to be more convenient all around for passengers and bus drivers.”
Designed by BFGC Architects Planners, Inc. of San Luis Obispo, the new transit center is meant to provide “a safe and reliable facility to daily commuters, the public, students, elderly, and those with disabilities in the greater Santa Maria area, and special services to southern San Luis Obispo County,” according to information from
the city.
For more information about the new transit center, contact the Public Works Department/Transit Division at 925-0951, Ext. 480.
This article appears in Jan 14-21, 2010.
